Muharram

Imam Hussain’s (Pbuh) colossal struggle and monumental martyrdom is so poignant that it continues to serve as a beacon of light to all the faithful.


We bid farewell to the old year by celebrating Prophet Ibrahim’s (Pbuh) commitment to God displayed through his willingness to sacrifice his patient son, Prophet Ismail (Pbuh), and we welcome the new year by commemorating the migration of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) to Madinah, which marked the beginning of a period of enlightenment for civilization. This is also the month where we remember the martyrdom of Prophet’s beloved grandson, Imam Hussain (Pbuh).


Who is Hussain?

Hussain is the son of Fatima (RA), the daughter of the Prophet. The holy Prophet said of her, “she is among the leaders of the women of Paradise”.


The father of Hussain is Ali, who was a cousin and one of the most beloved and steadfast companions of the Prophet. Indeed, Ali is like the sun, Fatimah like the moon and Hussain a star in the galaxy of heroes.


Together with his brother Hasan, Hussain is considered among “leaders of the youth of Paradise”. We shall never forget how the Prophet descended from his pulpit to embrace and seat his grandson besides him before resuming his sermon, nor how he prolonged his prostration in order not to discomfort the other who had climbed on his back. The Prophet beseeched the Almighty; “O Allah, I love Hasan and Hussain, do love them and love those who love them”.


Ashura

The tenth of Muharram marks a significant day in the Muslim calendar; it is the day on which, among other events, Allah saved Prophet Musa (Pbuh) from the tyrannical Pharaoh. To commemorate this event, the Prophet recommended we fast on this day; a fast considered second only to the obligatory fast of Ramadan.


Another significant event occurred on that day in 61 AH, an event that serves as a milestone in the history of the faithful… the martyrdom of Imam Hussain at Karbala. A martyrdom at the hands of those who claimed to act in the name of Islam yet, unremorsefully and shamelessly were prepared to obliterate its true exponent; those who (like so many of us) are prepared to kill for Islam yet are unable to live by it. Imam Hussain was martyred at the hands of those who considered themselves followers of our beloved Prophet Muhammad , and yet cut off the precious head of that dear grandson of the holy Prophet, a head which the Prophet so often stroked and kissed with affection.


The Lesson of Karbala

Imam Hussain’s martyrdom at Karbala provides evidence of the moral victory of right over wrong, of virtue over vice, of principle over compromise, of the oppressed over the oppressor, of the denied over the denier; the ultimate victory of blood over sword. Karbala teaches humankind through the inscription of blood on the scrolls of human history how Hussain explained to the world by his death, through martyrdom, the meaning of life; that living is truly of value that offers itself for a cause greater than it self, that to die with honour is better than living in subjugation to injustice. The lesson is not only that he was prepared to fight for what is right, but that he was willing to die for it; selflessness, not selfishness; humility not ego.


The great spiritual master, Khaja Moinuddin Chisti said; “Hussain is king, truly the king is Hussain, the manifestation of Faith is Husayn and the protector of Faith is Hussain. Hussain gave his head in allegiance to God, but not his hand in allegiance to Yazid..”


The Legacy of Hussain

The memory of Hussain excites the spirit, the very name of Husayn evokes the tradition of resistance against tyranny and inequity. His colossal struggle and monumental martyrdom is so poignant that it continues to serve as a beacon of light to all the faithful who struggle for freedom and justice. In the words of Maulana Ali Gouhar, “The killing of Hussain is in fact the death knell of Yazid. For those consistently striving against injustice and oppression… everyday is Ashura and every place is Karbala.”


(Excerpted from “O Hussain, We Salute You” by Sadullah Khan)

Sadullah Khan is the Director of Islamic Center of Irvine. He is also an advisor to the Chancellor’s Committee on Religion Ethics and Values at UCLA and serves as Director of Muslim Affairs at USC (University of Southern California). (www.islamicity.com/articles)

The following instructions in the form of a letter were written by Hazrat Ali (A.S.) to Malik-E-Ashter whom he had appointed as Governor of Egypt in the year 657 A.D. (approximately). There is a main central idea running throughout these instructions, like one single thread out of which a cloth is woven, and that is of Allah. The government is of Allah, the governors and the governed are both creatures of Allah. .This letter is based on the principles of administration as taught by the Holy Quran; a code to establish a kind and benevolent rule, throwing light on various aspects of justice, benevolence and mercy; an order based on the ethics of a benign and pious rulership, where justice and mercy is shown to human beings irrespective of class, creed and colour, where poverty is neither a stigma nor a disqualification and where justice is not tarred with nepotism, favouritism, provincialism or religious fanaticism; and on the other hand it is a thesis on the higher values of morality.

In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful


Be it known to you, O Malik, that I am sending you as Governor to a country which in the past has experienced both just and unjust rule. Men will scrutinize your actions with a searching eye, even as you used to scrutinize the actions of those before you, and speak of you even as you did speak of them. The fact is that the public speak well of only those who do good. It is they who furnish the proof of your actions. Hence the richest treasure that you may covet should be the treasure of good deeds. Keep your desires under control and deny yourself that which you have been prohibited, for by such abstinence alone you will be able to distinguish between what is good and what is not.


Develop in your heart the feeling of love for your people and let it be the source of kindliness and blessing to them. Do not behave with them like a barbarian, and do not appropriate to yourself that which belongs to them. Remember that the citizens of the state are of two categories. They are either your brethren in religion or your brethren in kind. They are subject to infirmities and liable to commit mistakes. Some indeed do commit mistakes. But forgive them even as you would like God to forgive you. Bear in mind that you are placed over them, even as I am placed over you. And then there is God even above him who has given you the position of a Governor in order that you may look after those under you and to be sufficient unto them. And remember you will be judged by what you do for them.


Do not set yourself against God, for neither do you possess the strength to shield yourself against His displeasure, nor can you place yourself outside the pale of His mercy and forgiveness. Do not feel sorry over any act of forgiveness, nor rejoice over any punishment that you may mete out to anyone. Do not rouse yourself to anger, for no good will come out of it.


Do not say: “I am your overlord and dictator, and that you should, therefore, bow to my commands,” as that will corrupt your heart, weaken your faith in religion and create disorder in the state. Should you be elated by power, or feel in your mind the slightest symptoms of pride and arrogance, then look at the power and majesty of the Divine governance of the Universe over which you have absolutely no control. It will restore the sense of balance to your wayward intelligence and give you the sense of calmness and affability. Beware! Never put yourself against the majesty and grandeur of God and never imitate His omnipotence; for God has brought low every rebel of God and every tyrant of man.


Let your mind respect through your actions the rights of God and the rights of man, and likewise, persuade your companions and relations to do the same. For, otherwise, you will be doing injustice to yourself and injustice to humanity. There is no hearing anywhere for one who makes an enemy of God himself. He will be regarded as one at war with God until he repents and seeks forgiveness. Nothing deprives man of divine blessings or excites divine wrath against him more easily than oppression. Hence it is, that God listens to the voice of the oppressed and waylays the oppressor.


(Extracted from The Richest Treasure) Hazrath Ali’s (RA) famous letter to Malik-E-Ashtar, Governor of Egypt.


(Source: A Selection from “Nahjul Balagha” Translated by: Ali A. Behzadnia, M.D. Salwa Denny)