“I am not rising to spread mischief or create sedition; Indeed, I have decided to reform my Grandfather’s nation, The Prophet of God…”- Imam Hussain AS.
Moharram, the first month of the Islamic Calendar marks the commemoration of Imam Hussain AS and his companions at Karbala (now a city in Iraq). The distinct traditions and rituals observed worldwide like eulogy recitations, crying and chest-beating, processions with Alam (the flag of Islam), Taziya (replica of the shrine of Imam Hussain AS), Zuljinah (the horse of Imam Hussain AS) marks the revival of the heart-wrenching catastrophe unfolded in the deserts of Arab on 10th Moharram, 61AH. The Azadari, as these commemorations are known, is not a mere ritual rather, solely about grieving and processions rather it is dauntlessness against all odds, a force of resistance against the evil, a victory of the oppressed over the oppressor.
Yazid Ibne Muawiya had unlawfully usurped the throne as the ruler of the Umayyad Dynasty and became a self-proclaimed Khalifa of Islam. What rendered his ascendance of the throne grossly illegitimate was the fact that it was a breach of a condition laid in the peace treaty that Imam Hasan AS, the elder grandson of the Prophet SAW, had entered into with Muawiya Ibne Abi Sufiyan, father of Yazid, who established the Umayyad Dynasty. The Peace Treaty, inter alia, contained a condition that Khilafat (the authority to rule over as the successor of the Prophet SAW) shall revert to the Ahlebait AS – the household of the Prophet SAW, on the death of the latter, yet it was breached by Yazid, who was an obdurate, tyrant, and an oppressive being by nature, he started to legitimize all the prohibited acts under the guise of Islam, to lead the people astray.
Imam Hussain AS refused to pay allegiance to this unjust and tyrant ruler, despite repeated demands of Yazid. Imam Hussain finally left his hometown Medina to stand against the tyrannical rule of Yazid, who ruled over the vast stretches of land from Arab to the borders of Europe. His self-proclaimed Caliphate had prompted him time and again to fetch the consent of Imam Hussain, who was reluctant to accept such a Caliph who had been legitimizing the prohibited acts under the guise of religion. Imam Hussain believed it to be his duty to stand up against the injustices and tyranny that had permeated the social life, the abysmal ignorance of the people that had led them astray and oppression that became a new normal. Imam Hussain’s rising against such vices is what makes Karbala distinct from the conventional battles. He wanted to expose the characters on either side of the battlefield before the world and his success is manifest today when millions across the globe pay homage to him.
Imam Hussain AS revived the Islamic political system, wherein the politics cannot be separated from religion, or else justice would severe its relations with legality and would become a mere product of whimsical laws. In contrast to the myopic vision of some, religion is not only a collection of advice or affairs concerning private life. Religion is a collection of some general and common laws of life of men and social issues in particular. “The appointment of Prophets to their missions is for the settlement of justice and equity” (Sureh Al-Hadid, Verse 25- Holy Quran). The establishment of social justice and equity cannot attain fruition without a divine government. Religion is the cause of securing the oppressed from the grips of oppressors and tyrants and putting an end to the course of their sovereignty. “Religion is a collection of education, and training men along the path of purification and making them complete” (Sureh Al-Juma’ah Verse 2 -Holy Quran). It is evident that earning these lofty ideals without having a government is impossible. In a society where the means of spreading culture and propagation are in the hands of the vicious and mischief-makers, who can settle the correct principles of education, and foster the morals in the hearts?
Yazid, despite being recognized as the Caliph by the people, was adamant at procuring the recognition of his Caliphate by Imam Hussain AS. In pursuit of his quest, he wrote to Al-Waleed Ibne Atabah, his governor at Medina to secure recognition from Imam Hussain AS but all in vain. He said “We the family of the Prophet, the essence of the message and the visiting place of angels …. While Yazid is a corrupt, drunkard, murderer, and fostering his sins. A person like me cannot obey a person like him” (‘Nafasul Mahmum’-by Sheikh Abbas Qummi). These words of Imam Hussain AS are comprehensive. They aren’t confined to his person; rather extend to any being who attempts to walk in his footsteps. It is a message to not yield before the tyrant of your time. Nelson Mandela asserted “I have spent more than twenty years in prison, then one night I decided to surrender by signing all the terms and conditions of the government. But suddenly I thought about Imam Hussain and Karbala movement that gave me the strength to stand for the right of freedom and liberation and I did”.
While leaving Medina Imam Hussain AS entrusted a will to his brother Mohammad Hanafia, who stayed back at Medina – “I am not rising to spread mischief or create sedition, Indeed, I have decided to reform my grandfather’s nation. I want to enjoin good and forbid evil. People who accept my call for being right, then God is the Master of righteous people. Those who reject my call, then I shall be steadfast till God passes His Judgement. Indeed, God is the best Judge” (‘The Life of Imam Hussain AS-Research and Analysis’ by Baqir Shareef Al-Quraishi).
Indeed, he meant what he said. He neither formed an army nor collected people but took his children, sisters, and some kith and kin of different ages. Charles Dickens endorses Hussain’s purpose- “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 the reason, therefore, that he sacrificed purely for Islam”.
On 10th Moharram 61 AH, the appalling fight for justice begun between the huge army of Yazid and Hussain (PBUH) with his handful of companions. The water supply to the camps of Hussain was ceased. This itself exposes the arrogance of Yazid and his brutal tactics to preserve his unjustly-occupied Khilafat. The people on either side of the field were in sharp contrast with each other. Yazid’s huge corrupt army and Hussain’s contented companions. Imam Hussain sacrificed all his sons, brothers and companions, including his six months old baby Ali Asghar, Hussain’s repeated pleas to give his new-born water was met by shooting a three-pronged arrow to his neck.
Yazid’s blatant trance of power and pelf was glaringly exposed when after the horrendous incident of Karbala, he held the daughters of the Prophet captive. They were denied food and water, were tied with ropes and were taken from Karbala to Kufa and Kufa to Syria, where they were unveiled and vilified in the open markets.
The Azadari is a means to revive and relive the spirit of Karbala. It is done to relay the message of humanity, to be a voice of the oppressed. Karbala reinvigorated the social and political values of Islam and the lofty ideals of spirituality. This Azadari is a constant struggle against the vices, from one’s own conscience to the social and political mainstream. It is an expression of our surviving spirits with principles and ideals, elevating the mortal existence of biological beings to the station of humanity. Edward Gibbon (English historian, writer and Member of Parliament) said “Throughout the next centuries, narration and explaining the sad and melancholy of Imam Hussain will result in awareness and sensitivity of hearts and souls for the entire mankind anywhere they might be”.
This constant resentment against one’s conscience, not succumbing to the self-created pleasures, and attaining individual freedom. This freedom is freedom from servitude, from the shackles of eternal longings of this mortal world, from succumbing to the trivial desires and momentary comfort. This freedom guards against the deception of materialism, from the vices of greed and bloodshed. It is a movement to salvage the freedom granted by religion. “Religion is for breaking the chains of the captivity of men and providing the freedom of human beings” (Sureh Al-Araf, Verse 57- Holy Quran).
Supreme Leader Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei (H) says- “Some people may question the value of the ceremonies for mourning Imam Hussein’s (AS) martyrdom. They may say, “If you want to speak about Imam Hussein’s (AS) movement, just go ahead and speak about his movement. Why all the crying?” This is a wrong assumption. It will be extremely hard to move ahead on this path in the absence of this emotional connection to the infallible Imams… This sense of friendship is of paramount importance, and it can be achieved through this emotional connection to the infallible Imams (AS). Narrating the tragedies that happened to them is an attempt to establish this emotional connection. Similarly, praising their virtues [through the mourning ceremonies] is another way to form this emotional bond. Therefore, it is necessary to hold the mourning ceremonies and narrate the events of Ashura”. These mourning commemorations do convey the sense of pain Hussain Ibne Ali would have gone through, to the entire mankind. Thomas Masaryk (Czechoslovak Politician, statesman, sociologist, and philosopher) endorses the impact of Azadari – “Although our clergies also move us while describing Christ’s sufferings, but the zeal and zest that is found in the followers of Hussain, will not be found in the followers of Christ. And it seems that the suffering of Christ against the suffering of Hussain is like a blade of straw in front of the huge mountain”.
Ayatollah Khomeini swept the land of Iran with an undercurrent of spirituality, through his revolution in 1979, igniting the sparks of Karbala and purging it from the rule of a despot Reza Shah Pehlevi. In relevance to the mourning for Hussain, he said: “These tears terrify the enemies of Islam; because to cry for the oppressed is to speak up against oppressors”. These commemorations stir the zeal fight for righteousness, wherever and whenever a person lives. Ayatollah Khomeini describes the relevance of Ashura and Karbala – “Every day is Ashura and every land is Karbala. It implies that Imam Hussain’s movement must be kept alive and active everywhere and at all times. This statement is our instruction”.
Mohammad Ali Jauhar conclusively puts in a couplet:
“Qatle Hussain asl mein marge Yazid Hai,
Islam zinda hota hai har Karbala ke baad”
Mohammad Haider Abbas is a lawyer and currently pursuing Masters in Mass Communication at AMU.