Draft:Sinan bin Anas Al-Nakha'i

Sinan bin Anas Al-Nakha'i (Arabic: سِنان بن أَنَس النَخَعی) was a 7th century Umayyad soldier that fought in the Battle of Karbala against Al-Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. In Sunni sources, he is known to have been the one who greatly injured and killed Al-Husayn during the Battle of Karbala.

Name
The exact name of Sinan bin Anas is disputed as to whether it was Sinan bin Anas Al-Nakha'i or Sinan bin Abi Anas Al-Nakha'i. The dispute comes from a report in Al-Tabarani's Al-Mu'jam Al-Kabir, where he narrated from Ali bin Abdulaziz, who narrated Al-Zubayr bin Bakkar, that Al-Zubayr called Sinan the latter of the two versions. However, the name "Sinan bin Abi Anas" was only narrated by Al-Zubayr bin Bakkar, and other narrators only called him "Sinan bin Anas". The name "Al-Nakha'i" (Arabic: النَخَعی) means someone from the tribe of Nakha. This implies that Sinan had Yemeni roots.

Life
Not much is known about his life before the Battle of Karbala. According to an authentic report from Al-Tabarani, Sinan bin Anas lived long enough to meet Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf. According to the report, Sinan bin Anas was an old dark man with a long nose, with discoloration on his face. He wore henna during the day he met Al-Hajjaj. The amount of time between the Battle of Karbala (680 CE) and Al-Hajjaj's earliest governance (692 CE) was only 12 years. That means that Sinan was probably middle aged during the Battle of Karbala, if he was described as being an old man during the time of meeting Al-Hajjaj.

The Battle of Karbala
According to Sunni sources, Sinan bin Anas was the one identified as the killer of Al-Husayn during the Battle of Karbala. Years after the battle when he met Al-Hajjaj, Sinan explained to him that he was equipped with both a spear and a sword during the battle.

According to the Sunni narrative, Al-Husayn was trapped by the army of Umar bin Sa'ad. In his physical description, Al-Husayn wore a black coat and had gray hairs. Before the battle commenced, Al-Husayn tried to negotiate with a messenger from Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad. However, after conversing and turning back to his family and allies, Al-Husayn was shot in the back with an arrow by 'Amr Al-Tuhawi. This was the first injury that was sustained by Al-Husayn. After the arrow was shot, the battle commenced.

When Al-Husayn was already injured, Sinan bin Anas rammed his spear into him. After that, he cut him up with his sword and killed him. It was then reported that a Himyarite called Khawli bin Yazid Al-Asbahi then finished off Al-Husayn by cutting off his head and presenting it to Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad. After the battle, Sinan bin Anas would survive and grow old.

Being Forgotten
Although it was noted in Sunni sources that Sinan was the one who martyred Al-Husayn, many in the past and even today mistake the killer as Shimr bin Dhil-Jawshan. In the Chronicle of 1234, the anonymous author mentions that Shimr was the one who killed Al-Husayn, and there is no mention of Sinan bin Anas. The chronicler probably lived in Edessa, which was majority Sunni during his time.

Some Sunni historians, such as Ibn Al-Athir, had to make it clear that Shimr wasn't the one who killed Al-Husayn. Ibn Al-Athir noted that the reason why some claimed it was Shimr in the first place was because of his hate for Al-Husayn, by encouraging Umar bin Sa'ad's army to try to kill him. Although Sunni sources agree that Shimr took part in the battle, he did not martyr Al-Husayn.

In Shi'ism
According to Shia sources, Sinan was also considered the killer of Al-Husayn. It is more unsure in Shia sources whether it was definitely Sinan or Shimr who martyred Al-Husayn, although most Shias today claim that it was Shimr. However, the reports that say it was Sinan resemble Sunni reports on Al-Husayn's martyrdom.

In modern times, Shia events depict Sinan as an old man with a gray beard wearing red and wielding a sword during the Battle of Karbala. This depiction is not found in Sunni sources, and what is known of his appearance is narrated after the battle, not during.