Only Kashmir | Waseem Reza | 01 Oct 2017
In the sandy desert of Karbala, the doyen of martyrs Imam Hussain (AS) offered a peerless martyrdom to safeguard Islam virtually fourteen centuries ago. He even offered his six-month-old son to uphold justice and human values. He preferred death to dishonor, martyrdom to the tolerance of cruelty, sacrifice to bearing oppression and eventually gave his head not hand to set an example for the world that gives away everything but never buckle before a tyrant, never follow dictates of an oppressor.
When we grow through the tragic history of Karbala, we come to know that the main purpose of the uprising of Imam Hussain (as) against Yazeed was to launch a comprehensive reformative campaign to weed out evils from the nation (Ummah) of his grandfather.
As in the inheritance testament, Imam wrote to his brother Muhammad bin Hanfia, he says “I am not leaving (From Madeena) as a rebellion, oppressor, and transgressor, instead my purpose is to reform the nation of my grandfather. The only methodology to do this reformation is Amar Bil Maroof Nahi Anil Munkar (Enjoining good & forbidding evil.) that is I wish to reform the nation by the method of these two things. It is not that I am the first person adopting this method to reform a nation before my great grandfather and father have adopted these methods only. I also desire to follow their character of doing Amar Bil Maroof Nahi Anil Munkar for reforming the nation.
Now it becomes crystal clear that the objective of the initiative of Imam was not to wage war against Yazeed to grab power rather to revive and revamp the values practiced and preached by the revered prophet during his holy tenure but Yazeed, the alcoholic and transgressor waged a full-fledged war against Imam to follow and thwart his reformative campaign, and thus we can say that it was a war between right and wrong. Imam fought to give eternal life to values, to illuminate the candle of Islam, to water the garden of human values and to nurture the blossoms of moral values.
Imam time and again declares enjoining good & forbidding evil as the sole objectives behind his movement during his journey when he bids farewell at the grave of his grandfather, he says:-
O “Allah” this is the grave of your prophet Muhammad (Saw) and I am the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (saw). I am encountering an affair which you know better than me. O “Allah” I love known values and hate evils. In this context, it can be said that Karbala was a war of values. Humanity confronting in humanity, justice fighting injustice, morality at war with immorality and a divine character in the confrontation with a devil character. On one hand, Imam making all-out efforts to enlighten the world and Yazeed, on the other hand, bringing all his might in force to blow the candle of enlightenment out.
In the tumultuous and turbulent circumstances of the contemporary numerous Yazeeds have come yet and again. Hooliganism and waywardness again rule the roost moral values trampled down, in the name of Islam, wanton destruction is caused over Islamic principles under the banner of countering terrorism, the blood of innocent Muslims is spilled over.
The catchy slogans of democracy are chanted to bombard Muslim nations deep-rooted conspiracies are hatched to brand Muslims as terrorists and blasphemous books are written to distort the impeccable image of the seal of prophets, it is a clarion call for Muslims all across the Globe the fathom the movement of Karbala. The day we understand this unprecedented movement, we shall succeed in breaking the shackles of servitude.
(Author Waseem Reza who hails from Srinagar Kashmir is the seminary student of Al Mustafa (S) International University Qom Iran and Director of weekly Wilayat Times and can be reached at impressionist23@gmail.com)
