In this paper, I explore the formation of religious language in the sermon of Hussayn ibn Ali at Karbala. Using Rowan Williams’ framework of “religious language” as “a language under pressure”, I will examine the sermons of Imam Hussayn in his confrontation with the army of Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah in Karbala, Iraq. More than an ordinary sermon, this speech is a prayer and a direct engagement with the participants of the opposing army, who had betrayed their promises of support to him. This sermon provides a case in point for my analysis because of the significant pressure placed on the speech and linguistic potential of the Imam. In a situation that is otherwise traumatic and can lead to silence, the Imam engages in a dialogic encounter on two levels - one with God, the other with his opponents. I argue that the opening prayer and engagement with the opponents showcase the formation of a language that becomes "religious" not only under the "pressure" of a tragic situation at hand, but the pressure of address to God as well. The format of prayer brings out a pressure of its own on language; one that not only acknowledges the desperation of a tragic situation at hand, but by referencing an infinite interlocutor (God), is able to give to the speaker a semblance of moral agency in a fraught situation. Language is made religious through the pressure of a self that while encountering utter limitation is able to overcome the limitations through the infinitude of the Deity.