By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz

It has once again arrived — the month of Muharram with its memories of the greatest tragedy that the world has ever seen, and will never see the like of it in future.
It is the month when blood, including that of a 6-month old boy, triumphed over sharpened swords. It is the month which each year, jolts human conscience and reminds mankind of its duties towards religion and society.
The First of Muharram is not a day of celebration, as is unfortunately done in some Arab states, which seem oblivious to the great sacrifice of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA).
Such celebrations, on the pretext of the start of the so-called New Year are nothing but practices of the days of Jahiliyya, in view of the fact that the Prophet’s auspicious migration from Mecca to Medina was not on the eve of Muharram, but on the eve of Rabi al-Awwal. So such frivolities are nothing but plots to distance Muslims from the essence of Islam, as preached by the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt and guarded by their sacred blood.
Islam does not permit Muslims to indulge in wild celebrations such as dancing and drinking. Islam also does not allow Muslims to shed the blood of fellow Muslims, as the Takfiri terrorists and other deviated groups do. This is surely not what was taught to us by the Messenger of Mercy.
Muharram is a time for reflection for Muslims, and the best way of pondering on facts are the mourning ceremonies for Imam Husain (AS) and the martyrs of Karbala that could indeed part of the Prophet’s “Sunnah” (practice) and “Seerah” (behaviour).
Once on the advent of the month of Muharram, the Prophet’s 8th Infallible Heir, Imam Reza (AS) was visited by a person named Rayyan ibn Shabeef, who on seeing the Imam in profound sadness with tears flowing down the eyes, asked the reason. Imam Reza (AS) replied:
“O (Rayyan) Ibn Shabeeb! Muharram is the month in which (even) 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 (my ancestor Imam) Husain (AS) who was slaughtered like a sheep, and was killed along with the members of his household. Eighteen (Hashemite) persons 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.”
Thus, Muharram is the month that moistens our eyes, saddens our hearts and plunges our societies in grief, with its life-inspiring mourning ceremonies for the Immortal Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS), who by rejecting the illegal rule of the godless Yazid, bravely courted martyrdom in order to safeguard Islam and all humanitarian values, along with his devoted followers, his brothers, his cousins, his nephews, and his two sons – Ali Akbar who was in the full bloom of youth and the 6-month infant Ali Asghar.
It is thus irreligious to indulge in outward modes of worship alone, leaving social, cultural, political and other issues which govern human life, in the hands of charlatans. Likewise, it is self-deception to ignore the Divine Law and give free rein to whimsical ideas of the fallible mind, thereby allowing the fate of the people to slip into a state of social injustice, which in turn provides breeding ground for would-be Yazids.
This is the message of the Muharram, the month of the life-inspiring mourning ceremonies. In other words,
With the start of Muharram the blood of Imam Husain (AS) becomes fresh, as the hearts of the faithful turn towards Karbala in Iraq, the rendezvous of martyrs, where the hypocrisy of the Godless Omayyads was unmasked to show them in their true pagan Arab colours.
Muharram is thus the month that jolts human conscience to expose the roots of terrorism which in our days is trying to tarnish the humanitarian image of Islam. This is evident by the bestial ways of the Salafis and similar groups that shamelessly call themselves Muslims, while in practice they have nothing to do with the egalitarian laws of Islam.
Islam means adherence to the letter and spirit of the holy Qur’an, coupled with love, affection and obedience to the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt. Islam means resistance against oppressors and readiness to court martyrdom for the defence of humanitarian values as taught by Imam Husain (AS).
This is the message of Imam Husain (AS). This is what the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) stood for and drank the cup of martyrdom so that humanity could have a worthy model in every age and clime against the forces of oppression and corruption.
So fie on those who claim to be Muslims but indulge in the most inhuman practices against fellow humans, blasphemously celebrate the advent of Muharram as New Year Day and openly consort with the archenemies of humanity, the modern day Yazids, such as the illegal Zionist entity and the tyrannical US regime.
The pseudo mullahs try to mislead Muslims with devilish fatwas, pretend to be Sunni, when in fact true Sunni Muslims hold Imam Husain (AS) in reverence, organize gatherings in his honour, and curse his killers, in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet as is mentioned in several authentic books of our non-Shi’a Muslim brethren.
Thus the message of Imam Husain and the mourning ceremonies of the month of Muharram are the heritage of humanity, and justice will never be realized until mankind realizes the significance of the immortal tragedy of Karbala.