al-hujjat (atfs) vol.2 - issue no 1 - muharram-1435 ... · imam hussain's (a) name deserves a...

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The moon of Muharram is upon us, and with it comes the Message of Karbala. As the river of tears starts to flow, and the thunder of matam (latmiyyah) fills the air, lovers of the Ahlul-bayt [a] remember the great sacrifice made by Imam Husayn [a], his noble family, and his loyal companions. The Muharram (1st month of Islamic calendar) period is a time to revive the spirit of Islam in our hearts. It is a time to renew our pledge to the Imam [a]. Instead of simply going through the motions, Muslim Youths must fully understand and appreciate this most significant event in Islamic history. Karbala was the battle between justice and falsehood, the battle between freedom and slavery, the battle between humanity and oppression. When the Prophet Muhammad [s] informed Lady Fatima [a] of the martyrdom of his grandson, she burst into tears and asked "O my father! when would my son be martyred?" "At such a critical moment," replied the Holy Prophet, "when neither I nor you, nor Ali would be alive." This accentuated her grief and she inquired again, "Who then, O my father, would commemorate Hussain's martyrdom?" The Holy Prophet (s) said, "The men and the women of a particular group of my followers, who will befriend my Ahlul-bayt(s) , will mourn for Hussain and commemorate his martyrdom each year in every century." Indeed the meaning of azadari is so deep and the implications are so far-reaching. It is for this reason that the essence of Karbala must be relayed to the next generation of Muslims, and to the masses. By the prayers of Bibi Zahra [a] this remembrance of Imam Hussain [a] will continue until the end of time.

K a r b a l a - t h e l a n d o f s a c r i f i c e

Karbala– Chain of Events 2

Quotes about Imam Hussain a.s by renowned personalities

3/4

Qamar Bani Hashim 5

Sermon of MIna 6

Imam Hussain & his Martydom 8-11

Islam & Hussain 12

Advertisements 13/14

Calender & Namaz Timings/ Hussainia Updates

15

Ayaat of the Month 16

Majalis-e-Aza 4th,5th,6th,10th Nov at Hussainia 7th,8th,9th,11th,12th,13th,14th at

Polish Community Center.

Speaker for the Majalis

Hujjat-ul-Islam Moulana Safi Haider Aamal-e-Ashura will be held at

Polish Center at 10:00 am (Aamaal/Zuhrain/Majlis/FaqaShikni)

For Further Information Call :

Tele Message: (403) 235-1212 OR

visit: www.hussainicalgary.com

E VE N T S A T A GL A NC E

M e s s a g e f r o m p r e s i d e n tM e s s a g e f r o m p r e s i d e n tM e s s a g e f r o m p r e s i d e n t

Al-Hujjat (atfs) Vol.2 - Issue No 1 - Muharram-1435/November –December 2013

I n t h is i s s u e :

In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

Salaam-un-Alykum, The month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, brings with it the memory of the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (a). Every year, Muslims around the world commemorate the tragedy of Karbala. They attend mourning meetings and processions in which the story of Karbala is retold, lamentations are held and special poetic readers using dramatic techniques and symbolism recite eulogies to mark the events of the day of Ashura. All these commemorative meetings not only serve to convey the events and message of Karbala but also provide opportunities for us to learn about Islam in general. We commemorate Ashura‟ to symbolize and express our grief and emotions towards the martyrdom of Imam al-Hussain (a), to keep Imam al-Hussain‟s (a) cause alive in our hearts and to be committed to his cause. Also, we want to extract lessons from the tragedy of Karbala and apply them to our daily lives. We want to pay our condolences to the Holy Prophet (p) ,the Ahlul Bayt and Imam of our times (atfs). As individuals, our foremost responsibility is to work on ourselves and those around us in order that we also become principled followers who remain steadfast beside the Imam of our Time, may Allah (swt) hasten his reappearance. From Karbala we learn to be sincere, proactive and con-cerned members of humanity who make a conscious choice to stand with dignity in defense of truth and jus-tice. We ask the Almighty to make us steadfast on His path and all praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. With salaams and duas, Riyaz Khawaja President

Karbala– Chain of Events 2

Quotes about Imam Hussain a.s by renowned personalities

3/4

Qamar-e-Bani Hashim (Urdu Article)

5

Sermon of Mina 6

Imam Hussain & his Martyrdom 8-11

Islam & Hussain 12

Advertisements 13/14

Calendar & Namaz Timings/ Hussainia Updates

15

Ayaat of the Month 16

The events of Karbala reflect the collision of the good versus the evil, the virtuous versus the wicked, the collision of Imam Husain (the head of virtue) versus Yazid (the head of impiety). Al-Hussain was a revolutionary person, a righteous man, the religious authority, the Imam of Muslim Ummah. As the representative of his grandfather Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Imam Husain's (a) main concern was to safeguard and protect Islam and guide fellow Muslims. On the other hand, the staying power of the rulers (Mu'awiya and his son Yazid) depended solely on the might of the sword. They used brute force to rule over the Muslim empire even by all possible illicit means. Imam Husain (a) as head of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) never recognized Mu'awiya nor his followers. Before him Imam Ali (a.s.) had fought battles against Mu'awiya because Mu'awiya continuously violated the Islamic principles. Imam Hsasan (a) had to swallow the bitter pill of making a peace agreement with Mu'awiya, in order to safeguard the security of the Ummah which was at stake. When Yazid son of Mu'awiya declared himself as a ruler over the Ummah, he demanded Imam Al-Hussain's (a.s.) allegiance of loyalty. Imam Husain (a) on his part flatly rejected Yazid's rule and behaviour, for there was no way Yazid could represent Islam, it would be blasphemy. But Yazid, the tyrant ruler over the Ummah, was adamant in his demand, and tension between the two parties increased day by day. Imam Husain (a) was quick to realize that giving allegiance of loyalty to Yazid would serve no purpose but to jeopardize the survival of Islam. To safeguard and protect Islam, therefore, the Imam had no choice but to confront and collide with Yazid's ruler ship irrespective of consequences. Since Yazid had ordered his commanders to seize the Imam's allegiance of loyalty at any cost, even by brutal force, the commanders had to assemble a relatively large army, surrounding Imam Husain's (a) camp in a desert called Karbala. Then they cut off the basic necessities to the camp, including access to water. The camp consisted of Imam Husain (a) , his family, friends, and companions, all of whom stood fast and firmly with him. These braves would rather face death for the noble cause of Islam, than submit to the outrageous tyranny and the un-Islamic ways of Yazid. Thus, Karbala proved to be a clash involving Islamic truths versus falsehood, right versus wrong, belief versus disbelief, the oppressed versus the oppressor, faith against brute force. Karbala was about standing in the face of oppression, regardless no matter the cost. Thus, in Karbala, Al-Hussain (a) the 57 year old grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), sacrificed his totality and all he had, for one goal. This goal was to let the truth triumph over falsehood eventually, and he did that brilliantly. His goal was to foil the plan that Mu'awiya had expertly developed for his son, Yazid, which was to establish a permanent Banu Umayya rulership over the Muslim Ummah (even by sacrificing the Islamic principles), but doing it in the name of Islam. Brilliantly, Imam Husain (a) succeeded in foiling this plan and he exposed the disreputable nature of Banu Umayya though this was at the expense of his life.

[Above are pictures of The Imam Hussain (a) Rally (Jaloos) of 2012 in the City of Calgary] Every year in the Month Muharam the Shia Muslims all over the world commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a)

The commemoration start from the first day and the peak reached on the 10th day. The Hussaini Association of Calgary has been organizing a “Imam Hussain Rally” since 2010 in the City of Calgary During First ten Days of Muharram .

K a r ba l aK a r ba l aK a r ba l a---ch a i n o f ev e nt sch a i n o f ev e nt sch a i n o f ev e nt s

Imam Hussain's (a) name deserves a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records as the historic figure who has been the greatest subject of poetry of all languages in the world. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) “Hassan (Imam Hussain‟s elder brother) and Hussain are the leaders of the youth of Paradise” “As a result of the assassination of Hussain (a) such a warmth will be kindled in the hearts of the believers that shall not become cold till the Day of Resurrection.” "Hussain o minni wa ana minal Hussain" - (Hussain is from me and I am from Hussain) Mahatma Gandhi (Father of the Nation - India) “My admiration for the noble sacrifice of Imam Hussain (a) as a martyr abounds, because he accepted death and the torture of thrust for himself, for his sons, and for his whole family, but did not submit to unjust authorities.” “I learnt from Hussain how to achieve victory while being oppressed.” "My faith is that the progress of Islam does not depend on the use of sword by its believers, but the result of the supreme sacrifice of Hussain.” “If India wants to be a successful country, it must follow in the footsteps of Imam Hussain (a). “If I had an army like the 72 soldiers of Hussain, I would have won freedom for India in 24 hours.” Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (1st Prime Minister of India) "There is a universal appeal in his martyrdom. Hazrat Imam Hussein (a) sacrificed his all, but he refused to submit to a tyrannical government. He never gave any weight to the fact that his material force was far less in comparison with that of an enemy; the power of faith to his greatest force, which regards all material force as nothing. This sacrifice is a beacon light of guidance for every community and every nation” "Imam Hussain's sacrifice is for all groups and communities, an example of the path of righteousness." Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1st President of Pakistan) “The world is unable to present an example finer and brighter than the personality of Imam Hussein (a.s). He was the embodiment of love, valor and personification of sacrifice and devotion. Every Muslim, in particular, must learn a lesson from his life and should seek guidance from him.” Reynold Alleyne Nicholson (Eminent English orientalist scholar of both Islamic literature and Islamic mysticism) "Hussain fell, pierced by an arrow, and his brave followers were cut down beside him to the last man. Muhammadan tradition, which with rare exceptions is uniformly hostile to the Umayyad dynasty, regards Hussain as a martyr and Yazid as his murderer." Edward Gibbon (English historian and member of parliament) "In a distant age and climate the tragic scene of the death of Hussain will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader." [The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, London, 1911, volume 5, pp391-2] James Corne (Author of History of China) “Hussain and his companions faced eight kinds of enemies. On the four sides the army of Yazid was their enemy which was ceaselessly raining arrows; the fifth foe was the sun of Arabia that was scorching the bodies; the sixth foe was the desert of Karbala the sands of which were scorching like a heated furnace; the seventh and eighth foes were the overpowering hunger and the unbearable thirst. Thus on those who fought with thousands of infidels in such conditions has ended bravado; on such a people no gallant (hero) can ever have pre-eminence.” Rabindranath Tagore (Indian Nobel Prize in Literature 1913) "The world of things in which we live misses its equilibrium when its communication with the world of love is lost. Then we have to pay with our soul for objects which are immensely cheap. And this can only happen when the prison walls of things threaten us with being final in themselves. Then it gives rise to terrible fights, jealousies and coercions, to a scramble for space and opportunities, for these are limited. We become painfully aware of the evil of this and try all measures of adjustment within the narrow bonds of a mutilated truth. This leads to failure. Only he helps us who proves by his life that we have a soul whose dwelling in the kingdom of love, and things lose the tyranny of fictitious price when we come to our spiritual freedom." "In order to keep alive justice and truth, instead of an army or weapons, success can be achieved by sacrificing lives, exactly what Imam Hussain did." “Imam Hussain is the leader of humanity.” “Imam Hussain (a.s.) will warm the coldest heart.” "Hussain‟s sacrifice indicates spiritual liberation." Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1st President of India) "The sacrifice of Imam Hussain is not limited to one country, or nation, but it is the hereditary state of the brotherhood of all mankind." Dr. Radha Krishnan (Ex President of India) "Though Imam Hussain gave his life almost 1300 years ago, but his indestructible soul rules the hearts of people even today." Swami Shankaracharya (Hindu Religious Priest) "It is Hussain's sacrifice that has kept Islam alive or else in this world there would be no one left to take Islam's name." Thomas Carlyle (Scottish historian and essayist) “The best lesson which we get from the tragedy of Cerebella is that Husain and his companions were rigid believers in God. They illustrated that the numerical superiority does not count when it comes to the truth and the falsehood. The victory of Husain, despite his minority, marvels me!” Charles Dickens (English novelist) “If Husain had fought to quench his worldly desires…then I do not understand why his sister, wife, and children accompanied him. It stands to reason therefore, that he sacrificed purely for Islam.” Sir William Muir (Scottish orientalist) “The tragedy of Karbala decided not only the fate of the Caliphate, but also of Muhammadan kingdoms long after the Caliphate had waned and is appeared.” (Annals of the Early Caliphate, London, 1883, p.441-442)

Q u o t e s a b o u t I m a m H u s s a i n Q u o t e s a b o u t I m a m H u s s a i n Q u o t e s a b o u t I m a m H u s s a i n a . s a . s a . s b y r e n o w n e d p e r s o n a l i t i e sb y r e n o w n e d p e r s o n a l i t i e sb y r e n o w n e d p e r s o n a l i t i e s

(Continued from Page 3) Edward G. Brown (Professor at the University of Cambridge) “…a reminder of that blood-stained field of Karbala, where the grandson of the Apostle of God fell, at length, tortured by thirst, and surround by the bodies of his murdered kinsmen, has been at anytime since then, sufficient to evoke, even in the most lukewarm and the heedless, the deepest emotion, the most frantic grief, and an exaltation of spirit before which pain, danger, and death shrink to unconsidered trifles.” (A Literary History of Persia, London, 1919, p.227) Ignaz Goldziher (Hungarian orientalist) “…Weeping and lamentation over the evils and persecutions suffered by the „Alid family, and mourning for its martyrs: these are things from which loyal supporters of the cause cannot cease. „More touching than the tears of the Shi'a's‟ has even become an Arabic proverb.” (Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law, Princeton, 1981, p.179) Dr. K. Sheldrake “Of that gallant band, male and female knew that the enemy forces around were implacable, and were not only ready to fight, but to kill. Denied even water for the children, they remained parched under the burning sun and scorching sands, yet not one faltered for a moment. Husain marched with his little company, not to glory, not to power of wealth, but to a supreme sacrifice, and every member bravely faced the greatest odds without flinching.” Antoine Bara (Lebanese writer) “No battle in the modern and past history of mankind has earned more sympathy and admiration as well as provided more lessons than the martyrdom of Husayn in the battle of Karbala.” (Husayn in Christian Ideology) Washington Irwing (American author, essayist, biographer and historian) "It was possible for Hussein to save his life by submitting himself to the will of yazid. But his responsibility as a reformer did not allow him to accept yazid‟s Caliphate. He therefore prepared to embrace all sorts discomfort and inconvenience in order to deliver Islam from the hands of the Omayyads. Under the blazing sun, on the parched land and against the stiffing heat of Arabia, stood the immortal Hussein.” Al Fakhri (Famous Arab Historian) "This is a catastrophe whereof I care not to speak at length, deeming it alike too grievous and too horrible. For verily, it was a catastrophe than that which naught more shameful has happened in Islam...There happened therein such a foul slaughter as to cause man's flesh to creep with horror. And again I have dispersed with my long description because of it's notoriety, for it is the most lamented of catastrophes." Josh Malihabadi (Shaayar-e-Inqilaab or The Revolutionary Poet) “Insaan ko bedaar to ho lene do, har qaum pukaraygi hamare hain Hussain” (Let humanity awakens and every tribe will claim Hussain as their own.) Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar (Pioneer of the Khilafat Movement and a dauntless fighter in the struggle of independence) “Qatl-e-Hussain asl main marg-e-Yazid hai, Islam zindaa hota hai har Karbala ke baad” (In the murder of Hussain, lies the death of Yazid, for Islam resurrects after every Karbala) Sarojini Naidu (Great India Poetess titled Nightingale of India) "I congratulate Muslims that from among them, Hussain, a great human being was born, who is revered and honoured totally by all communities." Below is a poem of hers “Black-robed, bare footed, with dim eyes that rain Wild tears in memory of thy woeful plight And hands in blind, rhythmic anguish smite Their blood stained bosoms, to a sad refrain From the old haunting Legend of thy pain, Thy votaries mourn thee thru‟ the tragic night With mystic dirge and melancholy rite Crying to thee Husain! Ya Hussain! Why do thy myriad lovers so lament? Sweet saint, is not thy matchless martyr hood The living banner and brave covenant Of the high creed thy prophet did proclaim Bequeathing for the world‟s beatitude Th‟ enduring loveliness of Allah‟s name.” Allama Iqbal (Famous Poet) "Imam Hussain (a) uprooted despotism forever, till the day of Resurrection. He watered the dry gardens of freedom with a surging wave of his blood, and indeed he awakened the sleeping Muslim nation. If Imam Hussain (a) had aimed at acquiring the worldly empire, he would not have traveled the way he did. Hussein weltered in blood and dust for the sake of truth. Verily, therefore he becomes the foundation of Muslim creed. „La Ilaha Illallah‟, meaning there is no deity but Allah (God).”

Q u o t e s a b o u t I m a m H u s s a i n ( a . s ) b y r e n o w n e d p e r s o n a l i t i e sQ u o t e s a b o u t I m a m H u s s a i n ( a . s ) b y r e n o w n e d p e r s o n a l i t i e sQ u o t e s a b o u t I m a m H u s s a i n ( a . s ) b y r e n o w n e d p e r s o n a l i t i e s

Q A M A RQ A M A RQ A M A R --- eee --- B a n i h a s h i m B a n i h a s h i m B a n i h a s h i m A . SA . SA . S ( u r d u a r t i c l e ) ( u r d u a r t i c l e ) ( u r d u a r t i c l e )

O people, take lesson from the counsel God gave to His friends when He rebuked the rabbis by saying:

“Why do the scholars and rabbis not forbid their sinful talk and consumption of what is unlawful ? Truly what they have done is evil.” (5:63) And God says:

“Cursed by the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary are those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved on account of their rebellion and transgression. They did not prevent each other from committing vile and corrupt acts; surely what they did was abominable” (5:78-79).

God reproached them because they saw with their own eyes the oppressors committing vile and corrupt acts, but did not stop them, out of love for the favours they received from them as well as fear of persecution and injury. However, God says:

“Fear not men, but fear Me.” (5:44)

And He says:

“The believing men and women are friends and protectors to each other; they enjoin the good and forbid the evil; they perform the prayer, and pay the alms, and obey God and His messenger. Upon them God shall have mercy; God is Almighty, All-wise.” (9:71)

God mentions the duty of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil (al- 'amr bi al-ma'ruf wa al-nahy 'an al-munkar) before all other duties, because He knows that if it is performed and is established in the society all other duties, the easy and the difficult, will also become established.

The reason for this is that al-'amr bi al ma'ruf wa al-nahy 'an al-munkar means summoning people to Islam, as well as resistance against injustice, opposing and struggling against oppressors, and endeavouring to ensure that public wealth and income derived from war are distributed in accordance with the just laws of Islam, and that taxes are collected, levied and expended in due and proper form.

O scholars, who are celebrated and enjoy good repute on account of your learning! You have achieved a good name in society because of your good will. It is on account of God that men venerate you and stand in awe of you, so that even powerful fear you and the weak honour you, and those who are not subject to you and over whom you hold no authority grant you favours they deny themselves . When the people do not receive their due. they seek your intercession, and you walk in the street with the majesty of kings and princes.

Have you not earned all this respect and prestige because of the people's hopes that you will implement God's laws, even though in most instances you have failed to do so? You have taken lightly your duties as leaders. You have neglected the rights of the oppressed and the lowly, but have assiduously pursued what you regard as your personal rights. You have not spent your money or risked your life for the sake of the One Who gave you life, nor have you fought against any group or tribe for the sake of God.

Nevertheless, you desire - and regard it as your due - that He should grant you paradise, the company of the prophet, and security from chastisement in the hereafter. You have such expectations of God, I fear that the full weight of His wrath descend upon you, for although it is by His might and glory that you have achieved high rank, you show no respect to those who truly know god, while you yourselves enjoy respect among God's creatures on His account. (I am also afraid for you for another reason:) you see the covenant enacted with God being violated and trampled under foot, yet you show no anxiety, when it comes to the covenants enacted with your fathers, you become greatly disturbed and anxious if they are only violated in part, but the pledges you have given to the most noble Messenger are a matter of complete indifference to you.

The blind, the dumb, and chronically ill everywhere lack protection in towns and no mercy is shown them. But you neither behave in accordance with your function and rank, nor you support or pay any regard to those who do. You purchase your safety from the oppressive ruling powers with flattery cajolery, and compromise. All these activities have been forbidden you by God, and He has, more over, command you to forbid each other to engage in them, but you pay no attention.

The calamity that has befallen you is greater than what has befallen others, for true rank and degree of “Ulama” has been taken away from you. The administration of the country and the issuing of decrees and ordinances should actually be trusted to religious scholars who are guardians of God's ordinances concerning what is permitted and what is forbidden. But your position has been usurped from you, for no other reason than that you have abandoned the truth (al-haqq), and have disagreed about the nature of the sunnah, despite the existence of clear proofs.

Had you the forbearance to endure adversities and hardships for the sake of God, then all proposed regulations (God's affairs) would be brought to you for your approval and for you to issue; authority would lie in your hands. But you allowed the oppressors to take away your functions and God's affairs (i.e. government) to fall into their hands, so that they administer them by resorting to ambiguities and make arbitrariness and the satisfaction of lust their consistent practice.

What enabled them to gain control of government was your fleeing in panic from (inevitable) death and your love of life, which shall in all certainty depart from you. As a consequence of that mentality, you have delivered the powerless masses into the clutches of the oppressors.

While some cringe like slaves under the yoke of oppressors, and others have been reduced to destitution in regard to their livelihood, the rulers run the affairs of the government in accordance with their whims, earning ignominy and disgrace for themselves with their licentiousness, following evil counsellors, and showing impudence toward God. One of their appointed spokesmen mounts the pulpit (mimber) in each city. The country is defenseless before them, and their hands grab freely whatever they want of it. The people are their slaves and are powerless to defend themselves. One of the governors is a dictator by nature, malevolent and rancorous; another represses to recognize either God or the Day of Resurrection! It is not strange - how can one think it strange, that society is the clutches of a cunning oppressor whose tax collectors are oppressors and whose governors feel no compassion or mercy towards the believers under rule. It is God who will judge concerning what is dispute among us and deliver a decisive verdict concerning all that occurs among us. O God! You know that everything we did was not prompted by rivalry for political power, nor for a search for wealth and abundance; rather it was done to demonstrate to men the shining principles and values of Your religion, to reform the affairs of Your land, to protect and secure the indisputable rights of Your oppressed servants, and to act in accordance with the duties You have established and the norms, laws, and ordinances You have decreed.

So (O scholars of religion!) You are to help us reach this goal, win back our rights from those powers who have considered it acceptable to wrong you and who have attempted to put out the light kindled by your Prophet. God suffices us, upon Him do we rely, to Him do we return, and to Him shall we return.

S E R M O N O F M I N AS E R M O N O F M I N AS E R M O N O F M I N A ––– T h e e v e r l a s t i n g m e s s a g e o f I M A M H U S S A I N T h e e v e r l a s t i n g m e s s a g e o f I M A M H U S S A I N T h e e v e r l a s t i n g m e s s a g e o f I M A M H U S S A I N A . SA . SA . S

The month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, brings with it the memory of the sacrifice of Imam Husayn (a), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (s), and his noble family and friends.

This short text reflects the deep admiration of its author towards Imam Husayn (a) and an insight into the tragedy of Karbala, its reasons and its consequences. It is presented with the hope that it will foster the Islamic unity and the brotherly love that the author seeks in his preface.

The author, of course, is none other than the well-known Sunni English translator and commentator of the Qur'an, Abdullah Yusuf „Ali, who died in 1952 in England.

Little would he have known that his English translation and commentary of the Qur'an would become so popular in the West and East alike, wherever English is read and understood.

And little would he have known that later editions of his Qur'an translation and commentary would undergo tampering such that favorable references to Imam Husayn (a) would be deleted, amongst other changes!

Perhaps there are some out there who want to see the memory of Imam Husayn (a) wiped out.

Perhaps Karbala is not quite over yet.

Preface

The following pages are based on a report of an Address which I delivered in London at an Ashura Majlis on Thursday the 28th May, 1931 (Muharram 1350 A.H.), at the Waldorf Hotel. The report was subsequently corrected and slightly expanded.

The Majlis was a notable gathering, which met at the invitation of Mr. A. S. M. Anik. Nawab Sir Umar Hayat Khan, Tiwana, presided and members of all schools of thought in Islam, as well as non-Muslims, joined reverently in doing honour to the memory of the great Martyr of Islam. By its inclusion in the Progressive Islam Pamphlets series, it is hoped to reach a larger public than were able to be present in person. Perhaps, also, it may help to strengthen the bonds of brotherly love which unite all who hold sacred the ideals of brotherhood preached by the Prophet in his last Sermon.

Sorrow as a Bond of Union

I am going to talk this afternoon about a very solemn subject, the martyrdom of Imam Husayn at Karbala‟, of which we are celebrating the anniversary. As the Chairman has very rightly pointed out, it is one of those wonderful events in our religious history about which all sects are agreed. More than that, in this room I have the honour of addressing some people who do not belong to our religious persuasion, but I venture to think that the view I put forward today may be of interest to them from its historical, its moral and its spiritual significance.

Indeed, when we consider the background of that great tragedy, and all that has happened during the 1289 lunar years since, we cannot fail to be convinced that some events of sorrow and apparent defeat are really the very things which are calculated to bring about, or lead us towards, the union of humanity.

How Martyrdom healed divisions

When we invite strangers or guests and make them free of our family circle, that means the greatest outflowing of our hearts to them. The events that I am going to describe refer to some of the most touching incidents of our domestic history in their spiritual aspect. We ask our brethren of other faiths to come, and share with us some of the thoughts which are called forth by this event. As a matter of fact all students of history are aware that the horrors that are connected with the great event of Karbala‟ did more than anything else to unite together the various contending factions which had unfortunately appeared at that early stage of Muslim history. You know the old Persian saying applied to the Prophet:

Tu barae wasl kardan amadi;

Ni barae fasl kardan amadi.

“Thou camest to the world to unite, not to divide.”

That was wonderfully exemplified by the sorrows and sufferings and finally the martyrdom of Imam Husayn.

Commemoration of great virtues

There has been in our history a tendency sometimes to celebrate the event merely by wailing and tribulation, or sometimes by symbols like the Tazias that you see in India, - Taboots as some people call them. Well, symbolism or visible emblems may sometimes be useful in certain circumstances as tending to crystallise ideas. But I think the Muslims of India of the present day are quite ready to adopt a more effective way of celebrating the martyrdom, and that is by contemplating the great virtues of the martyr, trying to understand the significance of the events in which he took part, and translating those great moral and spiritual lessons into their own lives. From that point of view I think you will agree that it is good that we should sit together, even people of different faiths, - sit together and consider the great historic event, in which were exemplified such soul-stirring virtues as those of unshaken faith, undaunted courage, thought for others, willing self-sacrifice, steadfastness in the right and unflinching war against the wrong.

Islam has a history of beautiful domestic affections, of sufferings and of spiritual endeavour, second to none in the world. That side of Muslim history, although to me the most precious, is, I am sorry to say, often neglected. It is most important that we should call attention to it, reiterated attention, the attention of our own people as well as the attention of those who are interested in historical and religious truth.

If there is anything precious in Islamic history it is not the wars, or the politics, or the brilliant expansion, or the glorious conquests, or even the intellectual spoils which our ancestors gathered. In these matters, our history, like all history, has its lights and shades. What we need especially to emphasise is the spirit of organisation, of brotherhood, of undaunted courage in moral and spiritual life.

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I m a m H u s s a i n a n d h i s m a r t y r d o m I m a m H u s s a i n a n d h i s m a r t y r d o m I m a m H u s s a i n a n d h i s m a r t y r d o m A b d u l l a h Y u s u f A l iA b d u l l a h Y u s u f A l iA b d u l l a h Y u s u f A l i

Plan of discourse

I propose first to give you an idea of the geographical setting and the historical background. Then I want very briefly to refer to the actual events that happened in the Muharram, and finally to draw your attention to the great lessons which we can learn from them.

Geographical Picture

In placing before you a geographical picture of the tract of country in which the great tragedy was enacted, I consider myself fortunate in having my own personal memories to draw upon. They make the picture vivid to my mind, and they may help you also. When I visited those scenes in 1928, I remember going down from Baghdad through all that country watered by the Euphrates river.

As I crossed the river by a bridge of boats at Al-Musaiyib on a fine April morning, my thoughts leapt over centuries and centuries.

To the left of the main river you have the old classic ground of Babylonian history; you have the railway station of Hilla; you have the ruins of the city of Babylon, witnessing to one of the greatest civilisations of antiquity. It was so mingled with the dust that it is only

in recent years that we have begun to understand its magnitude and magnificence. Then you have the great river system of the Euphrates, the Furat as it is called, a river unlike any other river we know. It takes its rise in many sources from the mountains of

Eastern Armenia, and sweeping in great zig-zags through rocky country, it finally skirts the desert as we see it now.

Wherever it or its interlacing branches or canals can reach, it has converted the desert into fruitful cultivated country; in the picturesque phrase, it has made the desert blossom as the rose. It skirts round the Eastern edge of the Syrian desert and then flows

into marshy land. In a tract not far from Karbala‟ itself there are lakes which receive its waters, and act as reservoirs. Lower down it unites with the other river, the Tigris, and the united rivers flow in the name of the Shatt-al-Arab into the Persian Gulf.

Abundant water & tragedy of thirst

From the most ancient times this tract of the lower Euphrates has been a garden. It was a cradle of early civilisation, a meeting place between Sumer and Arab, and later between the Persians and Arabs. It is a rich, well watered country, with date-palms and pomegranate groves.

Its fruitful fields can feed populous cities and its luscious pastures attract the nomad Arabs of the desert, with their great flocks and herds. It is of particularly tragic significance that on the border of such a well-watered land, should have been enacted the tragedy of great and good men dying of thirst and slaughtered because they refused to bend the knee to the forces of iniquity.

The English poet's lines “Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink” are brought home forcibly to you in this borderland between abundant water and desolate sands.Karbala‟ and Its Great Dome

I remember the emotion with which I approached Karbala‟ from the East. The rays of the morning sun gilt the Gumbaz-i-Faiz, the great dome that crowns the building containing the tomb of Imam Husayn. Karbala‟ actually stands on one of the great caravan routes of the desert. Today the river city of Kufa, once a Khilafat capital, is a mere village, and the city of Najaf is famous for the tomb of Hazrat „Ali, but of little commercial importance.

Karbala‟, this outpost of the desert, is a mart and a meeting ground as well as a sacred place. It is the port of the desert, just as Basra, lower down, is a port for the Persian Gulf. Beautifully kept is the road to the mausoleum, to which all through the year come pilgrims from all parts of the world. Beautiful coloured enamelled tiles decorate the building. Inside, in the ceiling and upper walls, there is a great deal of glass mosaic.

The glass seems to catch and reflect the light. The effect is that of rich coruscations of light combined with the solemnity of a closed building. The tomb itself is in a sort of inner grill, and below the ground is a sort of cave, where is shown the actual place where the Martyr fell. The city of Najaf is just about 40 miles to the South, with the tomb of Hazrat „Ali on the high ground. You can see the golden dome for miles around. Just four miles from Najaf and connected with it by a tramway, is the deserted city of Kufa. The mosque is large, but bare and practically unused. The blue dome and the Mihrab of enamelled tiles bear witness to the ancient glory of the place.

Cities and their Cultural Meaning

The building of Kufa and Basra, the two great outposts of the Muslim Empire, in the 16th year of the Hijra, was a visible symbol that Islam was pushing its strength and building up a new civilisation, not only in a military sense, but in moral and social ideas and in the sciences and arts.The old effete cities did not content it, any more than the old and effete systems which it displaced. Nor was it content with the first steps it took. It was always examining, testing, discarding, re-fashioning its own handiwork. There was always a party that wanted to stand on old ways, to take cities like Damascus readymade, which loved ease and the path of least resistance. But the greater souls stretched out to new frontiers - of ideas as well as geography.

They felt that old seats were like dead wood breeding worms and rottenness that were a danger to higher forms of life. The clash between them was part of the tragedy of Karbala‟. Behind the building of new cities there is often the burgeoning of new ideas. Let us therefore examine the matter a little more closely. It will reveal the hidden springs of some very interesting history.

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Vicissitudes of Mecca and Medina

The great cities of Islam at its birth were Mecca and Medina. Mecca, the centre of old Arabian pilgrimage, the birthplace of the Prophet, rejected the Prophet's teaching, and cast him off. Its idolatry was effete; its tribal exclusiveness was effete; its ferocity against the Teacher of the New Light was effete.

The Prophet shook its dust off his feet, and went to Medina. It was the well-watered city of Yathrib, with a considerable Jewish population. It received with eagerness the teaching of the Prophet; it gave asylum to him and his Companions and Helpers. He reconstituted it and it became the new City of Light. Mecca, with its old gods and its old superstitions, tried to subdue this new Light and destroy it. The human odds were in favour of Mecca.

But God's purpose upheld the Light, and subdued the old Mecca. But the Prophet came to build as well as to destroy. He destroyed the old paganism, and lighted a new beacon in Mecca - the beacon of Arab unity and human brotherhood. When the Prophet's life ended on this earth, his spirit remained. It inspired his people and led them from victory to victory. Where moral or spiritual and material victories go hand in hand, the spirit of man advances all along the line. But sometimes there is a material victory, with a spiritual fall, and sometimes there is a spiritual victory with a material fall, and then we have tragedy.

Spirit of Damascus

Islam's first extension was towards Syria, where the power was centred in the city of Damascus. Among living cities it is probably the oldest city in the world. Its bazaars are thronged with men of all nations, and the luxuries of all nations find ready welcome there. If you come to it westward from the Syrian desert, as I did, the contrast is complete, both in the country and in the people.

From the parched desert sands you come to fountains and vineyards, orchards and the hum of traffic. From the simple, sturdy, independent, frank Arab, you come to the soft, luxurious, sophisticated Syrian. That contrast was forced on the Muslims when Damascus became a Muslim city. They were in a different moral and spiritual atmosphere. Some succumbed to the softening influences of ambition, luxury, wealth pride of race, love of ease, and so on.

Islam stood always as the champion of the great rugged moral virtues. It wanted no compromise with evil in any shape or form, with luxury, with idleness, with the seductions of this world. It was a protest against these things. And yet the representatives of that protest got softened at Damascus. They aped the decadent princes of the world instead of striving to be leaders of spiritual thought. Discipline was relaxed, and governors aspired to be greater than the Khalifas. This bore bitter fruit later.

Snare of Riches

Meanwhile Persia came within the Muslim orbit. When Medain was captured in the year 16 of the Hijra, and the battle of Jalula broke the Persian resistance, some military booty was brought to Medina - gems, pearls, rubies, diamonds, swords of gold and silver. A great celebration was held in honour of the splendid victory and the valour of the Arab army.

In the midst of the celebration they found the Caliph of the day actually weeping. One said to him, “What! a time of joy and thou sheddest tears?” “Yes”, he said, “I foresee that the riches will become a snare, a spring of worldliness and envy, and in the end a calamity to my people.” For the Arab valued, above all, simplicity of life, openness of character, and bravery in face of danger. Their women fought with them and shared their dangers.

They were not caged creatures for the pleasures of the senses. They showed their mettle in the early fighting round the head of the Persian Gulf. When the Muslims were hard pressed, their women turned the scale in their favour. They made their veils into flags, and marched in battle array. The enemy mistook them for reinforcements and abandoned the field. Thus an impending defeat was turned into a victory.

Basra and Kufa: town-planning

In Mesopotamia the Muslims did not base their power on old and effete Persian cities, but built new outposts for themselves. The first they built was Basra at the head of the Persian Gulf, in the 17th year of the Hijra. And what a great city it became!

Not great in war and conquest, not great in trade and commerce, but great in learning and culture in its best day, - alas! also great in its spirit of faction and degeneracy in the days of its decline! But its situation and climate were not at all suited to the Arab character.

It was low and moist, damp and enervating. In the same year the Arabs built another city not far off from the Gulf and yet well suited to be a port of the desert, as Karbala‟ became afterwards. This was the city of Kufa, built in the same year as Basra, but in a more bracing climate. It was the first experiment in town-planning in Islam. In the centre was a square for the principal mosque.

That square was adorned with shady avenues. Another square was set apart for the trafficking of the market. The streets were all laid out intersecting and their width was fixed. The main thoroughfares for such traffic as they had (we must not imagine the sort of traffic we see in Charing Cross) were made 60 feet wide; the cross streets were 30 feet wide; and even the little lanes for pedestrians were regulated to a width of 10.5 feet. Kufa became a centre of light and learning. The Khalifa Hazrat „Ali lived and died there.

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Rivalry and poison of Damascus

But its rival, the city of Damascus, fattened on luxury and Byzantine magnificence. Its tinsel glory sapped the foundations of loyalty and the soldierly virtues. Its poison spread through the Muslim world. Governors wanted to be kings. Pomp and selfishness, ease and idleness and dissipation grew as a canker; wines and spirituous liquors, scepticism, cynicism and social vices became so rampant that the protests of the men of God were drowned in mockery. Mecca, which was to have been a symbolical spiritual centre, was neglected or dishonoured. Damascus and Syria became centres of a worldliness and arrogance which cut at the basic roots of Islam.

Husayn the Righteous refused to bow to worldliness and power

We have brought the story down to the 60th year of the Hijra. Yazid assumed the power at Damascus. He cared nothing for the most sacred ideals of the people. He was not even interested in the ordinary business affairs of administration. His passion was hunting, and he sought power for self-gratification.

The discipline and self-abnegation, the strong faith and earnest endeavour, the freedom and sense of social equality which had been the motive forces of Islam, were divorced from power. The throne at Damascus had become a worldly throne based on the most selfish ideas of personal and family aggrandisement, instead of a spiritual office, with a sense of God-given responsibility. The decay of morals spread among the people.

There was one man who could stem the tide. That was Imam Husayn. He, the grandson of the Prophet, could speak without fear, for fear was foreign to his nature. But his blameless and irreproachable life was in itself a reproach to those who had other standards. They sought to silence him, but he could not be silenced.

They sought to bribe him, but he could not be bribed. They sought to waylay him and get him into their Power. What is more, they wanted him to recognise the tyranny and expressly to support it. For they knew that the conscience of the people might awaken at any time, and sweep them away unless the holy man supported their cause. The holy man was prepared to die rather than surrender the principles for which he stood.

Driven from city to city

Medina was the centre of Husayn's teaching. They made Medina impossible for him. He left Medina and went to Mecca, hoping that he would be left alone. But he was not left alone. The Syrian forces invaded Mecca. The invasion was repelled, not by Husayn but by other people. For Husayn, though the bravest of the brave, had no army and no worldly weapons.

His existence itself was an offence in the eyes of his enemies. His life was in danger, and the lives of all those nearest and dearest to him. He had friends everywhere, but they were afraid to speak out. They were not as brave as he was. But in distant Kufa, a party grew up which said: “We are disgusted with these events, and we must have Imam Husayn to take asylum with us.” So they sent and invited the Imam to leave Mecca, come to them, live in their midst, and be their honoured teacher and guide. His father's memory was held in reverence in Kufa. The Governor of Kufa was friendly, and the people eager to welcome him. But alas, Kufa had neither strength, nor courage, nor constancy. Kufa, geographically only 40 miles from Karbala‟, was the occasion of the tragedy of Karbala‟. And now Kufa is nearly gone, and Karbala‟ remains as the lasting memorial of the martyrdom.

Invitation from Kufa

When the Kufa invitation reached the Imam, he pondered over it, weighed its possibilities, and consulted his friends. He sent over his cousin Muslim to study the situation on the spot and report to him. The report was favourable, and he decided to go. He had a strong presentiment of danger. Many of his friends in Mecca advised him against it.

But could he abandon his mission when Kufa was calling for it? Was he the man to be deterred, because his enemies were laying their plots for him, at Damascus and at Kufa?

At least, it was suggested, he might leave his family behind. But his family and his immediate dependants would not hear of it. It was a united family, pre-eminent in the purity of its life and in its domestic virtues and domestic affections. If there was danger for its head, they would share it. The Imam was not going on a mere ceremonial visit.

There was responsible work to do, and they must be by his side, to support him in spite of all its perils and consequences. Shallow critics scent political ambition in the Imam's act. But would a man with political ambitions march without an army against what might be called the enemy country, scheming to get him into its power, and prepared to use all their resources, military, political and financial, against him?

Journey through the desert

Imam Husayn left Mecca for Kufa with all his family including his little children. Later news from Kufa itself was disconcerting. The friendly governor had been displaced by one prepared more ruthlessly to carry out Yazid's plans.

If Husayn was to go there at all, he must go there quickly, or his friends themselves would be in danger. On the other hand, Mecca itself was no less dangerous to him and his family. It was the month of September by the solar calendar, and no one would take a long desert journey in that heat, except under a sense of duty. By the lunar calendar it was the month of pilgrimage at Mecca. But he did not stop for the pilgrimage. He pushed on, with his family and dependants, in all numbering about 90 or 100 people, men, women and children. They must have gone by forced marches through the desert. They covered the 900 miles of the desert in little over three weeks. When they came within a few miles of Kufa, at the edge of the desert, they met people from Kufa. It was then that they heard of the terrible murder of Husain's cousin Muslim, who had been sent on in advance. A poet that came by dissuaded the Imam from going further. “For,” he said epigrammatically, “the heart of the city is with thee but its sword is with thine enemies, and the issue is with God.” What was to be done? They were three weeks' journey from the city they had left. In the city to which they were going their own messenger had been foully murdered as well as his children. They did not know what the actual situation was then in Kufa. But they were determined not to desert their friends.


Call to Surrender or Die Presently messengers came from Kufa, and Imam Husayn was asked to surrender. Imam Husayn offered to take one of three alternatives. He wanted no political power and no revenge. He said “I came to defend my own people. If I am too late, give me the choice of three alternatives: either to return to Mecca; or to face Yazid himself at Damascus; or if my very presence is distasteful to him and you, I do not wish to cause more divisions among the Muslims.

Let me at least go to a distant frontier, where, if fighting must be done, I will fight against the enemies of Islam.” Every one of these alternatives was refused. What they wanted was to destroy his life, or better still, to get him to surrender, to surrender to the very forces against which he was protesting, to declare his adherence to those who were defying the law of God and man, and to tolerate all the abuses which were bringing the name of Islam into disgrace.

Of course he did not surrender. But what was he to do? He had no army. He had reasons to suppose that many of his friends from distant parts would rally round him, and come and defend him with their swords and bodies. But time was necessary, and he was not going to gain time by feigned compliance. He turned a little round to the left, the way that would have led him to Yazid himself, at Damascus. He camped in the plain of Karbala‟.

Water cut off; Inflexible will, Devotion and Chivalry

For ten days messages passed backwards and forwards between Karbala‟ and Kufa. Kufa wanted surrender and recognition. That was the one thing the Imam could not consent to. Every other alternative was refused by Kufa, under the instructions from Damascus. Those fateful ten days were the first ten days of the month of Muharram, of the year 61 of the Hijra.

The final crisis was on the 10th day, the Ashura day, which we are commemorating. During the first seven days various kinds of pressure were brought to bear on the Imam, but his will was inflexible. It was not a question of a fight, for there were but 70 men against 4,000.

The little band was surrounded and insulted, but they held together so firmly that they could not be harmed. On the 8th day the water supply was cut off. The Euphrates and its abundant streams were within sight, but the way was barred. Prodigies of valour were performed in getting water. Challenges were made for single combat according to Arab custom.

And the enemies were half-hearted, while the Imam's men fought in contempt of death, and always accounted for more men than they lost. On the evening of the 9th day, the little son of the Imam was ill. He had fever and was dying of thirst. They tried to get a drop of water. But that was refused point blank and so they made the resolve that they would, rather than surrender, die to the last man in the cause for which they had come. Imam Husayn offered to send away his people.

He said, “They are after my person; my family and my people can go back.” But everyone refused to go. They said they would stand by him to the last, and they did. They were not cowards; they were soldiers born and bred; and they fought as heroes, with devotion and with chivalry.

The Final Agony; placid face of the man of God

On the day of Ashura, the 10th day, Imam Husain's own person was surrounded by his enemies. He was brave to the last. He was cruelly mutilated. His sacred head was cut off while in the act of prayer. A mad orgy of triumph was celebrated over his body. In this crisis we have details of what took place hour by hour. He had 45 wounds from the enemies' swords and javelins, and 35 arrows pierced his body. His left arm was cut off, and a javelin pierced through his breast. After all that agony, when his head was lifted up on a spear, his face was the placid face of a man of God. All the men of that gallant band were exterminated and their bodies trampled under foot by the horses.

The only male survivor was a child, Hussain's son „Ali, surnamed Zain-ul-'Abidin - “The Glory of the Devout.” He lived in retirement, studying, interpreting, and teaching his father's high spiritual principles for the rest of his life.

Heroism of the Women

There were women: for example, Zainab the sister of the Imam, Sakina his little daughter, and Shahr-i-Banu, his wife, at Karbala‟. A great deal of poetic literature has sprung up in Muslim languages, describing the touching scenes in which they figure. Even in their grief and their tears they are heroic. They lament the tragedy in simple, loving, human terms. But they are also conscious of the noble dignity of their nearness to a life of truth reaching its goal in the precious crown of martyrdom. One of the best-known poets of this kind is the Urdu poet Anis, who lived in Lucknow, and died in 1874.

Lesson of the Tragedy

That briefly is the story. What is the lesson? There is of course the physical suffering in martyrdom, and all sorrow and suffering claim our sympathy, ---- the dearest, purest, most outflowing sympathy that we can give. But there is a greater suffering than physical suffering. That is when a valiant soul seems to stand against the world; when the noblest motives are reviled and mocked; when truth seems to suffer an eclipse. It may even seem that the martyr has but to say a word of compliance, do a little deed of non-resistance; and much sorrow and suffering would be saved; and the insidious whisper comes: “Truth after all can never die.” That is perfectly true. Abstract truth can never die. It is independent of man's cognition. But the whole battle is for man's keeping hold of truth and righteousness. And that can only be done by the highest examples of man's conduct - spiritual striving and suffering enduring firmness of faith and purpose, patience and courage where ordinary mortals would give in or be cowed down, the sacrifice of ordinary motives to supreme truth in scorn of consequence. The martyr bears witness, and the witness redeems what would otherwise be called failure. It so happened with Hussain (a.s). For all were touched by the story of his martyrdom, and it gave the deathblow to the politics of Damascus and all it stood for. And Muharram has still the power to unite the different schools of thought in Islam, and make a powerful appeal to non-Muslims also. Explorers of Spiritual Territory That, to my mind, is the supreme significance of martyrdom. All human history shows that the human spirit strives in many directions, deriving strength and sustenance from many sources. Our bodies, our physical powers, have developed or evolved from earlier forms, after many struggles and defeats. Our intellect has had its martyrs, and our great explorers have often gone forth with the martyrs' spirit. All honour to them. But the highest honour must still lie with the great explorers of spiritual territory, those who faced fearful odds and refused to surrender to evil. Rather than allow a stigma to attach to sacred things, they paid with their own lives the penalty of resistance. The first kind of resistance offered by the Imam was when he went from city to city, hunted about from place to place, but making no compromise with evil. Then was offered the choice of an effectual but dangerous attempt at clearing the house of God, or living at ease for himself by tacit abandonment of his striving friends. He chose the path of danger with duty and honour, and never swerved from it giving up his life freely and bravely. His story purifies our emotions. We can best honour his memory by allowing it to teach us courage and constancy


The foundation of Islam is the concept of Monotheism. Islam totally rejects despotism. When we believe in God we totally negate

the self-styled monarchic and temporal powers. When we bow before God then we do not prostrate before idols. The icons of beauty, wealth, power, fear and fright are dashed. About Monotheistic concept the Quran emphatically declares in Sura Ikhlas:

Say; He is Allah, The one. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute. He begetteh not, Nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him.”

Hazrat Imam Hussain (a) presented practical evidence of the existence of God. He sacrificed his life with the lives of his dear kinsmen and companions in the way of God. He was slaughtered mercilessly. On the plain of Karbala he exhibited unprecedented daring

feat. His determination, valor and prowess have left indelible traces on the pages of history. Dr. Iqbal says: “He wrote the word; no god but Allah on the sands

Engraved he the title of our redemption. Until doomsday he cut the roots of fascism

The surge of his blood invented a flower bed.” Yazid asked Imam Hussain (a) for allegiance which he denied. How could he endorse the un-Islamic rule and regime of Yazid. He

fully knew the aftermaths of this refusal but with robust energy and unyielding will he bore the brunt. As he had carried the standard of Tawhid he did not bow before a drunkard and debauch who was the tyrant of the time. The last words on the lips of Imam Hussain(a) , when Shamir Bin Zee Josham was cutting his throat, were Allah, Allah. While addressing the savage troops of Yazid at Karbala he had said; “If Islam cannot be established without my murder, O, swords come and mangle me in to pieces.” The survival and es-

tablishment of Islamic code of life was the only mission of Hazrat Imam Hussain (a). How pathetic verses he chanted on the hot plain of Karbala addressing Allah; “I have left the whole world in your desire. I accepted the orphanage of my children in your remem-

brance. If in your love my body is mangled in to pieces, even then my wounded heart will be in your quest.”

Imam Hussain (a) completed the mission of all Prophets. When Hazrat Abraham was put to test by Allah (swt)and he passed the test, Allah announced to make him the leader of all humankind. A covenant was made with Abraham, which is referred to in the Quran: “And when his Lord tried Abraham with certain words, and he fulfilled them, He (God) said, „I will make thee Imam (a guide) for mankind.‟ (Then said he (Abraham) „and of my offspring‟, said (then the Lord) My (covenant) shall not reach the unjust.” (2:124).

The wording of the reply to Abraham is clear that Imamat will not be conferred on the unjust and iniquitous. According to the Holy

Quran the greatest iniquity (Zulm) is shirk (idolatry). The Quran says :”verily, „shirk, (ascribing partners to God) is the greatest „zulm” (iniquity). (23:13). When we bow before the despots we actually become the victim of idolatry.

Hazrat Imam Hussain (a) sacrificed for God and fulfilled the sacrificial mission of Hazrat Ishmael. The Quran in Sura “Saffat” says;

“And we ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice and we left him among generations (to come) in later times. Peace be upon Abra-ham. Thus indeed do we reward who do right.” (37:107-110).

In the Torah the martyrdom of Imam Hussain is prophesized that on the banks of Euphrates a big sacrifice will occur. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) had also time and again prophesized the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a). When we say that Imam Hussain (a)

completed the mission of all prophets by it we mean that Imam Hussain rejected despotism and stood for divine values such as peace, justice, nobility and freedom.

On the 10th of Muharram while addressing to the Yazidian forces he had said; “O people if you have deserted Islam at least you are human beings and I am crusading for your human rights. I am seeing that the sword of tyranny is on your heads and the morsels of loaves have been even snatched from you.” Imam Hussain (a) was reminding them of human rights. Islam is the religion of human

values and human rights. In the above-mentioned words of Imam Hussain (a) it is candidly portrayed that he was an exponent of hu-man freedom and justice.

In the garb of Yazid, Imam Hussain (a) had seen the rule of injustice, inequity and infamy. About the importance of justice the Quran says in Sura “Nisa”; “And when ye judge between people ye judge with justice” Then in Sura “Maaida” the Quran announces: “Be just

that is next to piety”. Imam Hussain (a) was a standard bearer of Islamic Justice. His battle was not for scepter, crown and throne. He only stood to guide his people. From Medina to Mecca and then to Karbala he said, I have come out to guide the

ummah. I am a peace lover and I have not revolted. I only desire reformation of ummah and Islamic state and society. In Kitab-ul-Irshad, Sheikh Mofeed and in Tabari Mohammad ibn Jareer wrote that at “Zuhasin, when the army of Hurr stopped Imam Hussain(a),

he sermonized them in these words; “It is necessary for a Muslim ruler to act upon Islamic constitution. He should maintain jus-tice. He should live with truth and by the will of God.” By justice Imam Hussain (a) meant the rights of people and by the will of

God he meant the rights of Allah. Hence, it becomes imperative to understand the tragedy of Karbala, which teaches us the real Islam and rejects the monarchic interpretation of Islam. Imam Hussain and Islam are the two faces of the coin. We cannot understand Islam without understanding the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (a). How rightly Dr. Iqbal had said; “ I have learnt the secret of the Quran from

Hussain (a). From his fire I treasured flames of faith.”

I s l a m a n d H u s s a i n I s l a m a n d H u s s a i n I s l a m a n d H u s s a i n b y : p r o f m a q s o o d j a f r ib y : p r o f m a q s o o d j a f r ib y : p r o f m a q s o o d j a f r i

528-22 MIDLAKE BLVD S.E CALGARY AB, T2X 2X7

ASAD JAFFRI

TEL:(403) 984-3275

EYE EXAMS/LENSES/FRAMES DESIGNER SALE EVENT!

SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS!

WWW.PAKPOSTWEST.COM COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER !

FOR YOUR ADVERTISING CALL GHULAM MUSTAFA

(CHIEF EDITOR) TEL: (403) 261-0666

MOST CIRCULATED & UPDATED NEWS CALGARY-EDMONTON-VANCOUVER

DIGITAL ART PROFESSIONAL

PHOTOGRAPHY SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR THE

COMMUNITY!

EJAZ HUSSAIN (403) 968-8854

133 5271 MEMORIAL DRIVE S.E T2A 4V1

SHANAWAR SYED PHARMACY OWNER

TEL NO: (403) 235-0081 FAX NO: (403) 235– 0071

10% DISCOUNT FOR MOMINEEN FREE FLU SHOTS

HALAL MULTIVITAMINS CITY WIDE– FREE DELIVERY

Arshad Zaidi 403-615-3897 (cell)

403-265-4442 (work)

Granite, Marble and Quartz

www.canuckdesigns.ca

We provide knowledge & Skills for safe driving

Info & Contact:

(403) 971-7313

(For Ladies Only) QUALITY DRIVING SCHOOL DEFENSIVE DRIVING SKILLS

WE MEET ALL YOUR DRIVING NEEDS!

Developing New Website for Hussainia.

New Flag for Alam-e-Abbas a.s (Parking Area)

New Pulpit (mimber) & new podium (Sponsors Required)

Repairing floor and installing new carpets (sponsors required!)

Compiling Community Directory

Drywall & Repair Side entrance.

New pavement in Hussainia parking lot

School Every Sunday 10:30-3:00 pm

Volunteer’s Welcome!

Please send you children to Sunday School to learn

Quran/Deeniyat

Volunteers Welcome! For any inquiries or

suggestions

please contact Excecutive's

or Br. Shabbir Rizvi Tel: (403) 796-5110

C u r r e n t P r o j e c t s C u r r e n t P r o j e c t s C u r r e n t P r o j e c t s

S u n d a y S u n d a y S u n d a y

S c h o o l a t S c h o o l a t S c h o o l a t

h u s s a i n i a h u s s a i n i a h u s s a i n i a

M u h a r r a m - 1 4 3 5 / N o v e m b e r - D e c e m b e r - 2 0 1 3

NOV مرحم Fajr Sun-

rise

Zuharain Maghrabain Programme

5 Tue 1 5:56 7:36 12:20 5:18 Ist Muharram

6 Wed 2 5:57 7:38 12:20 20 pm

5:16 Imam Hussain reached Karbala

7 Thu 3 5:59 7:40 12:20 5:15

8 Fri 4 6:00 7:41 12:20 5:13 Jum‟ma Prayers

9 Sat 5 6:01 7:43 12:20 5:12

10 Sun 6 6:03 7:45 12:20 5:10

11 Mon 7 6:04 7:47 12:20 5:09

12 Tue 8 6:06 7:48 12:20 5:07

13 Wed 9 6:07 7:50 12:20 5:06

14 Thu 10 6:09 7:52 12:21 5:05 Ashura Day Shahadat Imam Hussain a.s


16 Sat 12 6;12 7:55 12:21 5:02

17 Sun 13 6:13 7:57 12:21 5:00

18 Mon 14 6:14 7:58 12:21 5:00

19 Tue 15 6:16 8:00 12:22 4:58

20 Wed 16 6:17 8:02 12:22 4:57

21 Thu 17 6:18 8:03 12:22 4:56


23 Sat 19 6:21 8:06 12:23 4:54

24 Sun 20 6:22 8:08 12:23 4:53

25 Mon 21 6:24 8:09 12:23 4:52

26 Tue 22 6:25 8:11 12:23 4:51

27 Wed 23 6:26 8:12 12:24 4:50

28 Thu 24 6:27 8:14 12:24 4:49

29 Fri 25 6:28 8:15 12:25 4:48 Shahadat Imam Sajjad a.s

30 Sat 26 6:30 8:17 12:25 4:48

Dec 1st 27 6:31 8:18 12:25 4:47

2 Mon 28 6:32 8:19 12:26 4:46

3 Tue 29 6:33 8:21 12:26 4:46

4 Wed 30 6:34 8:23 12:26 4:46

4755-34th Street SE, Calgary, AB, Canada

T2B 3B3

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

President: Riyaz Khawaja (403) 999-4614

Vice President: Imtiaz Ali Khan (587) 435-7714

Secretary:

Syed Ali Zulqernain (403) 512-4514

Treasurer:

Syed Zaheer Abbas (403) 607-4742

Co-ordintor:

Syed Mansoor Naqvi (403) 975-7313

Trustee:

Syed Muzaffer Tahir (403) 619-6111

Hussaini

Association Of

Calgary, AB

Little drops make the mighty ocean Little drops make the mighty ocean Little drops make the mighty ocean

therefore no "act" of charity is smalltherefore no "act" of charity is smalltherefore no "act" of charity is small

Donate to Replace Carpets at Donate to Replace Carpets at Donate to Replace Carpets at HussainiaHussainiaHussainia

You can donate to Hussainia either by:

Cheque: Please contact executives Credit Card: via credit card machine in

Hussainia/online/PayPal Online: visit

www.hussainicalgary.com

PLEASE PAY YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUESPLEASE PAY YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUESPLEASE PAY YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES

Donation AppealDonation AppealDonation Appeal

Donate Online:

www.hussainicalgary.com

The angel Gabriel

narrated to Prophet

Muhammad (pbuh)

that:

“Karbala, where

your grandson and

his family will be

martyred, is the one

of the most blessed

and the most sacred

land on Earth and it

is one of the valleys of

Paradise.”

Reference:

Kamill al-Ziyarat.

pg. 545

Aya at o f th e m o nt hAya at o f th e m o nt hAya at o f th e m o nt h

Who is Hussain? www.whoishussain.org

Live like ali & Die like Hussain

That Allah may reward the truthful for their truth, and punish the hypocrites if He so please, or turn to them in mercy. Verily Allah is Most Forgiving,

Merciful. (Al-Ahzab verse 25)

IMAM HUSSAIN IMAM HUSSAIN IMAM HUSSAIN

RALLYRALLYRALLY Saturday, Nov 9th 2013Saturday, Nov 9th 2013Saturday, Nov 9th 2013

HUSSAIN DAYHUSSAIN DAYHUSSAIN DAY

Sunday, Dec 8th 2013Sunday, Dec 8th 2013Sunday, Dec 8th 2013

SHABSHABSHAB---EEE---AZAAZAAZA Saturday, Jan 4th 2013Saturday, Jan 4th 2013Saturday, Jan 4th 2013

al-hujjat (atfs) vol.2 - issue no 1 - muharram-1435 ... · imam hussain's (a) name deserves a...

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