| 20 February 2005 | Sunday | 10 Muharram 1426 |
A momentous landmark
A peerless sacrifice
Mending fences with the US
Message of martyrdom
One test of immortality of men or historical events is that people go back repeatedly, over succeeding centuries, to them so as to make them live again and again in their hearts and minds. They enrich their lives and illuminate their paths through the inspiration thus received.
Karbala is such a momentous landmark in Islamic history. It has penetrated into the depths of popular consciousness and become a part of its general cultural environment and social and political morality. Karbala has also set in motion a torrent of intellectual activity in poetry and prose which began in the year 61 AH and still continues unabated.
In the words of Dr. Anne Marie Schimmel, one of the most profound western scholars of Islam, "It is from Hussain (AS) that we have learnt the message of the Holy Quran.
When the grandeurs of Damascus, Baghdad and Granada have been forgotten, the heart-strings of the ummah would still respond to Hussain's melody and their faith remain firm, responding to his call to prayer"
We are commemorating Karbala at a time when the Islamic world faces unprecedented challenges, both on the physical as well as on the intellectual level. In the realm of ideology and intellect, the challenge is posed by the projection of Islam as promoting bigotry, intolerance and militancy and as suppressing free speech and thought.
On the ground the challenge is posed by the military occupation of some Islamic states and by serious and sustained threats to others. This global campaign is facilitated by the activities of certain misguided, fanatical elements in the Muslim ummah, who have furnished the excuse or the cover for the hegemonic moves of powers driven by strong geo-economic motivations.
Karbala's example is relevant to the challenges facing the Ummah today. The stand against impossible odds reflected the Imam's belief that the challenge to the pristine values of Islam was much too dangerous to be overcome by force of arms alone, the outcome of which was liable to be transitory as of all military conflicts.
The challenge had to be overcome by the example of courage and conviction, compassion and forbearance, morality and sacrifice in the service of a just cause. The heroic saga of Karbala is a standing vindication of the dictum that ephemeral victories are of little consequence in the face of sustained endeavour and ultimate triumph. In the words of Allama Iqbal:
In this world with more than its share of trials and tribulations, is there any character quality more important than a sensitive social conscience? The depth of feelings inspired by the martyrs of Karbala melts the heart into compassion for all victims of oppression, irrespective of their background or ethnic or religions identity.
Those exposed to the saga of Karbala but still lacking human awareness and compassion have sadly missed the heart of the Imam's message. How well has Syed Ale Raza evoked the significance of the human compassion generated by the epic martyrdom:
At this critical stage in the ummah's history, nothing could be more suicidal than internecine feuding, sectarian or otherwise. That a monumental event like Karbala, which should bring Muslims together in sorrow at its tragic aspects and in pride at the epic achievement of the martyrs, should be turned into an occasion for feuding is matter of great shame. Karbala should be commemorated to cement Islamic bonds, not to rend them asunder.
Anyone with a grain of sense or sensitivity knows that religion teaches nothing, nothing at all, if it does not inculcate the supreme, overriding importance of respecting each others' feelings. Studiously avoiding any injury to the feelings or susceptibilities of others is the only civilized way of co-existing in a multi-denominational society.
Hussain's supreme sacrifice brings into sharp relief the self-serving policies of most of the regimes and religious establishments controlling the Islamic world today.
While giving due regard to the symbolic and ritualistic aspects of the creed, they do little to implement in practical terms, Islamic keynotes of egalitarianism, justice and accountability.
Collective, national, social interests are invariably subordinated to group, personal or party interests. While no one expects ordinary mortals to rise to the level of the founding visionaries of Islam, what the Islamic world urgently expects from its leaders is a sense of proportion, integrity and dedication which would place the larger interests of the ummah above narrower considerations at this critical juncture in history.
While spelling out, in his khutba at Maidan-i-Arafat, his purpose in proceeding to Kufa, Imam Husain (A S) had proclaimed his intention to confront oppression and tyranny in the supreme interests of a just social order.
Other aspects of the violation of Islamic tenets by Yazid, notwithstanding, the revered Imam had dwelt on the regimes' injustices and oppression as the reason for rejecting its identification with Islam and for distinguishing the creed of the Holy Prophet from its evil Yazidi subterfuge.
Two of the cardinal principles of Islam are belief in one God and the obligation of justice towards all. Tauheed underpins human brotherhood, when the Holy Quran speaks of Rabb-ul-Alameen and not merely Rabb-ul-Muslameen. Tauheed ipso facto postulates a strictly just treatment for all creatures of the Almighty Allah.
In pinpointing the attributes different religions are known for, a western Orientalist had identified knowledge as the essence of Buddhism, love that of Christianity, devotion that of Hinduism and justice in case of Islam.
Among all these attributes it is justice, (identified as the essence of Islam) which alone is a social and not an individual attribute as is the case with the others. Nearly all disputes between states or between groups within a state stem from a sense of real or perceived injustice.
That Islamic societies in present times happen to be the most unjust show how far we have deviated from the real spirit of Islam. The absence of fair play and the dichotomy between assertion and action, which underpins the policies of most regimes, particularly in the Islamic world, stands in glaring contrast to the memorable definition of justice given by the Holy Prophet.
In reply to a question as to when would justice be established on earth, the Holy Prophet said "Not until he who sees injustice done to another, feels it as much as if the injustice was done to him"!
The same thought was reflected in the words of Hazrat Ali (AS) who said that "A regime based on Kufr may last awhile, but tyranny will not endure". This was the spirit which animated Imam Hussain (A S) in making his stand against Yazidi despotism.
Cultivation of enlightened, tolerant thinking, as the surest antidote to bigotry and fanaticism, is the need of the hour. Glubb Pasha had pointed out in "Lost Centuries", one of his last books on Arab/Islamic history, that while rationalism came to the West with the Renaissance, as late as the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, it had characterized Islamic thought from its earliest centuries. But then intolerance raised its ugly head. And when Oxford and Cambridge were being founded in England, libraries were being burnt in Baghdad.
To meet the challenges of the new century, the practice of ijtehad needs to be revived. Ijtehad, in the sense of interpretation and reasoning based on sacred texts, should provide a contemporary solution for the troubles besetting Muslim societies, including the status of women, relations between Islamic sects, role of Muslims in non-Muslim societies, dealings with non-Muslims in Islamic states, economic and social injunctions in Islamic doctrine and related issues.
In the past the doctrine of ijtehad was opposed by repressive ruling establishments in Islamic states, as also for different reasons by religious leaders. The thrust world wide towards more democratic dispensations and the vastly enhanced freedom of expression should provide a more congenial climate for the revival and development of ijtehad.
Linked with the requirement of justice and human welfare, peace occupies a central position in the Islamic creed which postulates a principle-based order. At the same time the Holy Quran warns against the committing of excesses even in the pursuit of rights or in combating injustice.
This should not be lost sight of by those responsible for violence against civilians and non-combatants during the course of just struggles against foreign oppression or occupation, be it in Kashmir, Palestine, Iraq or elsewhere.
In the western approach however, peace is considered separately from justice and is equated largely with the absence of war and with order and stability, buttressed on occasions by hegemonic influence.
The example set at Karbala was a demonstration of supreme courage and compassion, of charity and forgiveness. Imam Hussain (AS) prayed for his killers just before his head was severed.
Before the supply of water was closed on Imam Hussain's small band including infants and the sick for three full days in the blinding dust and heat of the Arabian desert, the Imam had offered whatever little water there was to his enemies and their animals. In scores of his immortal verses in Urdu and Persian, Allama Iqbal has made Karbala synonymous with love, human and divine.
A momentous landmark
The principles of truth and justice, of love and mercy are eternal, immutable and unconquerable. If evil is resisted, if men are prepared to make sacrifices for them, these principles will always prevail.
Karbala is an event, unprecedented in human history, which symbolizes man's sublime heights of sacrifice for upholding the ultimate truth and eternal principles of justice, equity and freedom.
The annals of Islam are replete with numerous inspiring examples of sacrifices for protecting the spirit and spiritual values of Islam. But the faith, commitment and fortitude with which Hazrat Imam Hussain, his family members and a small band of faithful followers sacrificed their lives at the arid plane of Karbala on 10th of Muharram in 61 A.H. in their struggle against the forces of evil and oppression, stand out as a unique and unparalleled example of self-abnegation and self-sacrifice for preserving the spirit, the soul of the Islamic faith enshrined in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah.
The Imam stood and fell for upholding a cause that had its sanction in the Quran and Sunnah. Such was the purity of the cause and nobility of the ideal underlying the supreme sacrifice of Hussain Ibne Ali that it has come to stay for ever as a beacon of light for guidance of the seekers after truth, justice and liberty.
In taking up cudgels against tyranny, despotism, oppression and exploitation, Hazrat Imam Hussain and his companions displayed unflinching commitment to faith and indomitable courage and made Karbala a struggle of epic proportions in protection and preservation of the sanctity of Islam from being smothered. The martyrs of Karbala wrote with their blood an immortal chapter of fortitude and sacrifice that will continue to inspire mankind till eternity.
Islam is the religion of truth and an embodiment of the code of life which God has revealed for the guidance of mankind towards the right path. It is profound and true cult, which strives to uplift its votaries from the depths of human darkness upward into the higher realm of light and truth, which is the essence of all religions.
Reaffirmation and resurgence of Islam is bound up with the struggle and sacrifice of the highest order. A Muslim has to hold his life as a trust on behalf of his Creator and has to sacrifice it in the way of Allah whenever and wherever a challenge arises to His commandments, howsoever strong be the challenger and howsoever overwhelming the challenge.
The purpose of life, according to the Word of God is the actualization of the high and noble ideals rooted in the attributes of Allah who created man as the best of all His creations and exalted him to the noble and dignified position of being His deputy to fulfil His Will on earth. Everything in this world is for man but man himself is for his Lord with his lofty mission in life to worship Him:
"O mankind! Worship your Lord, Who hath created you and those before you, so that ye may ward off evil; Who hath appointed the earth a resting place for you, the sky a canopy; and causeth water to pour down from the heavens, thereby producing fruits as food for you." (Quran, II. 21-23)
Worship is a vital duty of man towards his Maker and encompasses the whole spectrum of human conduct covering both - fulfilling the obligations to Allah (Huququllah) and obligations towards fellow beings (Huququl Ibad).
Through the Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) Islam provides a complete code of life for Muslims and all those who care to follow its teachings for fulfilling their duties towards Allah and their fellow beings.
Islamic society is a revolutionary society dedicated to the promotion of certain values aimed at establishing truth and the rule of law in all spheres of human activity.
Every Muslim is enjoined and obligated to take steps to protect and preserve Islamic values preached and practised by the Holy Prophet (PBUH). To permit what is forbidden by God and to forbid what is permitted by Him amounts to distorting the truth, suspending the rule of law and substituting for God's law one's own will.
The advent of Islam in the seventh century of the Christian era is perhaps the most amazing event in human history. Springing from the deserts of the Arab land, Islam spread within a century over half the earth shattering great empires, overthrowing long-established religions, remoulding the souls of races and building up a whole new world which imparted to the world the message of truth and justice, human liberty and absolute unity of God.
At a time when empires were tearing one another to pieces, Islam gave to the world, the spirit of tolerance and democracy and succeeded in uniting the Muslims in a great commonwealth.
Islam regenerated the individual and the society and made possible a creative synthesis between power and goodness. But such is the weakness of human nature that when a revolution succeeds and is consolidated into a state the original purity of the revolution becomes adulterated. The traditions of the pre-revolutionary era raise their heads and the temptations of power prove too strong.
After the departure of the Holy Prophet from the worldly scene the time came when the bonds of unity and brotherhood were once again at stake. In 60 A.H. Yazid attained to the Caliphate. He revelled in vices. He openly flouted the tenets and teachings of Islam.
With his ascendancy to the throne as usurper of the Caliphate there emerged an age of totalitarian dictatorship under which freedom of thought was throttled, those who did not approve of his authority were dubbed as traitors, the pristine values of Islam were being violated and Quranic injunctions were being ignored. The Islamic polity was thus faced with dreadful social, moral and religious crises.
Yazid had all the power and pelf which fall to the lot of the holder of supreme political power. Yet he felt insecure before Hussain Ibne Ali whose virtuosity and nobility of character posed a challenge to him. The ambitious tyrant tried every trick to entice the Imam but having failed to achieve his unholy designs, he resorted to ruthless repression.
Yazid had managed to become the temporal ruler and was aspiring to achieve spiritual leadership of the Muslim world. To fulfil his cherished desire to win over the support and endorsement of his evil deeds from the House of Muhammad (PBUH) he had the audacity to demand baiyat from Hazrat Imam Hussain.
Surrender to the demand for 'baiyat' would have meant an approval of Yazid's wanton way ward ness by the family of the Holy Prophet. As the direct descendant of the Holy Prophet, Hussain Ibne Ali could never be an unconcerned and silent observer of gradual and progressive deterioration of the tenets of Islam which the Prophet had infused in his followers by going through upheavals, turmoils and tortures.
The Imam stood for the preservation and continuation of the principles taught by his holy grandfather. He was a symbol of piety and spiritualism. For him life was a commitment and a belief.
He was fully committed to the will of Allah and would always say: "My prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are sure for Allah." Therefore, he considered it as his duty to preserve what his grandfather had preached, nurtured and practised in its pristine glory.
Hazrat Imam Hussain wanted to rebuild society and re-enthrone those tenets of faith and values of life that had been debased and destroyed by Yazid. His famous address to the people of Iraq bears testimony to the strength of his conviction in his mission of life.
He said: "Listen, the Prophet of God has said that he who sees a ruler perpetrate acts of tyranny and transgresses the boundaries prescribed by Allah and establishes 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... 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 crime" So, when the choice was to be made between submission to despotism or death, he did not waver or prevaricate.
He preferred to stake his head rather than surrender thus giving new dimensions to men's struggle for truth and justice. In rejecting the demand for baiyat, Hussain Ibne Ali challenged not only the legitimacy of Yazid but also the validity of that imperialist tyranny which was masquerading as Islamic state.
Had he bowed to the demand of the vile usurper of the caliphate the glory of Islam would have ended then and there giving way to a new system devoid of any spiritual foundation.
Hazrat Imam Hussain preserved the Islamic values with his own blood and the blood of his companions and thus immortalized Islam and its values which was the mission of his life.
A peerless sacrifice
The sacrifice, unquestionably peerless, given by Hazrat Imam Hussain at the hottest and arid ground of Karbala, eternalized the ascendancy and supremacy of Islam and accorded to it an evergreen life of immortality.
It proved to be a major defeat of tyranny, coercive sovereignty and dictatorial ruler ship and signified victory of monotheism over heathenism; goodness over diabolic temptations and spirituality over materialism. The sacrifice at Karbala stands out as an exceptional surrender and complete obedience to the supreme will of God.
Of exalted excellence was the role Hazrat Imam Hussain played to destroy the evil designs of the enemies of Islam. Hemmed in by numerous, callous adversaries he was an unsurpassable model of patience and endurance.
Despite his indisputable innocence and rectitude, he was slaughtered in cold blood. The Holy Quran says "Verily my prayer and my sacrifice, my life and my death are all only for Allah - the Lord of the worlds" (6;163).
Hazrat Imam Hussain practically acted upon this command of God in an outstandingly amazing manner. Displaying stupendous bravery he got martyred and became the best prototype of manhood and humanity.
The holy Quran says, "And say not of those who are slain in the path of God that they are dead; Nay, they are living, but ye perceive not" (3;169). Hazrat Imam Hussain did not accept the position of the second Ummayad monarch- Yazid Bin Muaviya - as the caliph of the Islamic world who was bent upon superimposing the unIslamic practices upon the Muslims of that time.
The rule of Yazid was an incarnation of ruthless despotism. With a view to negating the oppressive rule of Yazid, Hazrat Imam Hussain, along with his kith and kin, sacrificed and became a universal hero; a source of purest inspiration for one and all.
Allama Iqbal, In Rumooz-e-Bekhudi says, "He (Hussain) annihilated despotism till the day of resurrection; the sugar of his blood brought forth the garden of liberty. For truth he rolled in dust and blood and thus he had fortified the foundation of Islam... the secret of Quran we have learnt from Hazrat Imam Hussain's example".
Quaid-e-Azam said: "The world is unable to present an example finer and brighter than the personality of Imam Hussain in as much as he was the embodiment of love and valour and personification of sacrifice and devotion. Every Muslim should learn a lesson from his life and should receive guidance from him."
Mending fences with the US
As thousands of far-right demonstrators marched through Dresden last Sunday in Germany's biggest neo-Nazi rally for decades, the world's top military and foreign policy experts gathered in another German city, Munich, and reflected on what many in America and Europe view as an even more dangerous phenomenon: the threat to global security and western civilization posed by Muslim extremists.
The large turn-out of neo-Nazis at Dresden's 60th anniversary of its Second World War destruction is certainly causing concern and embarrassment in Germany as another sign of the revival of the far-right in the country, especially in the eastern Germany.
Right-wing parties with openly racist and xenophobic view are also becoming increasingly influential in other European states, including Belgium and the Netherlands. Worried European Union policymakers are seriously considering a ban on use of Nazi symbols including the swastika.
But the challenge posed by Muslim extremists is seen as much more serious. This is especially the case after 9-11, with governments across the EU working to clamp down on Islamic radicals within their own territories while also seeking to toughen security measures against suspected foreign extremists.
Interestingly, two years after they fell out over the Iraq war, the fear of radical Islam, is also drawing the US and the EU together. At the international security conference in Munich, European and American experts were united in viewing religious extremism as a new global security challenge which could only be combated through joint transatlantic action.
US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, who once famously derided "old" Europeans, France and Germany, for opposing the Iraq war, used the Munich meeting to spell out a more conciliatory message of transatlantic cooperation to counter the spread of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism.
Talking of Europe and America's "common values, shared histories, and an abiding faith in democracy," the Pentagon chief said transatlantic coordination of legal, diplomatic and intelligence efforts was crucial.
Known for his preference for unilateral US action, Rumsfeld made a complete U-turn at the meeting by telling his European counterparts: "By now it must be clear that one nation cannot defeat the extremists alone."
"It will take the cooperation of many nations to stop the proliferation of dangerous weapons ... and it surely takes a community of nations to gather intelligence about extremist networks, to break up financial support lines, or to apprehend suspected terrorists," he added.
In another sweetener to Europeans who have long hailed the importance of "soft" diplomacy over "hard" military action, Rumsfeld added: "The military can only be part of the solution and it is always the last resort."
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer also identified extremists' abhorrence of western society as a global security threat. It was not just the US that Islamic radicals hated, it was the entire West, he said.
A word of warning on the conventional western wisdom on display was given by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit who warned the meeting in Munich that growing misunderstandings between western nations and Muslim countries were the real threat to global harmony and security.
"There is a strong and dangerous trend of people-to-people tensions along cultural and religious lines," Gheit underlined. "Mutual misperceptions and misunderstandings between the Arab-Muslim world and the West is an increasingly dangerous new form of security challenge that we must address urgently," he said.
The Egyptian foreign minister said he felt personally offended when people in the West referred to "Islamic terrorists", saying the correct term was "Islamist terrorists".
Tackling extremism in the Muslim world through "head-on military confrontation" may be seen as necessary but was not effective, he warned, adding that it was necessary to address the "root causes" of the phenomenon, including the unsolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Calls for the EU and the US to work together to back a major overhaul of global security measures to combat terrorism, keep weapons of mass destruction from spreading and quell regional conflicts was also made by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. "We must strengthen our collective defences," he said.
"If New York or London or Paris or Berlin were hit by a nuclear terrorist attack, it might not only kill hundreds of thousands in an instant," he said. "It could also devastate the global economy, thereby plunging millions into poverty in developing nations."
While determination to fight religious extremism is pulling the EU and the US together, the Munich meeting also spotlighted that the transatlantic relationship is not all sweetness and light.
EU governments and policymakers in the newly-rejigged US administration have gone out of their way in recent days to make sure that President George W. Bush's much-heralded visit to Europe as of February 21 is problem-free.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in town recently to woo EU officials with talk of America's admiration for a strong and united Europe and promises of joint EU-US action in the Middle East.
Ms Rice's message that America and Europe must put their Iraq war acrimony behind them and look to the future has found an enthusiastic audience among EU policymakers also tired of permanently feuding with Washington.
As proof that Europeans do not harbour any rancour over Iraq, all 25 EU governments are expected to participate in a first-ever collective effort by the bloc to train Iraqi police officials and judges, albeit outside Iraq.
But the Munich conference was also the scene of what looks set to another transatlantic row - this time over the future of Nato. The 26-nation alliance - a potent symbol of the Cold War - has long been America's favourite channel of communication with Europe.
But the Europeans are now determined to use the EU to build better relations with the US, believing that the wide array of issues that unite and divide the allies can best be discussed outside Nato. The EU's emerging defence ambitions have given the bloc additional confidence in itself.
Bickering over whether the EU or Nato should take the lead in the development of stronger transatlantic ties was sparked by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder who told the meeting in Munich that Nato was "no longer the primary venue where transatlantic partners discuss and coordinate strategies".
Instead, Schroeder's message, as delivered to the meeting by the German defence minister, Peter Struck, was that both sides should set up a panel of high-level specialists to study ways of reviving relations between the EU and the US.
This prompted Rumsfeld to insist that Nato was still alive and important. "Nato has a great deal of energy and vitality. I believe they are undertaking the kinds of reforms to bring the institution into the 21st century. The place to discuss trans-Atlantic issues clearly is Nato," he said.
Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, citing missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, said the alliance "has seen more change and transformation over the past three or four years than in the many decades before. Let's not say NATO is ill or terminally ill ... this alliance is very alive."
Scheffer pointed out that far from taking a back seat in world affairs, Nato, already playing a lead role in stabilizing Afghanistan, was ready to help keep any future peace in the Middle East.
This, however, was rejected by Egypt's Abul Gheit. "The alliance's image faces a credibility deficit" in the Middle East, Gheit warned, adding: "We do not think it is within Nato's competence to act as guarantor of international peace and security."
Seeking to stop the embarrassing row in its tracks, German Foreign Minister Fischer insisted that more than a military alliance, Nato was "ultimately an expression of a joint transatlantic civilization."
Germany was trying to strengthen, not weaken the alliance, Fischer said, adding that NATO had a "dynamic part" to play in injecting new momentum in the "grand design" of transatlantic ties.
Despite attempts to keep President Bush's European visit as harmonious as possible, trouble is expected on at least another two key points. As repeatedly pointed out by Ms Rice during her EU tour, Washington is opposed to European plans to lift an arms embargo imposed on China after the bloody crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrations there in 1989.
Divisions over Iraq are another source of continuing transatlantic tensions. Schroeder's message to Washington at the Munich meeting was that the US must back EU diplomatic efforts to convince Iran to abandon its suspected development of nuclear weapons.
"We must overcome Iran's massive isolation," stressed the chancellor, adding that Iran would only abandon its nuclear ambitions if its "economic but also its legitimate security interests are safeguarded."
Germany, France and Britain - the so-called European Union Three - are currently working to hammer out a diplomatic deal in which Tehran would permanently renounce uranium enrichment in return for trade and aid.
In contrast, US President Bush has said he does not rule out using military force against Iranian nuclear facilities. In a meeting with French intellectuals in Paris during her European tour Ms Rice branded Iran a "totalitarian" state and said that any approach that held out incentives for Iran would only help sustain the hard-liners in Iran.
Message of martyrdom
Martyrdom is shahadat which is also translated as testimony. Hussain's martyrdom was an eternally abiding testimony to the oneness of Allah. It gave a lease of immortal life to the Divine Message.
By his sacrifice the spirit of the Faith was resurrected, the flame rekindled. The blood of Hussain and his companions not just reinforced the foundation of the Faith but made it timeless.
That is what Khwaja moinuddin Chishti meant by calling him "bin-e-la ilah," (the basis of the belief in the Oneness of Allah). Hussain also gave continuity to the name of the Prophet (SAW) as a son perpetuates the name of his father. Therefore, Hussain was also called "ibn-e-Rasool ullah" (son of Allah's Messenger).
Some commentators even hold the view that Hussain's martyrdom was the translation of the verse, "And We ransomed him (Ismail A.S.) with a momentous (or great) sacrifice," (37:107) for the simple reason that a ram that was actually substituted on the occasion for Ismail could not, by any stretch of imagination be termed as a "momentous/great" sacrifice.
Karbala happened one-and-a-half millennium ago. And yet it remains fresh in the hearts and minds of Muslims. Muharram, every year, revives poignant memories of the tragedy. The events as they occurred are vividly recapitulated in all their gory, blood-curdling detail. Many ask, why go on with it, year after year, endlessly?
Recalling the past refreshes the lessons of any event. In this particular case the tragedy highlights a number of factors. One, that promise must be kept. It is repeatedly enjoined in the Quran.
Sometimes believers are commanded to fulfil their promises; sometimes those who keep their word are praised, and at one place it has been clearly said that it is unpleasant to Allah that one should say what one does not act upon. "Grievously odious is it in the sight of Allah that ye say that which ye do not." (61:3).
Hussain had received invitation from the Muslims of Kufa to come and receive their homage (bai'at). As Muhammad (SAW)'s true disciple, he could not decline it. And when he had accepted it, the word had to be kept.
He had no inkling of Yazid's diabolic plans. In those days communication was slow. He had earlier sent his cousin Muslim bin Aqeel on a fact finding mission. But meanwhile Obaidullah ibn-e-Ziad had taken over as governor of Kufa. Muslim was captured and put to death. News of the developments did not reach Hussain in time so he could cancel his journey.
It was when Yazid's army blocked his path at Karbala that the gravity of the situation dawned on Hussain. He had not gone with any intention to fight. Why else would he take his whole family along with him? And why would he go with a gross total of 72 souls? That would be a suicide prima facie and contrary to the Divine admonition. "...and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction..." (2:195).
Hussain had not even anticipated any confrontation or he would have collected fighters with him. His two-and-seventy included young boys (Qasim, Ali Akbar), children (Aun, Mohammad), a suckling baby, Ali Asghar, as well as a sick young man, Hussain's son, Zainul Abedeen.
Men of fighting age including Abbas and Ali akbar (the latter only 18) were just a handful. Even despite Hur crossing over to his side from the enemy ranks, it did not improve the fighting capability of Hussain's camp.
Epitomizing Islam's true spirit, Hussain tried to eschew fighting till the last moment. Yet, Yazid demanded that Hussain should either swear allegiance to him or die. Obviously, Hussain could not accept the first option. Yazid was not a Caliph chosen by the elders. He was "appointed" by his father. Nor did he have any of the attributes to qualify for the office.
Bowing before him would be a negation of the yardstick for the level of superiority in Islamic society: "...Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you..." (49:13). Hussain had learnt the lessons of Islam at the knees of the Prophet (S.A.W.). He could not bow before tyranny and injustice. So, he opted for the other alternative.
What happened thereafter is etched indelibly on the pages of history. Hussain died to live forever (a martyr in the way of Allah does not die). Yazid lived to die in ignominy. One went to salvation, the other to perdition. As Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar said, "Hussain's assassination is really the death of Yazid."