Every day is Ashura and every land is Kerbala

What is Ashura ?

In the month of Muharram 61 AH (approx. 20 October 680 AD), an
event took place in Iraq at a place known as Kerbala on the bank of the river
Euphrates. It seemed in those days insignificant from the historical point of
view. A large army which had been mobilised by the Umayyad regime besieged a
group of persons numbering less than a hundred and put them under pressure to
pay allegiance to the Caliph of the time and submit to his authority. The small
group resisted and a severe battle took place in which they were all killed.

It appeared at that time that like hundreds of similar events, this battle
would be recorded in history and forgotten in time. However, the events that
occurred on the 10th day of Muharram in Kerbala were to become a beacon and an
inspiration for future generations. In this article, we shall examine briefly
the principal adversaries.

Who is Hussain ?

The leader of the small band of men who were martyred in Kerbala was none
other than Husain (A), son of Ali
bin Abi Talib (A) and grandson of the Holy Prophet (S). Who was Husain? He
was the son of Fatima (A) for whom the Holy Prophet (S) said, "Husain is
from me and I am from Husain. May God love whoever loves Husain." [1]

With the passing away of his brother Hasan(A) in 50 AH, Husain (A) became the
leader of the household of the Holy Prophet (S). He respected the agreement of
peace signed by Hasan (A) and Muawiya, and, despite the
urging of his followers, he did not undertake any activity that threatened the
political status quo. Rather he continued with the responsibility of looking
after the religious needs of the people and was recognised for his knowledge,
piety and generosity. An example of the depth of his perception can be seen in
his beautiful du'a on the day of Arafat, wherein he begins by explaining the
qualities of Allah,
saying:

" (Oh Allah) How could an argument be given about Your
Existence by a being whose total and complete existence is in need of you?
When did you ever disappear so that you might need an evidence and logic to
lead (the people) towards You? And when did You ever become away and distant
so that your signs and effects made the people get in touch with you? Blind be
the eye which does not see You (whereas) You are observing him. What did the
one who missed You find? And what does the one who finds You lack? Certainly,
the one who got pleased and inclined toward other than You, came to
nothingness (failed)."

On the other hand, we have Yazid, whose father (Muawiya)
and grandfather (Abu Sufyan - the arch-enemy of the Prophet) had always tried to
sabotage the mission of the Holy Prophet, and who showed his true colour by
stating in a poem, "Bani Hashim had staged a play to obtain kingdom, there
was neither any news from God nor any revelation." [2]

Mas'udi writes that Yazid was a pleasure-seeking person, given to wine
drinking and playing with pets. It is no wonder that Husain's response to
Yazid's governor, when asked to pay allegiance to Yazid was, "We are the
household of the prophethood, the source of messengership, the descending-place
of the angels, through us Allah had began (showering His favours) and with us He
has perfected (His favours), whereas Yazid is a sinful person, a drunkard, the
killer of innocent people and one who openly indulges in sinful acts. A person
like me can never pledge allegiance to a person like him ..." [3]

The revolution of Husain (A) was an Islamic movement spearheaded by one of
the great leaders of Islam. The principles and laws of Islam demanded that
Husain (A) act to warn the Ummah of the evil situation which it was in, and to
stand in the way of the deviating ruler. As Husain (A) himself remarked when he
left Madina for the last time, "I am not rising (against Yazid) as an
insolent or an arrogant person, or a mischief-monger or tyrant. I have risen
(against Yazid) as I seek to reform the Ummah of my grandfather. I wish to bid
the good and forbid the evil." [4]

Hussain (A) was killed on the battlefield as he did Sajdah. His head was
removed from his body on the plains of Kerbala, mounted on a spear, and paraded
through villages and towns as it was taken to Damascus and presented at the feet
of Yazid.

Why remember Ashura ?

Why is Husain (A) regarded as the "leader of the martyrs" ? It is
because he was not just the victim of an ambitious ruler. There is no doubt that
the tragedy of Kerbala, when ascribed to the killers, is a criminal and terrible
act. However when ascribed to Husain (A) himself, it represents a conscious
confrontation and a courageous resistance for a sacred cause. The whole nation
had failed to stand up to Yazid. They had succumbed to his will, and deviation
and regression towards the pre-Islamic ways were increasing.

Passiveness by Husain (A) in this situation would have meant the end of Islam
as we know it. Thus Husain (A) took upon himself the responsibility of the whole
nation. The greatest tragedy was that one who stood up for the noblest of
causes, the defence of Islam, was cut down in so cruel a manner.

It is for this reason that the sacrifice of Husain (A) is commemorated
annually throughout the Muslim world. Our sorrow never abates as we relive the
tragedy. As Allama Iqbal says in his Baqiyat (in Urdu):

Ronay wala hoon Shaheed-e-Kerbala key gham men main,

Kya
durey maqsad na dengey Saqiye Kausar mujhey

I am one who weeps at the plight of the Martyr of
Kerbala

Won't the reward be given to me by the Keeper of Kauser (Imam Ali
(A))

The commemoration of Ashura on the 10th of Muharram every year
serves to remind us of the sacrifices of the family of the Prophet (S). It also
makes us aware of the people, then and now, who tried to destroy Islam and the
family of the Prophet (S) and all that they stood for - as well as those who
watched, listened and did nothing.

References:

[1] Ibn Majah: Sunan, Hadith 144.

[2] Ibn Jarir: Tarikhu'l Umam wa'l Muluk, vol.13, p.2174.

[3] Sayyid ibn Ta'us: Maqtalu'l Husain, pp.10-11

[4] Al-Khatid al-Khuwarazmi: Maqtalu'l Husain ,vol.1,
p.88.