The battle was between a small group of supporters and relatives of Muhammad's grandson Hazrat Imam Hussein ibn Ali, and a much larger military detachment from the forces of Yazid, the Umayyad caliph, to whom Imam Hussein had refused to give an oath of allegiance.
Imam Hussein and all his supporters were killed, including Hussein's six-month-old infant son, Ali al-Asghar ibn Husayn, with the women and children taken as prisoners. The dead are regarded as martyrs by both Sunni and Shia Muslims, and the battle has a central place in Shia history and tradition, and has frequently been recounted in Shia Islamic literature.
The Battle of Karbala is commemorated during an annual 10-day period held every Muharram by Shia, and Alevi culminating on its tenth day, known as the Day of Ashura. Shia Muslims commemorate these events by mourning, holding public processions, organizing majlis, striking the chest and in some cases self-flagellation.
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