What is
Ashura ?
In the month of Muharram 61 AH (approx. 20 October 680 AD), an event
took place in Iraq at a place known as Karbala on the bank of the
river Euphrates. It seemed in those days insignificant from the
historical point of view. A large army which had been mobilised by
the Umayyad regime besieged a group of persons numbering less than a
hundred and put them under pressure to pay allegiance to the Caliph
of the time and submit to his authority. The small group resisted
and a severe battle took place in which they were all killed.
It appeared at that time that like
hundreds of similar events, this battle would be recorded in history
and forgotten in time. However, the events that occurred on the 10th
day of Muharram in Karbala were to become a beacon and an
inspiration for future generations. In this article, we shall
examine briefly the principal adversaries.
Who is Imam
Hussain (A.S) ?
The leader of the small band of men who were
martyred in Karbala was none other than Hussain (A.S), son of Ali
bin Abu Talib (A.S) and grandson of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W). Who
was Husain? He was the son of Fatima (S.A) for whom the Holy Prophet
(S.A.W) said, "Hussain is from me and I am from Hussain. May God
love whoever loves Hussain." [1]
With the passing away of his
brother Hassan(A.S) in 50 AH, Hussain (A.S) became the leader of the
household of the Holy Prophet (S). He respected the agreement of
peace signed by Hassan (A.S) and Mu'awiyyah, and, despite the urging
of his followers, he did not undertake any activity that threatened
the political status quo. Rather he continued with the
responsibility of looking after the religious needs of the people
and was recognised for his knowledge, piety and generosity. An
example of the depth of his perception can be seen in his beautiful
du'a on the day of Arafat, wherein he begins by explaining the
qualities of Allah, saying:
" (Oh Allah) How could an
argument be given about Your Existence by a being whose total and
complete existence is in need of you? When did you ever disappear so
that you might need an evidence and logic to lead (the people)
towards You? And when did You ever become away and distant so that
your signs and effects made the people get in touch with you? Blind
be the eye which does not see You (whereas) You are observing him.
What did the one who missed You find? And what does the one who
finds You lack? Certainly, the one who got pleased and inclined
toward other than You, came to nothingness (failed)."
On the other hand, we have
Yazid,
whose father (Mu'awiyyah) and grandfather (Abu Sufyan - the
arch-enemy of the Prophet) had always tried to sabotage the mission
of the Holy Prophet, and who showed his true colour by stating in a
poem, "Bani Hashim had staged a play to obtain kingdom, there was
neither any news from God nor any revelation." [2]
Mas'udi writes that
Yazid was a
pleasure-seeking person, given to wine drinking and playing with
pets. It is no wonder that Imam Hussain's (A.S) response to Yazid's governor,
when asked to pay allegiance to Yazid was, "We are the household of
the prophethood, the source of messengership, the descending-place
of the angels, through us Allah had began (showering His favours)
and with us He has perfected (His favours), whereas Yazid is a
sinful person, a drunkard, the killer of innocent people and one who
openly indulges in sinful acts. A person like me can never pledge
allegiance to a person like him ..." [3]
The revolution of
Hussain (A.S)
was an Islamic movement spearheaded by one of the great leaders of
Islam. The principles and laws of Islam demanded that Hussain (A.S)
act to warn the Ummah of the evil situation which it was in, and to
stand in the way of the deviating ruler. As Hussain (A.S) himself
remarked when he left Madina for the last time, "I am not rising
(against Yazid) as an insolent or an arrogant person, or a
mischief-monger or tyrant. I have risen (against Yazid) as I seek to
reform the Ummah of my grandfather Muhammad(S.A.W). I wish to bid
the good and forbid the evil." [4]
Hussain (A.S) was killed on the
battlefield as he did Sajdah. His head was removed from his body on
the plains of Karbala, mounted on a spear, and paraded through
villages and towns as it was taken to Damascus and presented at the
feet of Yazid.
Why remember
Ashura ?
Why is Hussain (A.S) regarded as
the "leader of the martyrs" ? It is because he was not just the
victim of an ambitious ruler. There is no doubt that the tragedy of
Karbala, when ascribed to the killers, is a criminal and terrible
act. However when ascribed to Hussain (A.S) himself, it represents a
conscious confrontation and a courageous resistance for a sacred
cause. The whole nation had failed to stand up to Yazid. They had
succumbed to his will, and deviation and regression towards the
pre-Islamic ways were increasing.
Passiveness by
Hussain (A.S) in
this situation would have meant the end of Islam as we know it. Thus
Hussain (A.S) took upon himself the responsibility of the whole
nation. The greatest tragedy was that one who stood up for the
noblest of causes, the defence of Islam, was cut down in so cruel a
manner.
It is for this reason that the
sacrifice of Hussain (A.S) is commemorated annually throughout the
Muslim world. Our sorrow never abates as we relive the tragedy. As
Allama Iqbal says in his Baqiyat (in Urdu):
Ronay wala
hoon Shaheed-e-Kerbala
key gham men main,
Kya durey maqsad na dengey Saqiye
Kausar mujhey
I am one who weeps at the plight
of the Martyr of Kerbala
Won't the reward be given to me by
the Keeper of Kauser (Imam Ali (AS)
The commemoration of Ashura on the
10th of Muharram every year serves to remind us of the sacrifices of
the family of the Prophet (S.A.W). It also makes us aware of the
people, then and now, who tried to destroy Islam and the family of
the Prophet (S.A.W) and all that they stood for - as well as those
who watched, listened and did nothing.
References:
[1] Ibn Majah: Sunan, Hadith 144.
[2] Ibn Jarir: Tarikhu'l Umam wa'l
Muluk, vol.13, p.2174.
[3] Sayyid ibn Ta'us: Maqtalu'l
Husain, pp.10-11
[4] Al-Khatid al-Khuwarazmi:
Maqtalu'l Husain ,vol.1, p.88
