Salaam dear young friends, and heartfelt condolences to you all on the start of the mourning month of Muharram.
It is the month that refreshes faith as the faithful commemorate history’s most heart-wrenching tragedy that took place in Karbala in what is now Iraq in 61 AH (680 AD), when the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), chose to court martyrdom in unequal combat, rather than yield to the forces of evil which had usurped the political power of the Islamic state.
Every year, the devotees of Imam Husain (AS) all over the world revive the memories of the epic of Ashura (Muharram 10) by adorning black clothes – as a sign of respect for the martyrs – and holding discourses, on not just the Battle of Karbala but on the entire teachings of Islam.
These discourses last throughout Muharram and the next month of Safar. Besides highlighting the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt or Blessed Household of the Prophet, in the light of the holy Qur’an and Hadith, these gatherings where people of all age groups including children, youngsters, and the aged are present, refer to a wide variety of ethical issues, in addition to the tragic description of the scenes of the oppression of the orphaned children.
Muharram and Karbala thus interact with the conscience of the young and old to make them aware of such issues as justice, generosity, forgiveness, kindness, magnanimity, patience, methods of education, proper distribution of wealth, equal opportunities for all sections of the community and the country, building of sound and healthy families, respect for parents, the rights of children, as well as national resolve and international coordination to combat social ills, such as drugs, illicit relations, cultural decadence, and terrorism.
Imam Husain (AS) indeed salvaged Islam, humanity, and all humanitarian values. The blood of martyrs does not flow in vain. All mankind is certainly indebted to the sacrifices offered in Karbala by men of faith in their nineties to the infant 6-month old Ali Asghar (AS).
Then we have the exemplary valour of Hazrat Abbas (AS), the standard bearer of Karbala, who despite having taken control of the banks of the River Euphrates, refused to drink even a single drop of water in the state of acute thirst, because his brother Imam Husain (AS) and the whole encampment, including small children were thirsty.
Karbala is also the saga of the teenage heroism of Qassem ibn Imam Hasan (AS) and the prime of youth of Ali Akbar, who was the carbon copy of his great-grandfather, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA).
Without the least doubt, it is faith in the ideals of the Martyrs of Karbala that have made Iran the centre of learning of the genuine teachings of Islam, which no superpower can dent despite the intricacy of its plots.
Stay safe, follow the health protocols and maintain your social distance with others while attending the mourning ceremonies of Imam Hussain (AS). Goodbye till we meet again.