The Heroic Stand of Imam Husain (A.S.)

By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
The month oh Moharram freshens up our memories every year of the heroic stand of Imam Husain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Mohammad's (SAWA), who refused to give his hand in allegiance to a tyrant, by preferring the glory of martyrdom to an abject life under an oppressive and corrupt system. The faithful herald its arrival with black banners as all forms of gaiety go out for the mourning period that enlivens human conscience to keep eternally unfurled the flag of patience, steadfastness, devotion, courage, affection, prudence, magnanimity, and all other humanitarian values that no evil and morally-bankrupt power could erase.
Sadly, there are some so-called Muslims in the modern world, who rejoice on the 1st of Moharram, in the manner of the Arab pagans of the pre-Islamic period who considered this day as the New Year, but suppress any kind of natural public outpour of grief in this month of mourning, especially on the day of Ashura for the tragedy that befell the Prophet's grandson. It is indeed the height of hypocrisy. Whatever the magnitude of their plots, those who masquerade as Muslims but feel no inhibitions in conspiring with the enemies of Islam against Muslims, have failed to distort or destroy Islam, thanks to the immortal sacrifice of Imam Husain (AS), whose sacred blood has remained remarkably fresh ever since the tragedy occurred 1,373 lunar years ago. However, when Imam Husain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), and the son of such peerless parents as Imam Ali and Hazrat Fatema Zahra (peace upon themSA) was brutally slain along with 72 of his steadfast companions including his sons, brothers, nephews and cousins, there was none to mourn him or provide succour to womenfolk and orphans of the Prophet's household. The killers of Imam Husain (AS) were not Jews, not Christians, not Hindus, not Zoroastrians, not Buddhists, not Shamanists, not pagans, but people who called themselves Muslims, and knew him very well with full knowledge that he was a paragon of virtue. In other words, the forces of Yazid were even more evil than the Zionists, the Americans, and all other enemies of humanity put together.
Rayyan ibn Shabeeb relates that once when he visited the Prophet's 8thInfallible Successor, Imam Reza (AS), on the advent of Moharram, the Imam said: "O Ibn Shabeeb! Moharram is the month in which the people of the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyya) had forbidden the committing of any oppression as well as armed conflicts. Yet, this ummah did not respect the sanctity of this month or the dignity of their own Prophet. In this month, they killed the Prophet’s offspring… God will never forgive them.
"O Ibn Shabeeb! If you wish to cry, then cry for Husain who was slaughtered like a sheep, and was killed along with the members of his household. Eighteen people were martyred along with him who had no equal on Earth. The seven heavens and the earths mourned in his martyrdom…
"O Ibn Shabeeb! If you cry for Husain (AS) in such a way that tears flow down your cheeks, then God will forgive all the sins that you have committed whether minor or major, whether they be a few instances or a lot…
"O Ibn Shabeeb! If you would like to meet the Honourable the Exalted God without having any sins then visit (the shrine of) Husain (AS).
"O Ibn Shabeeb! If you would like have the company of the Prophet in the halls of Paradise, then curse the murderers of Husain (AS).
"O Ibn Shabeeb! If you would like to be in the same high ranks in Paradise with us, then be sad when we are sad and be happy when we are happy."
Here I present you an excellent piece of poetry by Iran's English language poet, Dr. Hassan Najafi, which traces in verse how the early Muslims disobeyed the commandments of God and the Prophet in the pursuit of worldly desires – factors that led to the rise of the Godless Omayyads and subsequently the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) by the tyrant Yazid.
I am leaving amongst you Two Weighty Things
The Book of God and my nearest of Kin,
If you leave the other and stick to one
You go astray, never leads you to heaven.
These two will not separate from each other
Till meet me on Doomsday at Font Kowthar,
These were the Prophet’s words to the nation,
Repeated and reiterated for the people’s attention.
Besides, God too recommends in His Book
In ayah 23 of Surah 42, if you care to look
“Say (O Prophet) I don’t want wage for my endeavours,
“Your love I want towards my House Members,”
The Prophet wanted to commit this to papers.
He asked for pen and paper; but one blasphemously answers:
‘The man (the Prophet – God forbid) is uttering nonsense
‘The Book of God sufficient to us – no Ahl al-Bayt hence.’
How insolently he says “The Man”, didn’t he believe him as Prophet!
How impudently he ridicules God’s Messenger without any respect!
The Prophet warns against leaving any of the Two Weighty Things
But the Dissenter wants to hear nothing of the Prophet’s Kin.
Does he know better than the Prophet and God?
Aren’t the Prophet’s words, the words of the Most High Lord?
He thus openly deviated from the Prophet’s Way,
And led all those who follow him astray
Because of him flames leap from the House of Zahra
From here originates the tragedy of Karbala
Husain’s Sacred Blood sits heavily on his head
Due to his usurpation of caliphate Yazid became nation’s head
Muharram the month of mourning renews our tears
While the followers of pagan Arabs celebrate it as New Year
The source of sedition is the scandalous gathering of Saqifa,
It broke the pledge of Ghadir to usurp Ali’s right as Prophet’s Khalifa.