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"The grave of Hussain ibn Ali is a garden from the gardens of Heaven" – Imam Ja'far Al-Sadiq (a.s)
Karbala – The Land which experienced the most horrific massacre of Islamic History! Ashura – The day in which skies wept blood! Muharram – Commemoration of our beloved Imam Husayn (a.s) and a chance to reform ourselves!! |
1350 years ago on the 10th of Muharram, just before Asr, a man stood on the sands of Karbala, bleeding from the wounds on his body. He glanced at the bodies of hisloved ones, tears flowing from his eyes. He looked into the sky and raised a call: Is there anyone who will come to assist us? Is there anyone who will respond to our call for aid?
It symbolises a struggle that has a spiritual meaning, not only for Islamic history alonebut for all humanity too. It is a clear struggle between good and evil, weak and powerfuland the JUST against the UNJUST. Karbala is not only the epic events that we commemorate but also a narrative of those events in the symbolism that we construct. Ultimately the way we perceive Karbala manifests what we want to achieve. Muharram is of course of special importance to all Shias, but the events and meaning of Ashura is of significance and relevance to all Muslims.
We attend sermons and meetings to commemorate the martyrdom of the Prince of Martyrs, yet do we even shed one tear of purity? Imam Jafer Al-Sadiq (a.s) stated “Anyone who remembers us, or, if we are mentioned in his presence, and a tear as small as the wing of a gnat falls from his eye, God would forgive all his sins”.
Imam Husayn (a.s) on the day of Ashura said to the almighty Allah (S.W.T) – “I left all creation for the sake of you and I orphaned the children so that I may see you. So if I am cut to pieces for the love of you, my heart would lean to none other then you”. We see Imam Husayn (a.s) sacrifice everything for the pleasure of Allah (S.W.T) and detach himself from the material world. When Imam Husayn (a.s) asked Al-Qasim (son of Imam Hassan a.s) on the eve of Ashura, how he perceived death - Al-Qasim replied “Your way uncle death is sweeter then honey”. Why then can we not detach ourselves from the Material world? Why do we find ourselves the servants of this world rather then the servants of Allah (S.W.A), our creator!
Make a change!! Start spreading the message of Imam Husayn (a.s).Whether it being through media, articles or recitation it will not matter as long as the truth of Husayn (a.s) is being spread. Take the step to turn back to the Ahlul Bayt (a.s) and do not indulge in the material world as the pleasure of this world will not last while the garden of Jannah will last forever. Be aware of your actions and do not be drawn to worldly temptations, as one day the world WILL testify against you (Surah Zilzal 90:1).
"Hussain marched with his little company not to glory, not to power or wealth, but to a supreme sacrifice and every member of that gallant band, male and female, knew that the foes were implacable, were not only ready to fight but to kill. Denied even water for the children, they remained parched under a burning sun, amid scorching sands yet no one faltered for a moment and bravely faced the greatest odds without flinching." - Dr. K. Sheldrake
"The best lesson which we get from the tragedy of Karbala is that Husain and his companions were rigid believers in God. They illustrated that the numerical superiority does not count when it comes to the truth and the falsehood. The victory of Husain, despite his minority, marvels me!" - Thomas Carlyle