|
Imam Husain's
Mission
In the Name of the Almighty
Table of
Content
-
The
History and Philosophy of Mourning for Imam
Husain (pbuh)
A.
The Message
B.
Evolution of Mourning for Imam Husain (pbuh)
C.
Importance of Mourning for Imam Husain (pbuh)
D.
Aza (Mourning) at Personal Level
-
Imam
Husain's Mission
-
References
A. The Message
Over one thousand
three hundred and fifty years ago, on the 10th of Muharram, just
before afternoon, a man stood on a sand-dune at Karbala. He was
bleeding from several wounds on his body. He had lost everything.
Since early morning he had carried several dead bodies into his
camp.
He had even buried
his infant child.
He looked at the
bodies of his loved ones. Tears flowed out of his eyes. He looked at
the sky and seemed to draw some strength from an unseen source.
Then, like a Muezzin from a minaret, he raised a call:
Is there anyone
who will come to assist me?
Is there anyone
who will respond to my call for aid?
He turned
direction and repeated the call. He did this four times.
Whom was he
calling out to? Surely he was not expecting anyone to come to his
aid. Those who wanted to help him had already crossed the lines and
laid down their lives for the cause. He knew there was no one left.
He knew that there was no other Hur. And yet, meticulously and
laboriously, he made sure that his call reverberated in all
directions.
Of course that
call was a call to Muslims of every generation in every land. It was
a call to us wherever we may be. It was a call for help. Help
against Yazeedism which in every age rears its ugly head to oppress
justice, truth and morality. Our Imam was calling out to every
Muslim of every age and time to combat Yazeedism, both within
himself and as an external force. This was his battle cry for
Jihad-ul-Akbar. He had already demonstrated that his objective
had always been to create a spiritual awakening through Amr bil
Ma'ruf wa Nahya anil Munkar, inviting them to the good and
advising them against evil.
Now he was calling
out for the continuation of this jihad at the individual, social and
political levels.
B. Evolution of
Mourning for Imam Husain (pbuh)
Muslims, and more
particularly the Shias, have answered this call with the unique
institution of Aza-e-Husain. With every tear that we shed for him we
pledge to resist the oppression of injustice, immorality, inequity
and falsehood. Every time we raise our hand and bring it down on our
chest in grief, we are saying: "Labbaik, Labbaik Ya Mawla!"
to our Imam, Husain Ibn Ali (pbuh), the grandson of the Holy Prophet
(pbuh & hf).
For long the word
Aza-e-Husain has been exclusively used in connection with the
remembrance ceremonies for the martyrdom of Imam Husain (pbuh).
Aza-e-Husain includes mourning congregations, lamentations, and all
such actions which express the emotions of grief, anger and, above
all, repulsion against what Yazid stood for. These emotions,
however, remain futile and hypocritical unless accompanied by a will
to reform both at the individual level and the community level.
Mourning for Imam
Husain (pbuh) is not a mere ritual. It is a commitment to Imam
Husain (pbuh). A commitment by each one of us, men and women, young
and old, to uphold the values of Islam and to subordinate our hearts
to the wishes of Imam Husain (pbuh). Mourning for him is our way of
responding to his call of ‘Is there anyone who will come to assist
me? Is there anyone who will respond to my call for aid?’ and we
shall be miserably failing in our response if we treated this most
important institution as a mere ritual. The responsibility lies with
us and if we fail to discharge this responsibility we shall be
answerable to Allah.
The term Majlis
has both a grammatical meaning and a meaning which relates to
Aza-e-Husain. In its technical sense, a Majlis is a meeting,
a session or a gathering. In reference to Aza-e-Husain, it means a
gathering to mourn Imam Husain. In this sense it was first used by
our sixth Imam, Ja'far Sadiq(pbuh). It is reported that his
companion al-Fudhayl Ibne Yasaar came to pay his respects to
the Holy Imam.
After the exchange
of usual courtesies, Imam asked al-Fudhayl:
"Do you people
ever organise Majaalis to recall the martyrdom of Imam
Husain (pbuh)?" Al-Fudhayl, with tears pouring down his
eyes, replied: "Yabna Rasulillah, indeed we do." The Imam
said: "May Allah bless you. I highly approve of such Majaalis."
On another
occasion, the poet Ja'far ibne Iffaan recited to our Imam
al-Sadiq (pbuh) a poem on the tragedy of Karbala. The Imam began
to weep uncontrollably. He then addressed the poet in the following
terms:
"O Iffaan,
do not think that it is only those whom you can see here are
listening to your poetry. In fact Allah's closest angels are present
here at this Majlis and they are all listening to your
recitation and they too lament and weep. May Allah bless you for
what you have recited. He will, Inshallah, reward you with paradise
for your efforts on our behalf."
Aza-e-Husain was a
phenomenon which gripped Muslim conscience immediately after the
tragedy of Karbala.
The first
Majlis-e-Husain was recited in the market-place of Kufa by a
lady from whose head her veil had been ripped off, whose hopes and
aspirations had been destroyed on the blooddrenched sands of Karbala
but whose indomitable spirit stepped forward to free the Islamic
values from the yoke of tyranny and oppression. She was the first
one to answer the call of Imam Husain (pbuh). Standing on her
unsaddled camel, she looked at the multitude rejoicing the victory
of Yazid. As soon as people saw her, they were quiet. They
knew that a historic moment for Kufa had arrived. Looking
straight at them, the daughter of Ali said:
"Woe upon you O
people of Kufa. Do you realise which piece of Muhammad's
heart you have severed! Which pledge you have broken! Whose blood
you have shed! Whose honour you have desecrated!. It is not just
Husain whose headless body lies unburied on the sands of Karbala. It
is the heart of the Holy Prophet. It is the very soul of Islam!" The
first Majlis touched and moved the people of Kufa so deeply
as to give rise to both the Tawwabun movement and al-
Mukhtar's quest for vengeance.
Ten days after
Ashura, a messenger from Yazid arrived in Medina. His
name was Abd al-Malik ibne Abi al Harith al- Sulamee. He came
to tell the Governor, Amr bin Said al-Aas that
Husain ibn Ali
(pbuh)
had
been killed in Karbala.
The Governor, more
conscious of the mood of the people, said that he himself could not
make the news public but Abd al- Malik, if he so wished,
could make the public
announcement.
Abd al-Malik
announced the news after the morning prayers.
There was such
intense weeping and wailing from the homes of Banu Hashim
that the very walls of Masjidun-Nabawi (the mosque of the
Prophet (pbuh & hf)) began to tremble. Zainab, Umme Luqman,
the daughter of Aqeel ibne Abi Talib came out screaming:
"What will you say when the Prophet asks you: What have you, the
last Umma, done with my offspring and my family after I left them?
Some of them are prisoners and some of them lie killed, stained with
blood. What sort of Ajr-e-Risaalah (reward for my mission) is
this that you disobey me by oppressing my children?" Fatimah
Binte Huzaam, also known as Ummul Baneen, carried her
young grandson Ubaidullah ibn Abbas and prepared to go out.
When asked where she was going, she said that she was taking the
orphan of Abbas to offer condolences to the mother of Husain.
Marwan ibn
Hakam
reports that every afternoon men and women would
gather at Jannat-ul-Baqee and there would be remembrance of
the tragedy of Karbala and the weeping and wailing could be heard
miles away.
When the prisoners
were finally freed by Yazid, they asked for an opportunity to
have rites of remembrance in Damascus. A house was made available to
them and Aza-e-Husain went on for over a week.
Just as Hadhrat
Musa Kalimullah had been raised in the palace of the enemy of
Allah, pharaoh, Lady Zainab laid the foundation of
Aza-e-Husain in the very capital of his murderer!
On their return to
Medina, Lady Zainab took over the leadership of Aza-e-Husain
in the city of the Holy Prophet. This aroused such strong emotions
in the people and such revulsion against the oppressor that Amr
ibne Said ibne al-Aas wrote to Yazid to have Lady
Zainab exiled from Medina. This was done in the beginning of 62
AH. Lady Zainab died shortly afterwards. Both the 4th and 5th
Imams greatly encouraged Aza-e-Husain.
In their times
Aza-e-Husain had to be performed in utmost secrecy as the regime was
opposed to any remembrance of Karbala. The poets who composed
elegies and the devout Shias who attended the gatherings at which
these elegies were recited did so at the risk of their lives.
Nonetheless, the poets continued to pour out their emotions in their
poetry.
Some of these
poetry are extant today and one can see the intensity of faith and
sadness enshrined in the words of the poets.
Gradually, the
institution of Ziyara (pilgrimage) came into being. People
would visit the graves of the martyrs and there perform
Aza-e-Husain. Our Imams wrote for them Ziyaras to be recited.
One of these Ziyaras is recited today by us and is known as
Ziyarat-e-Waritha.
When we examine
Ziyarat-e-Waritha, we can see not only a testimony of the
greatness of Imam Husain (pbuh) and the moving sentiments describing
his sacrifice for the cause of Allah, but also a solemn pledge and a
commitment by the reciter:
"And I make Allah,
His angels, His prophets, and His messengers, witnesses to the fact
that I believe in Imam Husain (pbuh) and in my return to
Allah. I also believe in the laws of Allah and in the consequences
of human actions. I have subordinated the desires of my heart to his
(Imam Husain's) heart and I sincerely submit to him and (promise to
follow his commands)."
Clearly, this
undertaking was never meant by our Imams to be an empty ritual.
Recitation of Ziyarat-e-Waritha is a commitment to Imam
Husain's cause made in the presence of Allah and the angels and the
prophets and the messengers and in full awareness of the final
accountability of human action.
One must always
reflect upon the seriousness and solemnity of this pledge.
Until the time of
Ghaibat-e-Kubra (major occultation), we find that our Imams
always encouraged Aza-e-Husain. They saw in Aza-e-Husain not only a
demonstration of grief for Imam Husain (pbuh) and the martyrs of
Karbala but also a renewal of one's commitment to Allah and His laws
as expounded in the Holy Qur'an and traditions.
We have records of
the sayings of the representatives (Naibs) during
Ghaibat-e-Sughra (minor occultation) explaining and encouraging
Aza-e-Husain. From 329 AH onwards the Fuqaha (jurisprudents)
and the 'Ulemas (Islamic scholars) took it upon themselves to
perpetuate the message of Karbala.
Sheikh Ibne
Babawayh-al-Qummi
better known as
Sheikh as-Saduq who died in 381 AH was the first scholar to have
introduced prose as medium of conveying the message of Imam
Husain (pbuh). He would sit on a pulpit and speak extempore
while many of his students sat by the side of the pulpit and
recorded the speech. His speeches have been preserved and to this
day are known as the Amali (dictations) of Sheikh Saduq.
Public
demonstration of grief first occurred in 351 AH. On the 10th of
Muharram, there was a spontaneous procession in the street of
Baghdad and thousands of men, women and children came out chanting "Ya
Husain! Ya Husain!" beating their breast and reciting elegies.
In the same year, a similar procession took place in Egypt. The
regime tried its best to stem the tide of Azae- Husain but failed.
Very soon Aza-e-Husain became an institution with deep roots in the
hearts of Muslims. Majlis evolved into an institution for
Amr bil Ma'ruf wa Nahya anal Munkar as well as reminder of the
tragic events.
As Islam spread,
different cultures adopted different modes of Aza-e-Husain.
Taimur Lane introduced the institution of Tabut (coffin)
and Alam (sacred flag) in India. As Islam spread southwards
on the sub-Continent, the form underwent changes to take into
account local cultural influences so as to portray the message of
Karbala in the medium best understood by the local people, both
Muslims and non-Muslims.
By the beginning
of the 19th Century, there was not a corner of the world, from Spain
to Indo-China, which did not have some form of demonstration on the
10th of Muharram.
The form varied
from country to country. In Iran, the most popular form has been
passion plays as a medium transmit the message of Karbala in
addition to the Majaalis from the Minabir.
In India, the
Ashura processions became part of the Indian Muslim culture.
Even the Hindus participated in these processions. The Maharajah of
Gwalior was always seen walking behind the 'Alam of Hadhrat Abbas
barefooted and without any insignia of his exalted office.
Marthiyas and Majaalis [mourning ceremonies] were such
strong influences on the Muslim population that they helped
strengthen not only their Islamic beliefs but also their political
resolve.
History reports
that even Gandhi on his famous salt march to protest against the
oppression of the British Raj took 72 people with him in emulation
of Imam Husain protest against Yazid's oppression.
c. Importance
of Mourning for Imam Husain (pbuh)
The following
excerpt from the last will and testament of
the Late Ayatullah Ruhullah Khumayni
(May
Allah bless him.)
is most touching
and relevant: "The memory of this great epic event (Ashura)
must be kept alive. Remember, the cries of damnation and all the
curses that are rightfully raised against the cruelty of the Bani
Umayyayah caliphs towards the Holy Imams, are reflected in the
heroic protests against cruel despots by the nations through the
centuries. It is the perpetuation of such protests that shatter
oppression and cruelty. It is necessary that the crimes of the
tyrants in each age and era be indicated in the cries of lamentation
and in the recitals of elegies held for the Holy Imams." Wherever
the Shias have gone they have taken with them the cultural forms of
Aza-e-Husain as practised in their country of origin. Today,
Aza-e-Husain in one form or another, can be seen throughout the
world. Aza-e-Husain is an important institution and we have to
ensure that it is kept alive so as to cultivate and nurture Islamic
conscience in each one of us and that our children and their
descendants remain committed to the cause of Imam Husain (pbuh).
D. Aza
(Mourning) at Personal Level
We must never lose
sight of the fact that while the form of Aza-e-Husain may reflect
the local indigenous culture, the essence of Aza-e-Husain must
always be remembrance of the martyrdom of Imam Husain (pbuh) and our
rededication to his cause.
There is always
the danger that if the form appears to be incongruent to the local
norms and consequently incomprehensible to the young generation or
to the indigenous population upon whom we wish to impress the
message of Karbala, the substance might gradually lose its
significance. The fabric of the substance invariably depends upon
the acceptability of the form.
Throughout history
the form of Aza-e-Husain has always bundergone changes to
accommodate local norms. It is for us, therefore, to seriously
re-evaluate the form in order to ensure that we can pass on to our
children the substance of Aza-e-Husain in its pristine state and
also make it an irresistible instrument of propagating for Islam! We
are duty bound to Allah and His Prophet to ensure that our children
grow up to accept Aza-e-Husain NOT as a ritualistic activity NOR as
means for atonement, but as a serious commitment to the basic values
of Islam.
The message of
Imam Husain (pbuh) can only be properly comprehended when we bear in
mind the Qur'anic principle of Tawheed (Monotheism) which
demands our undivided commitment to Allah only.
Imam Husain's
Mission
From the day he
left Medina on the 28th Rajab in 60 AH, at every stage, our Imam
made his mission clear.
He left no doubt
as to his intentions. It was not to fight Yazid to get the
throne of the empire over which the caliph ruled. Imam’s mission was
to reawaken the spirit of Islam and rekindle the Islamic conscience
which was nearing extinction by the conduct of Muawiyah and
Yazid. Justice and morality were gradually being destroyed by
the greed for land and power of those who had become rulers. Qur'an
insists that distinction can be accorded by piety alone.
Let us look at
some of the statements by Imam Husain (pbuh). Before leaving Medina
Imam Husain (pbuh) made a will and handed it over to his brother
Muhammad
Hanafiya.
In this will Imam wrote: "My mission is to reform the Muslim
community which I propose to do by Amr bil Ma'ruf wa Nahya anil
Munkar, inviting them to the good and advising them against
evil. It is not my intention to set myself as an insolent or
arrogant tyrant or a mischief maker".
In Mecca Imam
addressed a large group of scholars who had come for pilgrimage. He
exhorted them to command for good/enjoin right conduct and forbid
from doing evils (do Amr bil Ma'ruf wa Nahya anil Munkar) and
not to pander to the philosophies of the rulers who paid them to
keep away from truth. This was a long and powerful speech reminding
the scholars of their duty to inculcate Islamic conscience and not
to mislead the masses who trusted them.
The sole cause for
which Imam Husain (pbuh) set out from Medina was to perform his duty
to command for good/enjoin right conduct and forbid from doing evils
(do Amr bil Ma'ruf wa Nahya anil Munkar) to the Umma which
had not only apathetically accepted the evil that had been flowing
from the court in Damascus but, sadly, begun to emulate it. The
inevitable consequence of this would have been a total destruction
of all Islamic values.
In a letter which
he addressed to the people of Kufa Imam wrote: "An Imam is
one who judges by the Holy Qur'an, upholds justice, professes the
religion of truth and dedicates himself to obeying Allah and His
Prophet."
When Hur
and his army stopped Imam Caravan from going to Kufa, and
Hur told Imam that his order from ibn-e-Ziyad was to ask
Imam for Bai'at to Yazid, Imam refused to declare
Bai'at to someone who was only serving his own ends and not of
Islam. Hur said that such an attitude might cost Imam his
life. Imam replied: "Are you threatening me with death? Death is
many thousands of times better than the dishonour of Bai'at
to an enemy of Islam. Do you not see that truth is not being
practised and falsehood is not being prevented? I see death as a
blessing and life with tyrants as the most disgusting state one can
be in." Imam addressed Yazid’s army and concluded his speech
with these immortal words: "My parents did not raise me to submit
myself to an evil tyrant. I am your Imam and it is my duty to tell
you that you have surrendered the freedom of your mind to the evil
ways of Yazid. If you do not care for Islam, and do not fear
the day of judgement, at least do care for that precious gift from
Allah, the freedom of your spirit!"
And then,
realising that there was none amongst the enemy who was prepared to
heed to his advice, he climbs a sand dune and cries out: "Who is
there who would help me?" Was our Imam crying out for someone to
come and help him in his plight or assist him in the battle against
the forces ranged against him?
There was no one
left. Hur had come over and laid down his life for Imam. Even
infant Asghar had been killed. Who was then our Imam calling
out to? He was calling out to the future generations to continue his
frustrated cause of commanding for good/enjoining right conduct and
forbidding from doing evils (doing Amr bil Ma'ruf wa Nahya anil
Munkar). Indeed, He addressed us to follow his objectives in our
lives and draw nigh to Allah through which.
References:
1. Kitab al-Irshad by Sheikh al Mufid
2. The History of Tabari, the English
translation, Vol. XIX
3. The Rising of al-Husain by Sheikh
Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Deen
4. Imam Husain (pbuh), the Saviour of
Islam by Maulana Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi
5. Al-Serat the Imam Husain
Conference Number, published by the Muhammadi Trust, July 1984.
6. The origins and Early Development
of Shi'a Islam, by S.H.M. Jafri
7. Al-Tawhid, Vol. II No.1, the
Editorial.
8. Al Tawhid, Vol. XIII, No. 3, Pages
41 to 74, reproducing the article by Martyr Murtadha Mutaharri
entitled "Ashura :
History and Popular Legend"
9. The History of Azadari published
by Peermahomed Trust
|
