Imam Hussain (‘a) was one of two sons of Imam Ali a.s and Fatima Zehra s.a, the daughter of the holy Prophet (Pbuh). The one whose martyrdom, grief, pain, sorrows and children’s captivity were all only for Almighty Allah will never fade out of the memories. Instead, by the pace of time and age his love, fascination, and charm will grow in the hearts of people.
By Sahil Abbas
“It is Hussain’s a.s sacrifice that has kept Islam alive or else in this world there would be no one left to take Islam’s name.” (Swami Shankaracharya)
Imam Hussain a.s was one of two sons of Imam Ali a.s and Fatima Zehra s.a, the daughter of the holy Prophet (Pbuh). The one whose martyrdom, grief, pain, sorrows and children’s captivity were all only for Almighty Allah will never fade out of the memories. Instead, by the pace of time and age his love, fascination, and charm will grow in the hearts of people. And each year the love and fascination of the people with respect to that “pure and chaste revolutionary” increases. Imam Hussain a.s did what no other would do; he gave up his home, family, safety, own life and entire family for a message. What is this significant message that deserves the sacrifice of Imam Hussain a.s and his companions?
It is the message of humanity, peace, justice; the message of Islam and of Allah. It is the message that inspired all of humanity with divinity. Imam Hussain’s a.s revolution was aimed at saving the people from corruption, humiliation, mortification and ignorance. The Supreme leader of the Islamic revolution Ayatollah Syed Ali Hosseini Khamenei states, “The struggle of Imam Hussain a.s has two dimensions, therefore it can have two outcomes, both of which would be good. One outcome was that Imam Hussain a.s would be able to overcome yazid by taking power out if the hands that suppressed the people and ruined their lives, then putting it back on the right path where it should have been. If this was achieved, the course of history would have changed. The other dimension is that if Imam Hussain a.s did not achieve a political and military victory, for any reason, then at this point Imam Hussain a.s would promote his words of truth like a Prophet and non-stop stream throughout history, not through a physical tongue but through the language of sacrificing his blood and being oppressed – the language that the history would never ever forget it, and Imam Hussain a.s did so”.
Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal r.a, poet and philosopher of Pakistan says: “Imam Hussain a.s uprooted despotism forever till the Day of Resurrection. He watered the dry garden of freedom with the surging wave of his blood, and indeed he awakened the sleeping Muslim nation.”
Dear Readers, History has seen numerous massacres of innocent people, but the tragedy of Karbala is one of the few where men, women and children voluntarily allowed themselves to be subjected to hunger, thirst, humiliation and death on the burning sands of Karbala because they believed that Imam Hussain a.s stood for righteousness. By the time the sun was set, the day of Ashura in the plains of Karbala, witnessed Imam Hussain a.s giving up everything humanly possible in the way of Allah including his 72 brave and loyal followers and his 6 months beautiful baby, Ali Asghar. In the wake of such a great sacrifices, the Qur’an praises as:
“Think not of those who are slain in God’s way as dead. Nay, they are living, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord” (Al-Qur’an 3:169)
One of the famous scholar states that to understand the purpose of this great sacrifice it is better to ask the pioneer, the doyen of martyrs himself about the purpose of this incident rather than approaching the opinions and writing of several analysts, writers, researchers, thinkers, speakers, scholars and academicians, who have expressed their views on this incident.We should ponder over the words of Imam Hussain a.s himself to see what he has said as the purpose of this uprising. Imam Hussain a.s explains the mission of his sacrifice in his own words: “I have taken this stand not out of arrogance or pride, neither out of mischief or injustice. I have risen to seek reform in the community of my grandfather. I would like to bid good, forbid evil, and follow the tradition of my grandfather and my father ‘Ali bin Abi Talib. a.s”
For real, Such an everlasting victory can only be achieved by the one who totally believes and trust in the Almighty Allah. Dr. Radha Krishnan writes “Though Imam Hussain gave his life years ago, but his indestructible soul rules the hearts of people even today.”
Great spiritual leaders are known to make great sacrifices, but at Karbala, common men and women with infants at their bosom, their hearts and souls aflame with righteousness, chose death rather than evil and weakness. Such was the greatness of Imam Hussain a.s ; such was his spiritual power, which could uplift common mortals to heights of supreme courage and sacrifice. Charles Dickens (English novelist) writes: “If Hussain had fought to quench his worldly desires… then I do not understand why his sister, wife, and children accompanied him. It stands to reason therefore, that he sacrificed purely for Islam.”
None but Hussain a.s did it. Islam is still alive and in her true shape just because of Hussain.
(Author hails from Magam Kashmir, is a Freelance Writer, Humanist, Pacifist and Young Activist. He is also the author of 4 books including “Hussain (‘a) the ark of salvation”)
