The teachings of Ashura

Now, dear readers, I think it would not be irrelevant to state a few words about the background of the supreme sacrifice made by Hazrat Imam Hussain (A) in an unequal fight with Yazid's army on the 10th day of the lunar month of Muharram. The holy day of Ashura marks the culmination of grief and mourning over the tragedy enacted on the burning sands of Karbala some 1300 years ago. As regards the pertinent question as to why the great and valiant Imam had to embrace the martyrdom which is unprecedented in human history, the dauntless Imam preferred to sacrifice his life than to surrender to the unreasonable demands of unscrupulous and licentious Yazid.

History records that in flagrant violation of an agreement entered into earlier the sitting Caliph Muawiah nominated his son Yazid to be the next Caliph of the Islamic state after his death instead of Hazrat Imam Hussain (A). Consequently, Yazid declared himself as the next Caliph and wanted to perpetuate the rule of his father Muawiah. It may be mentioned here that Muawia's nomination of his son as the next Caliph was against the normal practice of electing a Caliph through mutual consultation hitherto followed, and it paved the way for establishment of kingship in various Muslim countries of the world in future. And this was unfortunate, undesirable and unexpected.

In the circumstances Hazrat Imam Hussain declined to owe allegiance to Yazid and accept such unjust and illegal nomination made by Yazid's father Muawiah. Meanwhile, something unexpected did happen. Being oppressed by the governor of Kufa Obaidullah-bin-Saad the people of Kufa invited Hazrat Imam Hussain (A) with a view to helping them, and on receipt of this invitation the kind-hearted Imam left for Kufa with a small band of soldiers and some members of his family including his infant son Asgar. When the Imam and his party were not far from the provincial capital (Kufa), Al-Hore, a tribal chief blocked the Imam's way, and as a result the Imam was obliged to change the course of is route, and subsequently encamped with his party at a desert site known as Karbala on the bank of river Euphrates some 25 miles away from the city of Kufa.

As an agent of Yazid the governor of Kufa did not like Hazrat Imam Hussain's stay and movement in his jurisdiction. So he immediately dispatched a 4,000-strong cavalry under the command of Umar-bin-Saad for siege with instructions to block the way leading to the river so that no one from the Imam's camp could have any access to water in order to quench their thirst. It was certainly an unequal fight. The great Imam was in an awful predicament, and suddenly he and his party men became victims of a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched by cruel-hearted and selfish Yazid and his sycophants. Finding no other way out the courageous Imam fought with the last drop of his blood and sacrificed his life for a just and noble cause. But cruelties perpetrated on him and the members of his party have no parallel in human history. And that is why a noted historian E Gibbon has aptly observed: "In a distant age and climate the tragic scene of the death of Hussain will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader".

The tragedy of Karbala and the selfless sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain (A) teach us to fight for a just and noble cause. Let as observe the auspicious occasion of Ashura with due solemnity.

Kazi Aulad Hossain is a retired govt. high official