Salaam dear youngsters, hope you are all doing well by the Grace of Almighty Lord. We renew our condolences to you in view of the sad occasion of Arba’een that went by and the tragic anniversaries we would be commemorating in the next few days – the martyrdom anniversaries of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), Imam Hasan Mujtaba (AS), and Imam Reza (AS).
Yes dear friends, we are all indebted to Allah the Most Magnanimous Who is always with us and in Whose mercy we have complete faith, as taught by the Chief of Martyrs, Imam Husain (AS).
The Grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), who for the love of the All-Merciful, drank the elixir of martyrdom, rather than acknowledge the illegal rule of the Godless Yazid, granted eternity to Islamic and all humanitarian values, by teaching mankind how to live the God-oriented life of dignity and freedom.
That explains why the devotees of the Martyr of Karbala assembled in Karbala last Wednesday from all over the world, to the tune of more than 23-million pilgrims.
We have been informed that several of our readers of this weekly column were part of the huge 23-million assembly of pilgrims in Karbala – one of the greatest gathering in any part of the world.
Well young ones, as mentioned above, we are on the threshold of days of multiple grief, as the country is all geared up to pay homage to the Messenger of Mercy, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and two of his Twelve Infallible Heirs.
On Thursday, the 28th of Safar, we would be commemorating the passing away anniversary of the Prophet of Peace, whose departure from the mortal world, plunged his progeny in profound grief. The same day, 39 years later in 50 AH, was to occur the martyrdom through poisoning of his elder grandson and 2nd Infallible Heir, Imam Hasan Mujtaba (AS).
Two days later, Safar 30 (September 16) happens to be the martyrdom anniversary of the Prophet’s 8th Infallible Heir, Imam Reza (AS), who reposes in eternal peace in Mashhad, Khorasan, in north-eastern Iran. On the same day, as night falls, we in Iran and Iraq, will bid farewell to the Prophet’s younger grandson and 3rd Infallible Heir, Imam Husain (AS), in commemoration of whose tragic martyrdom and that of his sons, brothers, nephews, kinsmen, and loyal friends, every year we observe two complete successive months of mourning.
Yes youngsters, the discourses that we hold every year during the mourning months of Muharram and Safar, which you and all others attend, rejuvenate our faith and inculcate in young minds humanitarian values, which are sorely absent in the supposedly advanced societies of the Americas, Europe and other places, where the decadent western culture has deprived people of spiritual aspects, including the proper upbringing of children.
This is evident by the US-European support for the brutalities done by their poodles around the globe which has so far killed millions of innocents.
Although at times, politicians in many countries visit orphanages and schools to smile at children and caress them (for photos and media publicity), they do nothing concrete. To date no individual can be compared with the Prophet of Islam. With utmost simplicity and kindness, he used to pass through the lanes and streets of Medina, expressing his love and kindness towards children and hugging them.
The Prophet had a special love of children, whether they were his own children or those of others. It has been written about him: “Kindness towards children was one of the special practices of the Prophet.”
So young friends ponder on these values till we meet again next week. Goodbye.