“The best lesson which we learn from the tragedy of Karbala is that Husain (A.S) and his companions were firm believers in God. They demonstrated that the numerical superiority of one’s enemies does not count when it comes to truth and falsehood.” It was Thomas Carlyle who said: “The ultimate victory of Husain (A.S), despite his being out-numbered, amazes me!”
Moharram is celebrated annually as a religious ritual in Islamic societies in commemoration, fourteen centuries ago, of the martyrdom of Imam Husain (A.S) and his companions. In these ceremonies, Muslims mourn and shed tears of regret over this tragedy; and Islamic clergies give sermons about the revolution of Imam Husain (A.S).
Imam Husain (A.S) may have been martyred but in the end he won because the Umayyad dynasty was overthrown. Since then, time and again, the downfall of numerous dictators has been caused by the revolutionary inspiration that Imam Husain (A.S) brings to the common people.
Many lessons can be learnt from Imam Husain (A.S) - we learn to be brave, resilient and firm just as Imam Husain (A.S) and his companions were; that it is better to die with dignity than to live in humiliation; that our rights can be defended even in the face of death. True faith is tested in the hardest of adversities. Life can be sacrificed for a just cause. One of the most influential men of peace in recent history, Mahatma Gandhi, said this about Imam Husain (A.S): “I learnt from Husain (A.S) how to achieve victory while being oppressed.” India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, said, “Imam Husain’s (A.S) sacrifice is for all groups and communities, an example of the path of righteousness.”
Unfortunately, the tragedy of Imam Husain’s (A.S) revolution is prominent in our minds, while the philosophy behind it is neglected. Muslims concentrate on the sad story of Karbala and maximize the calamity, whereas it’s sacred objective is ignored .Often, the sanctity of this revolution is combined with fiction and superstition all over the Muslim world. The personality and objectives of Imam Husain (A.S) thereby get modified.
An Islamic philosopher, (Shaheed) Murtaza Mutahhari, says that the revolution of Imam Husain (A.S) has two aspects: darkness and light. The dark page contains tragedy and the catastrophic incidents which took place at Karbala. These portray the brutality of murdering sacred personalities, igniting tents, capturing women and children, lashing captives, running horses over the corpse of martyrs, refusing water even to children, etc. According to Mr. Mutahhari, if one studies this page, one will have to mourn and shed tears all the time. This page makes us ashamed of the wrongs of Karbala.
On the other hand, there is a page which contains all the sacred acts such as selflessness, sacrifice, fighting against cruelties, martyrdom for reviving moral standards, devoting life for revitalizing social values and human dignity. Mr. Mutahhari says that studying this page, makes human beings proud of the ideals of humanity. The heroes of this page are those whose blood was shed for upholding religious values of that society. It is this page which replete with great lessons to be learnt and practiced in social and individual life.
According to Mr. Mutahhari, the revolution of Imam Husain (A.S) is the reflection of the ideals of Islam. His blood was shed at the right time for the right purpose. Imam Husain (A.S) decorated history with his sacrifice. Hence history will gloriously stand a witness to his martyrdom and heroism for all ages to come. He did not accept the ignominy of pledging allegiance to the dictatorial regime of Yazid. He acted upon his motto with a strong belief that death is far more honorable than an inglorious life. These are all Islamic teachings.
It is stated in Browne’s History of Persia that: “A reminder of that blood-stained field of Karbala, where the grandson of the Apostle of God fell, at length, tortured by thirst, and surrounded by the bodies of his murdered kinsmen, has been at anytime since then, sufficient to evoke, even in the most lukewarm and the heedless, the deepest emotion, the most frantic grief, and an exaltation of spirit before which pain, danger, and death shrink to unconsidered trifles.”
Of course, Imam belittled death. He says that death is far more acceptable than humiliation…. It is like a bracelet around the neck of a young female. In other words, according to Imam, death is a glorious decoration for human beings. He says that no one can escape from death and it is better to adopt a glorious one.
Imam Husain (A.S) teaches all nations that when law and order are violated flagrantly, then religious values and moral norms are undervalued; oppression is taking place which has to be protested against. In the ideology of Imam Husain (A.S) keeping silent in such a crucial situation is a crime. People have to take action against unacceptable situations even at the cost of life. Imam teaches people that sometimes death and martyrdom are the only remedy to revive the moral values in a society. Imam teaches people through his revolution to protest against oppression whether it is done at the highest rank by a caliph, sultan or any other leader.
Truly, the sacred revolution of Imam Husain (A.S.) has amazed many historians. Such a multi-dimensional revolution is unique in history. In this are many messages for the world; messages that need deeper analysis and investigations. .In my point of view pondering over this revolution should be emphasized rather than mere routine celebration.
An understanding of its philosophy is more relevant than shedding of tears. In short, this is the greatest responsibility of Muslim Ummah to analyze the revolution of Imam Husain (A.S) truly and follow his path namely protesting against crime and corruption in the society. This is the urgent need of Muslim societies.