Never in recent history has the Islamic world faced challenges of a magnitude it faces today. Islamic assertion has been identified as the main threat to western hegemony following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the bipolar world.

Understandable resentment and anger at mindless acts of individual or group terrorism, of which the attacks against US targets of September 11 were most condemnable, are being exploited for purposes of real politik; to subdue states containing strategic energy resources; to impose a new era of (camouflaged) colonialism in large parts of the Muslim world and to confront genuine freedom movements including the Kashmir and Palestinian struggles.

The Islamic world faces a near-monolithic wall of suspicion and fear in respect of the alleged nature of Islamic resurgence and revival, indiscriminately seen as extremism and fundamentalism. The disinformation fostered world-wide, fuelled by activities of certain fanatic Islamic groups themselves, has produced a meeting of minds between the west, Russia, Israel and India, each of them with vested interests of their own.

Force will continue to play the role of a supreme arbiter of international conflicts as long as the spirit of Karbala is not imbibed by Muslims. Today the United Nations finds itself incapable of implementing its charter obligations of pacific settlement of disputes, safeguarding of human rights and helping peoples subjected to aggression and occupation. While many brave men and women have laid down their lives for worthy causes, the citadels of oppression will fall only when the people as a whole make a conscious decision to render, if necessary, the ultimate sacrifice when the worth of the cause so demands. This has been shown by the success of the freedom struggles in places such as Algeria, Vietnam and Afghanistan. Pakistan itself could not have been created without the colossal sacrifices of the Muslims of the subcontinent.

In the milieu of our feudal society, Islam has been deprived of its progressive, humanistic spirit and relegated to a set of rituals and shibboleths. In a major part of the Islamic world, the dictates of justice and humanity (the essential engine for all progress, social or economic) are hamstrung by the vested interests of self-seeking regimes. If the lessons of Karbala were to be assimilated involving readiness to risk narrow, vested interests for a just cause, oppression and injustice would not flourish with such ease.

It is only when people or states are afraid to stand up and be counted that oppression thrives. How aptly has a German historian referred to this phenomenon when he wrote about the Hitlerite era: “First they came for the Jews and I did nothing because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I was not a Communist. They then came for the Catholics, while I was a Protestant. And finally when they came for me, there was no one left to stand up and be counted!” This applies to the international arena as much as it does to the domestic challenges within a state.

The foundation of Karbala’s heroic saga lay in the realization by Imam Hussain (AS) that the challenges in the Yazidi era to the pristine values of Islam were much too dangerous to be overcome by force of arms alone, the outcome of which would have been transitory, as of all military confrontations. He sensed that only the example of a supreme, conscious sacrifice in all its manifestations could breathe lasting life in the beleaguered body politic of Islam.

When he set out on his last journey with his family and a handful of followers, he had no illusions of a military victory over the formidable forces of Yazid, irrespective of expressions of support from some people in Kufa. Nourished in the arms of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Imam Hussain (AS) had an inspired vision of the future. He seems to have visualized the tragic martyrdom of the progeny of the Holy Prophet, the parading of severed heads on lances, the brutality inflicted on women and children in captivity. It was thus that Islam received at Karbala the shining beacon of sacrifice for a principle, a most comprehensive paradigm of courage and conviction, of faith and fortitude. In the immortal words of Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar:

While Imam Hussain’s life and death represents the entire range of high human qualities, the twin virtues of courage and compassion are among the abiding legacy of the Imam. It would be useful to review the applicability of this legacy to the challenges confronting the Islamic world. How well has the poet said:

Life is mostly froth and bubble

Two things stand like stone

Kindness in another’s trouble

Courage in your own!

Courage, moral and physical, is not only a virtue in itself. It is in fact a security for all other virtues such as integrity, rectitude, probity and piety, all of which depend for their sustenance on the strength provided by moral courage. In this context, courage implies basically the willingness to offer difficult and, if necessary, the supreme sacrifice for a cause, which has to be worthy enough of the sacrifice.

In this world, with more than its share of trials and tribulations, there is no character-quality more important than a sensitive, social conscience.

In listening to the saga of Karbala, one achieves a heightened sensitivity, sharpening one’s receptivity to human suffering and pain and blessing us with compassion and kindness for all people afflicted with sorrow and anguish. The feelings evoked by the martyrs of Karbala should, if properly assimilated, melt the heart into compassion for all victims of oppression, injustice and torture. Those among us, exposed to the tales of Karbala, but lacking human awareness and compassion have tragically missed the heart of the revered Imam’s message.

Present day Islamic societies have however signally failed to live up to Islam’s accepted ideal of social equality and justice. On the crucial issue of justice, it may be appropriate to recall the statement of the Indian scholar Humayun Kabir who, discussing comparative religions, had said that “while most religions have similar moral and ethical codes, they have different keynotes or focal points. For instance, the keynote of Christianity is love, of Hinduism, devotion, of Buddhism, Knowledge and of Islam, Justice.”

Justice, it may be noted, is the most socially relevant of the attributes mentioned above. Every problem involving different states or groups within the same state, is born out of a sense of injustice, real or imaginary. As to the touchstone of justice, the words of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) are memorable. Asked as to when would justice be established on this earth, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said “not until he who sees injustice done to another feels it as much as if the injustice was done to him!”

That a monumental event like Karbala, which should bring all Muslims together in sorrow at its tragic aspects and in pride at the epic achievements of the martyrs, should be turned into an occasion for inter-Islamic feuding in Pakistan, is a matter of great shame. Karbala should be commemorated to cement Islamic bonds, not to rend them asunder. It is the duty of the ulema, the media and the intellectuals to interpret the unifying nature, in fact, the universality of the message of Karbala to the people.

Genuine tolerance involves an instinctive appreciation of the feelings of others, an ability to place ourselves in the others’ situation. It has been said that “tolerance is reverence for all possibilities of the truth”. While in the past, intolerance was a product of bigotry or ignorance, in the democratic era intolerance is unfortunately provoked and mass sentiments aroused, sometimes, for group ends or other parochial interests. Disraeli had well said that “We must educate our masters the people; otherwise we would be at the mercy of a mob; masquerading as popular will!”

Religion teaches nothing, nothing at all, if it does not teach respect for others’ feelings; avoiding injury to the sentiments of others is the only way of coexisting in a multi-denominational society.

It would be appropriate to end this article on the epic of Karbala with a poignant verse by Syed Ale Raza:

TRUTH is victorious in all circumstances whether it wins or loses. There is no religion higher than truth and no man better than the one who gives his life to preserve the truth. The tragedy of Karbala culminating in the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain with his kith and kin and a small band of devoted companions on 10th Moharram in 61 A.H. symbolizes man’s ultimate sacrifice for the cause of truth. The steadfastness with which the grandson of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) embraced shahadat for the preservation of the truth and divine religion is a beacon of light for all times to come.

Islam is the religion of truth and an embodiment of the code of life which God has revealed for the guidance of mankind. It denotes submission, surrender and obedience to Allah. The reaffirmation and resurgence of Islam is bound up with struggle and sacrifice of the highest order. Sacrifice offered in pursuit of God’s will immortalizes man and transforms apparent defeat into eternal victory. A Muslim has to hold his life as a trust on behalf of his creator and has to sacrifice it in the way of God whenever a challenge arises to His commandments, however strong be the challenger and however overwhelming the challenge.

The annals of Islam are replete with inspiring examples of sacrifice offered to uphold truth and justice and establish the principles of submission to the will of Allah. Hazrat Imam Husain’s bold stand at Karbala against the army of Yazid and his consequent martyrdom is a grand example of the sublime heights of sacrifice, heroism and absolute submission before the Lord of the Universe. By embracing shahadat, the grandson of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) revived humanity’s faith in the established values of righteousness, piety and virtue.

Hazrat Imam Husain’s fateful decision to resist the political power of Yazid was in accordance with the Quranic call for action in pursuit of the truth, justice and righteousness. “And fight in the way of Allah and know that Allah is Hearing and Knowing.” [2: 244]

After the passing away of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) from the worldly scene, the newly reared edifice of Islam began to lose its vigour and those who had not sincerely taken to the Din-e-Mobeen started unveiling themselves in their true colours. The principle of election as khalifat-ul-muslimeen was set aside and the assurance stipulated as an Important clause in the truce between Hazrat Imam Hasan and Muawiyah not to intimidate Imam Husain into giving him his pledge for allegiance was disregarded. Yazid bin Muawiyah ascended to the pulpit of the founder of Islam in 60 A.H. through usurpation of power.

This was one of the darkest events of Islamic history as it posed a serious threat to the cardinal principles of Islam — truth, social justice, equity and human liberty. Yazid was flouting the injunctions of Islam and Islamic teachings. He practiced and abetted tyranny and like all tyrants he aimed at enslaving the will and conscience of the people who would speak the truth. He was out to reverse the process of Islamic tabligh and the concept of right and the truth. His strange explanations of Islamic tenets created a serious crisis in the very body of the Islamic polity.

Yazid insisted not only on becoming the temporal ruler but as proclaimer of a new version of Islam. The ummah was thus exposed to the worst kind of a dilemma. They were either to accept the interpretations repugnant to the moral foundations of Islam as true teachings of the religion or else a powerful challenge was to be thrown to the proclaimers.

The expositions of the religious teachings by the usurper of the caliphate were completely abhorrent to any faithful Muslim, let alone the grandson of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Hazrat Imam Husain was the upholder of Islamic morality and the life-time mission of the Imam was the protection and preservation of the pristine values of the Islamic faith which the Prophet (pbuh) had infused in his followers.

The Imam was aware of the moral and historical implications of the prevailing situation. If he had remained silent in the face of perversity and vice and accepted Yazid’s demand for baiyat (allegiance) the threat of Islam being misused as a cover for achieving evil ends would have become real. It was only natural, therefore, that when Yazid had the audacity to place his demand for allegiance from Hazrat Imam Husain in order to give credibility to his own distorted version of Islam, he reacted with full justification in law and morality by refusing to acquiesce and surrender. It was inconceivable that the leader of the House of Mohammad (pbuh) would accept the doctrine which amounted to the negation of Islam and its teachings.

Husain-ibn-i-Ali challenged not only the legitimacy of Yazid but even the validity of that imperialist tyranny which was proclaimed as an Islamic state. Hazrat Imam Husain was fully conscious of the consequences of rejecting the demand of the proclaimers of the new gospel of immorality and injustice. In doing so he had before him the highest aim and the most refined purpose — raising aloft the banner of Islamic truth and justice on this globe. He knew it too well that the refusal to accept the authority of Yazid as khalifat-ul-muslimeen would lead to serious consequences. Yet in making a choice between submission to despotism for the sake of life, and death for establishing truth and the rule of divine law, the Imam, with his unshakable faith in the principles of Islam, preferred shahadat.

The choice was clear and made consciously. Hazrat Imam Husain was a symbol of piety and spirituality. He had inherited the Prophet’s tradition and every moment of his life was spent in obedience to divine commandments. He would always say: “My prayers and my sacrifice and my life and my death are sure for Allah.” His noble motives and inspirations were manifest in his memorable address to the people of Iraq during his journey from Madinah to Karbala in 681 A.D. He said: “Listen, the Prophet of God (pbuh) has said that he who sees a ruler perpetuate acts of tyranny and transgress the limits prescribed by Allah and establish the rule of sin and oppression and yet does nothing to thwart him, either by word or by deed, shall not be blessed by God. Society has deviated from the rightful path and drifted away from virtue. Evil is dominating and divine laws are flagrantly violated. My prime duty now is to restore truth and justice. I seek martyrdom since living among tyrants is in itself a sin and a crime.”

The great Imam wanted that truth and righteousness should prevail. In the above address of the Imam lies the essence of his struggle against the forces of evil and oppression at Karbala. Hazrat Imam Husain purged society with his own blood and resurrected Islam on firm foundations. Husain ibn-i-Ali stands out as the beacon of light throwing his pure and lustrous effulgence attracting the votaries of Truth and self-sacrifice.

EVEN after a lapse of 1,400 years the tragedy enacted at Karbala 48 years after the death of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has not lost its freshness. It has left an imperishable mark on the memory of mankind. Besides the religious aspect of its importance, if we touch its human values alone there would be scarcely any human being who will not be moved by the great sacrifice and martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain.

The Imam scarificed his family, friends and comrades at the altar of liberty and justice. Islam came to cast off the shackles of priesthood and division of mankind into classes. It sounded the death-knell of aristocracy, suppression and serfdom. It brought in its wake fraternity and equality among the high and the low, the rich and the poor, the haves and the have-nots. It shook off the trammels of man-made barriers and distinctions.

Islam’s quality, liberty and fraternity conferred equal rights of citizenship on the rich and the poor, the black and the white, the Arab and the non-Arab.

This message of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was spread to every nook and corner of the world. He was succeeded by the four caliphs, Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Omar, Hazrat Usman and Hazrat Ali, who are the bright stars in the patriarchal firmament of Islam.

Hazrat Ali was endowed with high qualities of fortitude and intrepidity, daring and determination. He was assassinated at Kufa while offering his prayers and his demise, instead of welding the heterogeneous elements in the Islamic world, made confusion worse confounded.

Muawiyah the then Governor of Syria, revolted and pressurised Hazrat Hasan to abdicate his claim to the Khilafat in his favour. He assumed the honour of Khilafat himself and since then the gulf of feud between the Umayyads and Fatimides became wider.

His rise to power marked the negation of the democratic spirit of Islam and pave the way to oligarchy and tribal partisanship. The author of the “Historians’ History of Islam” remarks; “with Muawiyah were introduced the luxury and splendour so linked with our nations of oriental pomp and proverbially designated the insignia of a caliph, which had succeeded to the stern and frugal simplicity of the early Islam.”

Muawiyah’s position was so secure and firm that he defied all opposition, and departing from the practice, he convened a meeting of the chief officers of the army before his death and bade them to take the oath of loyalty to his son, Yazid. This was his only title to the throne.

With this shift from the spirit of Islamic democracy the Umayyad dynasty entered a new epoch. Intrigue, discord and treachery became the order of the day. Amity and concord were replaced by disintegration, strife and tribal feuds.

But in that dark world was seen a luminary, an indomitable figure, unshaken by tornadoes and unconquerable by physical powers, Hazrat Imam Husain, who unfurled the banner of truth, equality, fraternity and liberty and refused to acknowledge Yazid as Khalifa and as the spiritual and political leader.

With his accession to the throne, Yazid became so unpopular that the people of Kufa, dissatisfied and disgusted with his rule, sent innumerable letters and messages to Hazrat Husain and solicited his help in freeing them from the tyranny of the aristocrat of Damascus.

He was induced to throw himself heart and soul into the movement by the fervent assurances of the Kufians that would rise to a man to oppose the usurper and would give any help to bring about his speedy fall.

The words of the poet Farazdaq reflect the true position: “While their hearts were with him (Imam Husain) they were so afraid of Yazid’s government that their swords could not be unsheathed against them.”

The Imam sent his cousin, Muslim ibn Aqeel, as his emissary to ascertain the situation. Muslim mustered 18,000 followers who were ready to sacrifice all for their leaders. This so emboldened him that he invited Imam Husain to come there.

When his advice reached the Caliph, the government of Yazid was greatly perturbed and Obaidullah Ibn Ziyad was deputed to watch the movements of the Imam and ordered to see that he did not cross the confines of Iraq. With the changed circumstances the Imam was counselled not to take the risk, but the un-Islamic and aggressive rule of Yazid imbued him with such a zest and fervour that he could not remain a passive spectator in the light of the teachings of the Quran: Jahidu fi Sabillillah (“Fight in the way of Allah”).

In the spirit of self-sacrifice he started with 72 followers including his family and his brother Abbas only one day before the Hajj.

On his way people offered their hands for help, but he refused. On his arrival at the border of Babylonia, he found himself accosted by Ibn Ziyad’s general, Hurr, who had been specially deputed by the governor of Kufa with a body of horsemen to intercept him in his way.

Hurr seemed to be sympathetic with him and therefore requested him to give up the idea of war but the Imam said: “you threaten me of the horrors of death, but death is no matter of dishonour to a man when his motive is good and he is giving away his life for a righteous cause.”

On his way Hurr received a letter from the governor ordering him to lead Imam Husain and his followers to a place where there was no shelter or fortification till the Syrian forces arrived.

Receiving the information of Imam’s arrival, the governor commanded Amr Ibn Sa’ad to go against Husain with a force of 4,000 men. He obeyed the orders and marched towards the Imam.

Words were exchanged with Husain and Amr in which the Imam laid emphasis on his mission and the principles of Islam. Nothing was accepted by him. He was asked to surrender but he scorned the ignoble thought.

Obaidullah and the other general Shimr cut off all access to the Euphrates, hoping to compel his surrender by depriving him of water, but the indomitable spirit did not submit even before this dire threat.

The forces of the generals called upon him to surrender but there was no response and an order was given that Husain’s tent should be surrounded. The sufferings of the party hemmed in on all sides by the enemy became unendurable. Hunger and thirst inflicted great suffering on Husain’s retinue but they refused to give in.

The conditions proposed by him were sternly rejected. His offer to be taken safely to Yazid was turned down, for the Khalifa would be satisfied with nothing short of abject surrender.

The whole party fought heroically until only the grandson of the Prophet was left wounded by the arrows of the enemy. His throat parched with thirst, he was taken to the river bank where he was struck again with a dart.

“He returned to his tent and took in his arms a child who was made an easy target by the enemy. A woman offered him a cup of water and as the bowl touched his lips an arrow flashed again wounding him in the mouth.

“With sublime courage he once again rushed upon the foe who fell back on every side. But they retaliated with ruthless vigour; and the saint and warrior of Islam fell wounded on the field of battle (on 10th Muharram or October 10 680, A.D).

“With his kinsmen and followers falling by the hand of the foe, filled with inexpressible grief, the noble hero lifted his hands in prayer to the Omniscient and the Omnipotent Allah. The enemies rushed upon and cut off his head which had fearlessly refused to bow before the tyrant.

Verily this was a heroic death, the greatest of all tragedies. Its grimness moved a western historian like Edward Gibbon who says: “In the distant age and clime the tragic scene of the death of Husain will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.”

Imam Husain may be reckoned the benefactor, the preserver, the saviour and the final architect of Islam. He not only rescued Islam from degeneration and saved it from destruction, but he also completed the exposition and propagation of that way of life which Prophet Mohammad (SAW) had taught and which is known by the name of Islam.

NO incident can be judged in its true perspective unless its real purpose is made known. When we look for the real purpose of the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (A.S), we have no doubt that it was above self-interest.

Had it not been so, there would have been no such impact as has been witnessed by humanity even after a lapse of nearly 14 centuries. A mere incident motivated by personal ambitions cannot retain its impact in the annals of history.

Anybody, who, for the sake of attaining the good of humanity sacrifices his life and those of his near and dear ones, then naturally that sacrifice would leave an impact on society. History will bear witness that for the attainment of such a precious goal if anybody did stake all he had, it was only Hussain, the grandson of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Good and evil have been at loggerheads from the very beginning of human life. The upholders of virtue, though few in numbers, have always made sacrifices to safeguard the highest moral values.

In this world many a soul had to endure bitter ordeals to safeguard higher values but perhaps in the whole span of human history nobody had to pay such a big toll, as has been paid by Imam Hussain (A.S). He remained without food and water for three consecutive days in the desert of Karbala with his little band of relations and followers comprising women and children. Imam Hussain, along with his 71 followers, embraced martyrdom. They died in the thick of their battle for the cause of God and Islam.

Who was there to raise a voice against the tyranny of Yazid who headed the mightiest empire of the day, and whose anarchy was trampling over the tenets of Islam mocking at every high moral value? It was only the great Imam. His conduct presented the highest pinnacle of human nobility.

Imam Hussain, by sacrificing his life and those of his followers, proved the supremacy of Islamic values. In this way, he unmasked the real concept of life and death that a believer should follow. He has taught humanity that in order to live honourably one has to sacrifice.

Imam Hussain fought for the uplift of humanity. He has taught us a valuable lesson that to raise a voice of protest against tyranny is a great jihad. True happiness lies in the fulfilment of one’s own task as a true believer, no matter what the cost.