verses from the Bible and Quran that foretell the great sacrifice of Prophet muhammad's (saw) Grandson Hussain (as) on the plains of Karbala

1. 
Biblical Perspective on
Imam Hussain(as)
By Masooma Beatty

2. Significant events in Allah’s plan for delivering guidance to
mankind are not sudden, unexpected and unforetold events.
The tragedy of Karbala was known and announced by Prophet
Muhammad (saw) long before it happened.
Maybe it is mentioned even in the earlier scriptures. What
follows is one line of reasoning derived from the Biblical
scriptures.

3. 
 The successorship of prophethood and Imamate is a history
with Allah beginning with Adam (pbuh) and continuing to
Muhammad (saw), firmly established in a covenant between the
Prophet Ibrahim and Himself.
 This covenant between Abraham and God as written in the
existing form of the Bible apparently includes the mention of
the 12 imams, the third of which is Imam Hussain (as), the
champion of Karbala:
The covenanant

4. 
Genesis 10,23,20
In Genesis 17:20, we find part of God’s promise in this covenant that is
signified and remembered by circumcision.
17:20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: Behold, I have blessed him,
and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve
princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation..”
17:10-11 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy
seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins; and it shall be a sign of the
covenant between me and you.

5. 
 Some wording in translations of the Bible try to imply the
covenant only goes through Isaac, but Genesis 17:23 shows
clearly it is between Abraham and “thy seed after thee”
which includes Ishmael. The twelve princes are not
descended from Isaac, so they can in no way be associated
with twelve tribes of Israel nor the twelve disciples of Jesus
(pbuh); the only people who fulfill this promise of God are
the Twelve Imams (as) that have descended from Ishmael.
The twelve imams

6. 
 Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his
son. Prophet Ibrahim obeyed God, as did his son, and
they prepared for the sacrifice. But at the last minute,
Ibrahim was spared of the task, and the sacrifice of
the ram was used to replace it and to become a
symbol of the later Greater Sacrifice.
 Qur’an 37:104-108 “We called to him, "O Abraham,
You have fulfilled the vision.", You are of the truthful
ones, but verily it is an open test, we have substituted
it with a Greater Sacrifice. We have transferred it to
later generations.”
Abraham’s sacrifice

7. 
 What is this Greater Sacrifice transferred to later
generations? The Hajj ritual? Or could it be the
sacrifice of Imam Hussain (as) in Karbala? The Islamic
new year begins right after the Hajj, and the dates of
the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (as) occur.
 It is as if the Hajj itself is a reminder of the fulfillment
of this covenant in Prophet Muhammad and the
Twelve Imams (as), and a sign of Imam Hussain’s (as)
role in this covenant that is to come very soon on the
calendar.
What is this great sacrifice?

8. 
 At the time of the symbolic sacrifice of Hajj, the head is
shaved. In the old scriptures, shaving the head is a symbol of
mourning, as is wearing plain clothes like Hajis do. Note also
the weeping and beating the breast, both of which are central in
the modern practices of memoriam of the martyrdom of Imam
Hussain and his companions in Karbala: in the Bible those
practices are called for by God for mourning.
 Isaiah 22:12 “On that Day the Lord called for weeping and
beating the breast, for shaving the head and putting on sack
cloth.”
 The Christians believe that the sacrifice that replaced the one
tasked upon Abraham was that of Jesus. But the Qur’an tells us
this is not the case.

9. 
 Qur’an 4:157 “And their saying: Surely we have killed the
Messiah, Isa son of Mary, the apostle to Allah; and they
did not kill him nor crucify him, but it appeared to them
so and most surely those who differ therein are only in a
doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but
only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for
sure.”
 Further the Christians say that Isaac was the one to be
sacrificed and thus the replacement comes from his line,
in Jesus. But the earlier scriptures and the Qur’an tell us
it was Prophet Ismail who was to be sacrificed, and Imam
Husain (as) is from his line.
Who was sacrificed?

10.  There are numerous prophecies relayed from the Holy Prophet
about the martyrdom of Imam Hussain at Karbala. By contrast, in
the Bible, there is no clear prophecy of the crucifixion.
 But there is a prophecy that some believe is associated with the
events of Karbala.
 Jeremiah 46: 10 “For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day
of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries; and the
sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with
their blood; for the Lord God of hosts has a sacrifice in the north
country by the river Euphrates.”
 The land of Karbala is situated by the river Euphrates
Karbala in Jeremiah 46:10

11.  The sacrifice is presented here as the means of the vengeance
against those who reject the covenant between God and
man, those who reject the prophets and Imams (peace be
upon them). Or some say this verse may allude to events
yet in our future, of the Imam of Our Age securing
vengeance for the tragedy of Karbala according to the
command of God.
 Allah (swt) knows best what has been told in the prophecies
and what lies in the imagination. We do not need the
previous scriptures to verify the supreme importance of
Imam Hussain’s (as) martyrdom for all of humanity. But it is
intriguing to consider the possibility of these connections
remaining in what survives of God’s previous revelations.