Basic
Information on Ashura and Imam Hussain (AS)
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 Kerbala 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 Kerbala were to become a beacon and an
inspiration for future generations. In this article, we shall examine
briefly the principal adversaries.
Who is Hussain ?
The leader of the
small band of men who were martyred in Kerbala was none other than
Husain (A), son of
Ali bin Abi Talib (A)
and grandson of the Holy Prophet (S). Who was Husain? He was the son of
Fatima (A) for whom the Holy Prophet (S) said, "Husain is from me
and I am from Husain. May God love whoever loves Husain."
[1]
With the passing
away of his brother Hasan(A) in 50 AH, Husain (A) became the leader of
the household of the Holy Prophet (S). He respected the agreement of
peace signed by Hasan (A) and
Muawiya, 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 (Muawiya) 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 Husain'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
Husain (A) was an Islamic movement spearheaded by one of the great
leaders of Islam. The principles and laws of Islam demanded that Husain
(A) act to warn the Ummah of the evil situation which it was in, and to
stand in the way of the deviating ruler. As Husain (A) 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. I wish to bid the good and forbid the evil."
[4]
Hussain (A) was killed
on the battlefield as he did Sajdah. His head was removed from his body
on the plains of Kerbala, 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 Husain (A)
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 Kerbala, when ascribed to the killers, is a criminal and
terrible act. However when ascribed to Husain (A) 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 Husain
(A) in this situation would have meant the end of Islam as we know it.
Thus Husain (A) 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 Husain (A) 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 (A))
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). It also makes us aware of
the people, then and now, who tried to destroy Islam and the family of
the Prophet (S) and all that they stood for - as well as those who
watched, listened and did nothing.
[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. |