Author: Dr Farhat Fatima
Abstract
Islam is a monotheistic religion taught by Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him and his progeny). The deep-seated decree of Islam is total submission to the will of Allah (S.W.T). When the immoral Yazid Ibn Mawviya unlawfully avowed himself as a leader of the Islamic state of Damascus, the throne of Damascus had become a tyrant’s worldly throne and the decomposition of ethics and principles of Islam spread among the people. There was only one man who could stop this viciousness and that was Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A.S.) – the youngest grandson of Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.W.) and the rightful Imam/leader of the Muslims. Thus, on the day of Ashura, the tenth of Moharram 61 A.H. Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) sacrificed his life along with seventy one of His companions in the way of Islam.
This paper aims to portray Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) by his colossal sacrifices against tyranny and oppression as ‘the ultimate beacon’ or guiding light for humanity till eternity. This beacon/guiding light kindled by Imam Hussain (A. S.) by giving his life, has been kept alive by his son Zain Al Abedien(A. S.), his sister Zainab Bint Ali (S.A), His family members (The Ahl Al-Bayt) and by his living son, Qaem (A.T.F.S) and the true followers of Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.).
Keywords: Humanity, Sacrifice, Discipline, Restraint, Values
Rationalization of thoughts
Islam taught by Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him and his progeny) was a religion of restraint, discipline and a religion of setting aside of self-interest and helping others. When the devilish Yazid Ibn Mawviya affirmed himself as a leader of the Ummah/Islamic state of Damascus, the throne of Damascus had become a worldly throne and the decay of morals and values of Islam spread among the people. “In the fifty years of History from the death of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W) to Kerbala. Islam had gone through a series of turmoil’s where its spiritual values were tarnished to an extent that Yazid publicly denounced the Prophet of Islam in his court and was drinking and making fun of the rules of Shariat.”(Khan 2)
There was only one man who could stop this viciousness and that was the youngest grandson of Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.W), Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.). Yazid insisted oath of allegiance from Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.). Hussain’s piousness and righteousness and his high position as the chosen Imam of Allah (S.W.T) and a custodian of Ummah would not have allowed him to pay homage to anybody, let alone a tyrant like Yazid Ibn Mawviya. He (Imam Hussain Ibn Ali) was the inheritor of Prophets – The inheritor of Adam (A. S.), inheritor of Nooh (A. S.), The inheritor of Musa (A. S.), The inheritor of Esa (A. S.), The inheritor of Mohammad Mustafa, peace be upon him and his progeny (inheritor of prophethood) and the inheritor of Ali Ibn Abi Talib. (A. S.) (Inheritor of Imamah)
Yazid Ibn Mawviya was a drunkard, pervert and vile natured man and Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) knew very well that giving allegiance of loyalty to Yazid Ibn Mawviya would jeopardize the survival of Islam. To protect and defend Islam he had no alternative but to deal with and collide with Yazid’s rulership irrespective of the consequences.
Thus, on the day of Ashura, the tenth of Moharram 61 A.H. Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) gave his life along with seventy one of His companions in the way of Islam to stir the glow of unparalleled love in the hearts of children, women and men for all seasons and years to come. Karbala is an unmatched sole instance of Humanity and truth. The martyrs of Karbala have shown that for defending the integrity of Islam and to guard its ideology you need to endure hardships and heartache and even your lives are worthy of sacrifice.
“Within the small band of followers who gave up their lives in Karbala, we find that it represented society from varied aspects. As such, it was a microcosm of the society for all time. There were companions of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W); companions of Imam Ali (A. S.) (Tabayeen) historically recognized Reciters of holy Quran, and Narrators of Hadiths in Karbala.”(Askari 78) Among the martyrs of Banu Hashim, exclusively were the children of Abu Talib (A. S.) i.e., the children of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (A. S.), and the children of his brothers Hazrat Jaffer al Tayyar (A. S.) and Hazrat Aqeel (A. S.). Everyone near and dear to Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) was lying on the battlefield of Karbala drenched in their own blood. Maula Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) was alone. He whispered gently, ‘Abbas my dear brother, I am alone! So alone’
Slowly, he (AS) moved towards the tents and bade his last farewell and gave necessary instructions to Imam Zain Al Abedien (A. S.) and the ladies. There was heart rending wailing as the Imam walked towards his horse. Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) moved towards the battlefield. Standing all alone He (AS) called out Halmin Nasirin Yansurana ‘Is there anyone to help me?’ When no one came to help and the soldiers of Yazid Ibn Mawviya started to attack him, Imam Hussain (A. S.) took out his sword and began to fight. Parched, weary, injured, brokenhearted, Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) fought as no one had seen anyone fight! All the best warriors of Umar Ibn Saad, The Commander of Ubayd Allah Ibn Ziad’s Army (Umayyad Governor of Basra, Kufa and Khurasan under the reign of Yazid Ibn Mawviya) perished. No one dared to come near the valiant Imam. Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) stood on his stirrups and cast his eyes towards River Furaat, where his dearest brother Abbas Ibn Ali (A. S.) was lying, badly-wounded, hands severed, martyred and in the lap of death and said,
“Abbas get up and see the battle of your brother, the hungry, the thirsty, the shattered, the broken-hearted brother?”
Then, Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) felt a slight shadow above his head and a breeze of moist air. He raised his head and saw Jibraiel his childhood caretaker standing above him in the air, sheltering him with his open wings. Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) told Jibraiel to move away as it was the time of examination. Jibraiel said ‘O Hussain! Allah (S.W.T) is pleased with your selflessness and valor. The moment has come to give your life in the way of Islam.’ Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) looked at the sky, yes; oh yes! It was the time of Asr (evening Prayer). He kept his sword in his sheath and raised his head towards the sky and said to Allah (S.W.T) in his consciousness:
“I have given up all without exception out of my love for Thee. I have abandoned my family and accepted the orphaning of my children in order to meet Thee. If out of love for Thee, my body was chopped in pieces even then my heart will not bend before anyone but Thee.”(Askari 81-82)
Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) was at this stage in complete command of mind; he was composed, serene and clear in his aim.
Allah commands in the Holy Quran:
To the righteous soul will be said “O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction! (Surah Al-Fajr 89: 27)
In Islamic theology, the human soul passes through states or stages. The state in which the soul seeks the fulfillment of his lower desire crossing the limits prescribed by God’s laws is called ‘Ammura’ in the Holy Quran (Surah Yusuf 12:53) and the soul which reproaches against the rebellious intentions is called ‘La Wama’ in the Holy Quran (Surah Al-Qiyaama75:2). And the soul which has conquered all desires and surrendered itself to the Lord is called ‘Mutmainnali’ in the Holy Quran (Surah Al-Fajr 89:27) the satisfied one, i.e., at rest in peace and perfect harmony with the divine will, triumphed over every kind of passion, desire, sorrow, pain, disappointment for the sake of any enjoyment of this life; getting totally mindful of pleasing the Lord and none else. This is the highest stage of spiritual progress; the human soul in this world can achieve and must strive for. Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) had achieved complete confidence in God by absolute submission to His (The supreme Lord’s) will.
Allah (S.W.T) was pleased with Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) and thus he calls him back to him through Jibraiel.
The Holy Quran says:
“Return thou unto thy Lord! Well-pleased (with Him), (and) His being well-Pleased with thee” (Surah Al-Fajr 89: 28)
The verse (89: 28) of the Holy Quran illustrates that when one reaches the final stage of ‘Mutmainnali’ the satisfied one, he/she gets mindful only of the Lord and not of anybody else, and he does not aspire for any enjoyment even in heaven, except the pleasure of the Lord. This is the stage in which the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his progeny) and his Ahl Al-Bayt (A. S.) were. This was the stage where Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) was, hence he is called as Syeddash Shohada, the Prince of martyrs; he gave everything he had to save Islam.
When the vile soldiers’ of Yazid Ibn Mawviya(l)’s army who had fled earlier saw Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) still on his horse they started returning and attacking all-over again and the valiant Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) was besieged under the circle of tyrants. The unprincipled soldiers of Yazid Ibn Mawviya (l) were shouting we should not give respite to the pious member of Ahlul Bait, thus throw him back by the sharp swords. For one life of the pious Imam, thousands of tormentors were standing in anticipation to kill him, for the life of one exceptional, thirsty noble, hundreds of arrows were rained; there was neither a friend nor a helper, oh Lord! Everywhere were blood-thirsty persecutors.
The Holy Quran says:
Let those fight In the cause of God Who sell the life of this world For the Hereafter. To him who fighteth In the cause of God, — Whether he is slain Or gets victory–Soon shall we give him A reward of great (value). (Surah An-Nisaa 4:74)
The verse (4:74) illustrates that the recompense for the Martyrs is a mighty or a grand reward. Thus the reward of Hussain Ibn Ali’s (A. S.) martyrdom is that he will be remembered eternally. His truth in the Battle of Karbala has succeeded irrespective of the constraints of time over the deceit of Yazid Ibn Mawviya. After the martyrdom of Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) came the lonely and distressing night known. The unscrupulous men of Yazid’s army burnt the tents of Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.). The belongings of Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) and his family and friends were looted. The women folk and children were tortured and dishonored. And finally when the army left, Hussain Ibn Ali’s (A. S.) sister Zainab bint Ali (S. A.) took a broken spear in her hands and began going around the camp ensuring that the small group of aggrieved, weeping women and crying, weary children and the ailing son of Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.), Zain Al Abedien (A. S.) were not further disturbed during the night by the devious and horrid forces of Yazid Ibn Mawviya. What a distressing night it was for Zainab Bint Ali (Peace be upon her). It was barely hours before she and her family lived under the banner of dignity and lofty eminence of Imam Hussain Ibn Ali(A. S.) and now the night was pitch dark, children and her family members groaning in pain and anguish with disturbed, fearful sleep. Anguish of losing their loved ones, anguish of being terrorized and tortured again. Next to them were bodies and corpses covered in blood and they were in an isolated desert. She could hear the vile soldiers of Umar Ibn Saad rejoicing. She did not want to think, what the morning would bring for them, will they be killed or taken as captives. Zainab wanted the women and children to rest for a few hours in the distressing night.
In the early hours of the morning, Zainab bint Ali (S. A.) had a vision. She saw a man on a horse, riding towards her (S. A.). She was worried that the weary children and women will wake up and she (S. A.) cried out, ‘O rider! For God’s sake, please do not come any nearer! We have just been looted and plundered. The traumatized children have just slept. We have nothing left. Please go away!’ But the rider kept on riding towards her and Zainab Bint Ali (S. A.) got angry. She lifted the broken spear and warned the rider; ‘I am the daughter of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Son in Law of Prophet Mohammad). I am warning you to stop.’ The rider came near her and said ‘Don’t you recognize your father, Zainab?’ She rushed towards him and threw herself in his comforting embrace and cried out, ‘Oh father! Where were you, when my beloved brother and family members were martyred and when we were plundered and looted by the forces of Yazid Ibn Mawviya. Her father cried ‘Zainab take rest my dear child, you are very tired and from tomorrow you have a long journey of toil and stress, you have to uphold the message of your dear brother and disperse the qualms and misapprehensions sown into the public mind by the unscrupulous administration of Yazid Ibn Mawviya, hence go to sleep my daughter. I have come to guard your tents.’
Conclusion
Shaikh-e-Sadooq asserts in his ‘Khisaal’ through Jabir Ibn Abdullah-e-Ansari that the Holy Prophet said that on the Resurrection Day three entities would complain: i) The Quran ii) The Mosque and iii) The Itrat (The Ahl Al-Bayt)
The Quran would say:
“O’, My Lord! They distorted me and tore me into pieces”.
The Mosque would say:
“O’, My Lord! They kept me and spoiled me”.
The Itrat (The Ahl Al-Bayt) would say”
“O’, Our Lord! They killed us, drove us out of our homes and made us wander hither and thither.”(The Holy Quran Introduction pg.46a)
The next day after Ashura i.e., on eleventh of Moharram brought unthinkable afflictions for the bereaved family of Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.), his womenfolk, orphans and eldest son Imam Ali Ibn Hussain Alias Zain Al Abedien (A. S.) were lashed, tied up and were made to walk on thorny deserts and bundled on unsaddled camels towards a destination of more grief, turmoil and heartache. The beacon of light, to save Islam started by the martyrdom of Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.) and by his colossal sacrifices has been kindled and kept alive by his son, Imam Zain Al Abedien (A. S.), his sisters and family members {The Ahl Al-Bayt(A. S.)}, and for the coming generations will be kept alive by the Qaem(Imam Mahdi) (A.T.F.S) and by the true followers of Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (A. S.).
References
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