The relevance of Karbala

ALLAMA Iqbal saw the history of Islam as marked by two definitive sacrifices, that of Ismail in the beginning and of Imam Hussain (A.S.), as defining moments. According to Iqbal, the role of Imam Hussain in Islamic history is as central as the position accorded to Surah-e-Ikhlas in the Holy Quran.

The Islamic world today faces unprecedented threats to its security and integrity. In the realm of ideology and thought, there is an onslaught on the values and validity of the Islamic creed. On the ground, Islamic states face threats of destruction while freedom movements are threatened with extinction. Never was the message of Karbala as relevant as it is today. The stand against the impossible odds, taken at Karbala, reflected the Imam’s conviction that the challenge to fundamental human values could not be met by force of arms alone but by the example of courage and conviction, compassion and forbearance, morality and sacrifice.

Karbala demonstrated beyond any doubt that the ability to stand firm and be prepared if the cause is high enough to offer any sacrifice, gives an ultimate and lasting, if not immediate, victory to a people. With the passage of centuries and down the corridors of hallowed time, Imam Hussain has come to symbolize more and more the integrity, sense of justice and courage of conviction which the Ummah needs today for its survival.

If the Muslim world has proved unable to rise to the current ideological and physical challenges, it is largely because of the dichotomy between professions and actual practice, the perceived contradiction between narrow, self serving, interests of the different Islamic regimes and because of the absence of the necessary conviction and faith which was symbolized so fully at Karbala.

If the lesson of Karbala is to be assimilated, involving a willingness to risk safety, life and liberty for a just cause, oppression and injustice would not thrive with so much ease. It is only when men are afraid to stand up and be counted that evil flourishes. A German historian has aptly referred to this phenomenon, “First they came for the Jews and I was not concerned, since I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the communists and I was not a communist. They next came for the gypsies and I did nothing. Then they 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.” In the words of Carlyle, all great ages are ages of faith.

Few events in history will rank besides Karbala as an epic manifestation of faith. The month of Muharram, which heralds the advent of the Hijra calendar, had traditionally been an eventful month. The saga of Karbala has lent to the month a historical dimension and marked it as a memorable milestone in human history.

Material progress, although one of the essential objectives of any society, has to be buttressed by the element of faith. Even those who only believe, as the Marxists do, in ‘matter and motion’ cannot go forward without the stimulus of faith in a higher ideal. Harold Laski, by no means unsympathetic to communism, reached the conclusion that “communism had made its way by its idealism and not by ‘realism’ alone, by its ‘spiritual promise’ and not merely by its material prospects”,

In this world, with more than its share of trials and tribulations, no character quality is 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 pain.

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 amongst us, exposed to the saga of Karbala, but lacking human awareness and compassion, have tragically missed the heart of the Imam’s message.

Allama Iqbal has described Karbala as the greatest unifying message for Muslims of all sects and persuasions. That a monumental event like Karbala which should bring all 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 inter-Islamic feuding, is a matter of great shame. Karbala should be commemorated to cement Islamic bonds, not to rend them asunder.

Genuine tolerance involves an instinctive appreciation of the feelings of others, an ability to place ourselves in the others’ situation. Tolerance, it has been said, is reverence for all possibilities of the truth. While in the past intolerance was mostly a product of ignorance or bigotry, in the present populist era it is exploited for narrow, sectional ends. In the words of Disraeli, “We must educate our masters, the people, otherwise we would be at the mercy of a mob, masquerading as democracy.”

Religion teaches nothing, nothing at all if it does not teach respect for each other’s feelings which is the only way of co-existing in a multi-denominational society. The publication by sections of western media of items, most hurtful to Islamic sensibilities, under the shelter of freedom of speech, testifies indubitably to the total failure of western societies to imbibe the core element of sensitivity and mutual respect, the pre-requisite of all civilized creeds.

It is most important that we present the real message of Karbala to our people, specially the youth, whose minds are troubled by conflicting ideologies and systems. It may be relevant here to recall the memorable exhortation of Imam Ali (A.S) that “In educating your children, take care to educate them for the challenges of their generation, not merely for the requirements of your generation.”

What distinguishes Karbala from other tragedies, where a larger number of people perished is the element of conscious choice, which determined the Imam’s stand at Karbala. The unprecedented mental torture and physical sufferings were entirely avoidable if the Imam had not insisted on upholding the values of Islam. While Karbala did not bring to an end the evil in this world, it succeeded in setting Islam clearly apart from its evil subterfuge and ensured the continuing validity of the Holy Prophet’s mission.

Toynbee, discussing comparative religions, identified justice as the essence of the Islamic creed. The clearest enunciation of the requirement of justice is contained in the statement of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), who, when asked as to when would justice be established on earth, said that “Not until he, who sees injustice done to another, feels it as much as if the injustice was done to him.” Pakistan must strive to be a symbol of the ideals it has inherited from its enlightened creed.

The age of isolation on the local, national or international level is a relic of the past. Whether we want it or not, we have become our brother’s keeper. In the words of John Donne: “None of us is an island, we are all a piece of the main, a part of the continent. So do not ask, for whom the bell tolls, for it may toll for thee”.

In the sands of Karbala, nearly a millennium and a half back, Imam Hussain drew a line in his blood and in the blood of the Holy Prophet’s family and friends — a line where a final decision had to be made if fundamental Islamic values had to be sustained. Unlike lines drawn by military commanders, fortified by military strength, the line along the Euphrates was sustained only by the indomitable force of human will. Even after a millennium and a half, Karbala stands out as a shining point of reference for the dictum that ephemeral military victories are of little consequence in the face of ideology’s ultimate triumph.

The well known orientalist, Professor Ralph Russell, in his inestimable translation of Iftikhar Arif’s moving verses on Karbala, vividly portrays the tyrannical regime of Yezid which had to be clearly distinguished from the spirit of Islam if the Holy Prophet’s mission had to be preserved by his illustrious grandson: -

“Now the companions of the King are satisfied;

The severed hands and arms of those,

Who would not bow their heads,

Hang from the battlement.

On every side is peace,

Peace, perfect peace.

The people’s cry cannot be heard,

A victim to the trumpet’s blare,

Men’s stock of patience is all spent,

Lost in the lunacy of prayer

Words have no credibility, respect for human life is gone,

The cords of the pavilion of tongue and word have all been cut,

Peace, perfect peace.

Leading light for the Ummah

“NOT a single Husain is there in the Caravan of Hijaz”, once lamented Iqbal. It is much more true for the Ummah of Islam today. These are the days when the Muslim Ummah is in a turmoil. Evil spirits of oppression, despotism, tyranny and ‘scarlet sin’ have engulfed the Muslim lands.

Dark forces of injustice, wickedness and naked aggression are let loose over the Muslim domains. Basic Islamic values are being trampled, mutilated, caricatured, distorted, misrepresented, corrupted in the name of progress and enlightenment. Bitter pills of un-Islamic concepts, irreligious attitudes, unethical practices, immoral behaviours are being forcibly thrust down the throats of the Muslim masses to get them adjusted to ground realities.

Unsavoury, unacceptable, ruinous, dangerous, destructive changes are being introduced at gun point in the Muslim heart-lands at the behest of powers that be.

Far reaching pernicious, perilous, destructive ideologies and isms which are certain to uproot, annihilate and decimate basic religious institutions and formations are being propagated with the help of enormous funds and huge financial inputs to produce a secularized modernistic, plausible, docile, spineless variety of Islam unable to challenge, pose any danger to, be able to see eye to eye with any country, government, culture or civilization.

And it is all being done and pushed onwards in the name of reforming Islam, for the benefit, progress, modernization, upliftment and enlightenment of the Ummah.

The technique applied in Quranic parlance has in most cases been Talbees al-Haqq bi’l-Batil, literally: fraudulently cover the truth with the falsehood with the intent of deceiving by making the whole thing appear as genuine truth. In Quranic usage it means mixing the truth with falsehood so thoroughly as to give the whole admixture a semblance, a simulation of truth, genuineness and trustworthiness.

The whole process demands a down-to-the-earth, correct, exact and comprehensive knowledge of the truth and a dexterous, masterly and extremely sophisticated, delicate, subtle, and superb performance and a diabolical craftiness to interfuse, instil, imbue, impregnate the basic texture of the truth with the falsehood in so much as to make one totally indistinguishable from the other.

The corrupt amalgamate, the hybrid device, the insidious, ominous alloy of Haqq and Batil, which has all the glamour, glitter and shine of Haqq is capable of deceiving and misleading not only an inept commoner, a man in the street or ‘the discordant wavering multitude’ but even erudite scholars and accomplished intellectuals gifted with a discerning, penetrating, piercing insight.

The exceptions, of course, are those brilliant giants of learning wielding deep and profound knowledge of the fundamentals and bases of right and wrong, in Quranic terminology the Rasikhoon fi’l-Ilm, endowed with the rare, unusual, unique, heavenly ‘Abrahimic insight’ which is bestowed only upon those noble souls who have identified themselves with the Quran and undergone the process of Tazkiyah, purification of ‘nafs’ and soul.

It was the manifestation of this very insight when Hazrat Ali, confronted with the deceitful and ill-intentioned demand of the Khwarij to revert to the arbitration of the Quran, uttered those historical words Kalimatu Haqqin Ureeda biha al-Batil — truthful words used/employed for a wrongful purpose. Although every companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is a ‘lode-star of guidance’ yet each one of them, in his individual capacity, has got some outstanding, specific, distinctive quality which though may be shared by others in varying degrees yet serves to establish his identity and become his hallmark.

Out of all the companions, Hazrat Umar Farooq-e-Azam, R.A., and Hazrat Ali al-Murtaza, both of them possessed the enviable characteristics of and consummate skill for differentiating and distinguishing Haqq from Batil, no matter in whatever plausible, reasonable and convincing form the corrupt amalgam of truth and falsehood presented itself before them. Its outward attractive, lustrous and gorgeous form never misled them into accepting and recognizing it as a genuine piece of truth.

In fact there is a strong similarity of character between the two which suggests a particular affinity in a marked degree between them. It is very significant that during the entire period of Farooqi regime, Hazrat Ali, actively lent his valuable assistance and support to Hazrat Umar, in crucial matters and at decisive moments. Hazrat Umar wholeheartedly recognized the sincere and momentous Alvid suggestions, advices, counsels, recommendations, and opinions which came at the spur of moment as effective tools to avoid a catastrophe, an irreparable damage or to ward off any untoward incident, in his oft quoted saying: “Had not been Ali there, Umar would have certainly perished”.

This intimate relationship culminated later. Still more significant, rather interesting to note, is that not a single administrative measure adopted by Hazrat Umar or any of the institutions set up by him or religious edicts promulgated during his reign, was abolished or abrogated by Hazrat Ali, during his Khilafat.

It is worth mentioning here that this invaluable attribute of discernment between truth and falsehood which is the chief characteristic of these two all-time great and illustrious personages of Islam is the intrinsic, inherent, basic, and essential attribute of the Quran also. In fact it is the main purpose of the revelation of the Last Book of Allah, to discriminate between Haqq and Batil.

Allah has, in the shape of the Quran provided the human race with an infallible touchstone to enable man to differentiate between truth and falsehood for all times to come. Does it not suggest a type of association, a sort of linkage between the two personalities and the Quran?

The above-mentioned quality of getting the Haqq distinguished and separated from Batil enjoyed by Hazrat Ali, was shared by his two sons Hazrat Hasan and Husain. The saying of the Prophet (PBUH), “My household, Ahl al-Bait, could be compared to the Noah’s arc.

Those who embarked it were saved, while those who stayed away perished” seems to be highly suggestive that both the brothers inherited this capacity. Obviously a clear distinction between Haqq and Batil is the only unavoidable prerequisite to save oneself from falling into error, the Dhalal. Moreover it is that enables him to prevent others from straying into deviant ideas, beliefs, conduct and behaviour and guide them into the right path.

Both the reverend brothers, Hasan and Husain may Allah bless them, put to use this providential gift at different occasions very sagaciously to achieve very consequential objectives. The Prophet (PBUH), had pre-informed about Hazrat Hasan: “This son of mine is a great leader. He would be instrumental in establishing peace between two factions of my Ummah.” These words came to be literally true. Hazrat Hasan’s crucial, selfless and farsighted decision under those circumstances, to step down provided the Ummah, an eternal pragmatic guidance for resolving internal differences, disputes, controversies and feuds.

As for Husain, he has, perhaps, no more been as relevant as he is today when all the affairs of the Ummah of Islam are going topsy-turvy and many fundamental beliefs and practices have been misinterpreted, corrupted, caricatured and made an object of derision and laughter. The political circumstances had undergone a drastic change since Hazrat Hasan had initiated the peace move.

Hazrat Husain’s farsightedness, political acumen and inherited capacity to differentiate right from wrong had convinced him that the rising despotic regime is certain to destroy the representative character of the Islamic state and eventually develop into a family affair.

He foresaw that acquiescing meekly to it at this nascent stage could mean nothing less than according it recognition as legal and legitimate. Some one had to come forward, risk his life and property, and may even endanger the security even of his family and followers.

It would be naivety to claim that with the support of his seventy companions, add to it the betrayal of the Kufans whose treacherous behaviour had been exposed even before he entered Kufa, he believed to change a mighty and established regime. But then it was the now-or-never situation.

He had to decide swiftly and act promptly. And this he did and did it full well knowingly that the perilous venture was in all probability to end in fiasco. It may have been seen by some as a vain attempt at self destruction. But there are times when preservation of principles is at the stake, the upholding of basics is concerned, and something more valuable, more dear than life itself is to be defended, then the ‘laying of life’ gains precedence over ‘preservation of life’. “Hai kabhi jan aur kabhi tasleem-jan hai zindagi”.

These are the decisive moments in the life of a nation when crazy souls are needed who can write history with their blood. These are the Shaheeds who testify to the veracity of their stand by dying for it. And Husain is without the least doubt not only one of them, he rather tops the list. Shahadat is their ultimate and sole aim. “Shahadat hai matloob-o-maqsood-e-momin. Na maal-ghaneemat na kishwar kushaaee”. Strangely enough some people make it convenient to forget that Shahadat presupposes Jihad which has recently been unfortunately so often condemned and calumniated as to render it synonymous with terrorist activity. It has been repeated ad nauseum that Islam is the religion of peace and submission.

Imam Husain by his struggle against a colossal power has made it crystal clear that Islam is a religion of struggle against ‘Zulm’, aggression, injustice, and oppression. This is what the Prophet of Islam, (PBUH), preached when he said, “I am the Prophet of Peace and I am the Prophet of War”. This is what he himself practised and this is what Husain, his grandson, testified to by laying his life for. Husain will, for ever, act as a lighthouse for all those who have the farsightedness, courage, will, and a burning flame in their hearts to die for a cause.

Triumph of truth

REAFFIRMATION and resurgence of Islam is bound up with the struggle and sacrifice of the highest order. The martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain at the arid land of Karbala on the bank of River Euphrates consequent to his bold stand against the army of Yazid in 61 A.H. is a grand example of sublime heights of sacrifice and heroism in defence of the faith enshrined in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah.

It is the greatest tragedy in the history of mankind, a unique historical phenomenon and a new experience in the entire history of the human role in protection and preservation of the sanctity of Islam.

After the sad demise of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hasan, the responsibility of protecting the principles of Islam fell squarely upon Hazrat Imam Husain, the grandson of the Prophet. And Husain Ibn-e-Ali performed his duty by offering the greatest, the grandest and the holiest sacrifice along with the noblest of his kins, friends and relations and thus wrote with his blood an immortal chapter of courage, fortitude and sacrifice that will continue to inspire mankind till eternity for upholding truth and justice which are eternal principles of Islam, immutable and unconquerable.

If evil is resisted and if men are prepared to make sacrifices for them, those principles will always prevail. Karbala is the truest demonstration of resistance against the forces of evil for attaining eternity of the principles of truth, justice, love and mercy.

Prosperity and power are as much a trial for human character as are adversity and helplessness. Power is a greater danger than poverty. Material needs together with the passion for authority and supremacy have led man towards an apparent bankruptcy of moral values. In the long history of human society the most important problems continue to be those posed by the desire for absolute power. But the Islamic concept of divine uniqueness implies both absolute power and absolute justice. Justice and power must be brought together so that whatever is just may be powerful and whatever is powerful is just. Unbridled power without the ideals of justice is abhorrent in Islam.

The concept of divine justice found its rational conclusion in the ideals of human brotherhood, truth, justice and social equality proclaimed and propagated through the mission of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Before the advent of Islam the Arab community was treading the path of retrogression. The religions in vogue were degenerate. Mutual respect amongst their followers was non-existent. Bloodshed and other evils were rampant. Dominance, power and authority were all that counted. A large segment of the population was idolatrous. The world groaning under these vices of power and authority seemed to be waiting for emergence of the one who could deliver the world from its afflictions. It was under these circumstances that Islam originated as a great revolutionary force that shook the world to its foundations with glad tidings of a renaissance to the moribund humanity.

The clean sweep that Islam made of the old order and far-reaching changes that it introduced in all spheres of life were productive of personal loss to persons in many walks of life. The Islamic instruction that precedence among individuals was to be determined on the basis of excellence of conduct shattered the prospects of those who had attained power and position simply on the strength of social superiority and wealth. In an attempt to stem the tide of Islamic revolution they unfurled the flag of revolt against Islam.

Towards the end of 60 A.H. and beginning of 61 A.H. the then Islamic polity had lost much of the moral vigour and purity which had characterized the Islamic society under the Holy Prophet (PBUH). With the ascendancy of Yazid to the caliphate there emerged an age of totalitarian dictatorship which threatened to undermine the basis of Islam and Islamic values. Freedom of thought was regarded as a sin. The realm of Islam had become a place where public opinion could not be expressed even privately.

Yazid was neither a rightful nor a just ruler. He was a usurper, a despot and a tyrant who had enslaved the will and conscience of the people. He had managed to become the temporal ruler and was aspiring to achieve for himself spiritual leadership of the Muslim world with his own interpretations of the teachings and tenets of Islam. He was corrupting the Millat and reversing the values of the Islamic revolution brought about by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

By usurping power and setting the pattern of despotic rule Yazid had violated the pristine values of Islam which Imam Husain considered as his supreme duty to protect from the pulverization of despotism. Islamic society had reached a state of spiritual and moral degradation which could not be reformed except by means of rising and martyrdom.

Islam is a pledge, a submission and a covenant with God to promote certain values in life in order to establish God’s kingdom on earth. Islamic society is a revolutionary society where the Quran is the source of law and God is the absolute legislator. The law and the truth are inseparable. Breaking the covenant of God and reversing the Sunnah of the Prophet tantamount to betraying the Islamic revolution and bringing about a new order of paganism. Yazid was distorting the truth, suspending the rule of law and substituting for God’s law his own will and interpretations. Thus the social, moral and spiritual ideals of Din-i-Muhammadi were being set aside. In such a situation it was the duty of every Muslim to raise the voice of dissent. The higher the status spiritually, intellectually or socially, the greater the responsibility to take steps that will protect and preserve Islam and Islamic values.

As a revered member of the House of Muhammad (PBUH), Hazrat Imam Husain’s responsibility was much greater than any other member of the faith in resisting tyranny and oppression and upholding the principles of truth and justice. In his famous address to the people of Kufa, Imam Husain mentioned about the prevailing state of affairs in these words “You see to what a low level the affairs have sunk... do you not observe that truth is not adhered to and falsehood has no limit... and as for me, l look upon death as but means of attaining martyrdom and 1 consider life amongst transgressors, oppressors and tyrants as nothing but an agony and affliction.” Hence Husain lbn-Ali raised the most vehement and vociferous voice of dissent against the despotic rule of Yazid.

Hazrat Imam Husain was a symbol of piety and spiritualism wedded only to the fear of God. He stood for the protection and preservation of the Islamic faith. He wanted to rebuild society and re-enthrone those tenets of faith and values of life that had been debased and destroyed by Yazid. The critical question was the demand for allegiance (baiyat) which implied full acceptance of what Yazid and his government was proclaiming as Islamic teachings.

With Yazid’s demand for baiyat a very serious crisis developed in the very body of Islamic polity. Had Imam Husain accepted the demand for baiyat the glory of Islam would have ended then and there giving way to new cult devoid of any spiritual foundation. Naturally, therefore, the demand was not acceptable to the leader of the House of Muhammad (PBUH). His refusal to bow before Yazid and swear allegiance to him sprang from his belief in a hidden power. This belief stood unshaken in all its solemn grandeur till the last, and in the end triumphed providing an enduring testimony to the triumph of spiritualism.