Imam Hussain said: “Death with dignity is better than living with disgrace,” and articulated [the following couplet] on the day he was martyred: “Death is better than embarking on [a life of] indignity. And indignity is preferable over plunging into the Fire. I swear to God I seek refuge [in Him] from indignity, and I choose death, not indignity.”
قالَ الإمامُ الحسينُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَوتٌ في عِزٍّ خَيرٌ مِن حياةٍ في ذُلٍّ . وأنشَأ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) في يَومِ قَتلِهِ: الموتُ خيرٌ من رُكُوبِ العارِ والعارُ أولى من دُخُولِ النارِ واللّهِ ما هذا وهذا جاري
Sources
Mizan al-Hikma, hadith 914; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 44, pg. 192, hadith 4.
