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The event of Karbala always evokes strong emotions and deep intellectualthoughts which touch and affect the whole existence of those who seek to find a
path through it. But the significance of this event goes much beyond the mere
unveiling of the corruption and deviations perpetrated by Banu Umayya. Karbala
changed the course of history and continues to inspire all truth-seeking
revolutionaries.
Heedlessness makes man worse than animals. It deprives him of his biggest gift
given by Allah – the faculty of intellect. The Holy Qur’an regards the heedless
people as worse than animals and declares that the hell is the destiny of such
people:
"And certainly We have created for hell many of the jinn and the men; they
have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which
they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear; they are as
cattle, nay, they are in worse errors; these are the heedless ones." (7:179)
Karbala killed the heedlessness of the masses. Water can bring back an
unconscious man into consciousness, but to awaken a heedless community from the
deep slumber of ignorance, blood is required. The blood of Imam al-Hussain
(peace be upon him) affected the collective consciousness of a sleeping Ummah
and caused tremors which shook the very foundations of the Umayyad regime and
led to their complete uprooting in the period which followed.
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: "Surely there
exists in the hearts of the believers, with respect to the martyrdom of Hussain,
a heat that never subsides."
This heat of faith and awakening of consciousness has led to innumerable
revolutions in human history, both in individual lives and in society as a
whole. The message of Imam Hussain still resonates in the hearts of truth
seekers. It inspires leaders to fulfill their obligations with respect to
opposing evil and protecting goodness. It enjoins all those who heed the call of
truth to rise against the unjust powers and confront evil:
"O people! Verily the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Whoever observes a sovereign
legalizing what God has made unlawful, violating the covenant of God, opposing
the Sunnah of the Messenger of God, and treating the creatures of God sinfully
and oppressively, and does not oppose him with his speech and action, God has a
right to bring him to the same fate as that of the tyrant.’ Indeed, these people
(i.e. Yazid and the Umayyads) have committed themselves to the following of
Satan and abandoned obedience to God. They have given currency to corruption,
abolished the Islamic laws, plundered the public treasury, and made lawful what
God has forbidden and unlawful what God has permitted. And I, of all people,
have a greater right to act [in accordance with the Prophet's exhortation]."
"Indeed, I have not risen up to do mischief, neither as an adventurer, nor to
cause corruption and tyranny. I have risen up solely to seek the reform of the
Ummah of my grandfather. I want to enjoin what is good and stop what is wrong,
and (in this) I follow the conduct of my grandfather and my father Ali ibn Abi
Talib."
"Life under tyranny is not worthy of man, unless the people rise in an attempt
to restore the higher values. Don’t you see that what is true and right is not
acted upon, and what is false and wrong is not forbidden? In such a situation,
the man of faith yearns for the meeting with his Lord. Indeed, (in such
conditions) to me death is happiness, and life under the yoke of tyrants is
disgrace."
Imam Khomeini, who acknowledged that the Islamic Revolution had been possible
because of Karbala, instructed on the observance of Muharram:
"Let the mourning congregations for the Master of the Oppressed and the Lord
of the Free – congregations in which wisdom and intellect overcome ignorance,
justice overpowers cruelty and oppression, trust rules out treason, and Islamic
rule supersedes the rule of tyranny – be held with grandeur, eminence, and
brilliance. And let the blood-smeared banners of Ashura be hoisted to mark the
dawn of the day where the oppressed avenge the oppressor. Our sons and youth
must not think that it is a matter of weeping only or that we are a weeping
nation – this is what others want to brainwash you into believing and then
repeating, because they fear those tears. They fear them because they are tears
for the oppressed and a cry against the oppressor, and these processions stand
up against oppression. These lamentation processions are a symbol of our
victory; hold mourning congregations throughout, and let speakers read their
elegies, and let people cry. Speakers must not condense elegies into a few
words; speak at length about the tragedies of the Ahlul Bayt, as was the case
before, and read elegies, poems, and narrations. The excellences of the Holy
Progeny and the tortures inflicted on them must be rendered with such sincerity
and passion that the people get ready for field action. They ought to know that
our Infallible Imams (as) devoted their lives to promoting Islam."
But the question arises: why do many of the communities who observe mourning so
religiously still remain plunged in ignorance and heedlessness? Why does the
warmth generated after mourning on the immortal Chief of Martyrs not lead to
internal revolutions in all the communities equally? Why do the tears not wash
the hardened blots of sins from the hearts of the mourners?
One reason for this ineffectiveness of mourning is the lack of purity and
sincerity in some of the people to such an extent hat even tears shed in Imam
Hussain’s remembrance do not awaken their souls. The other reason could be in
the veil of ignorance put before eyes in the form of an overemphasis on rituals
which have caused separation and deviation from the real message and goals of
Karbala and have made the people oblivious of the true purpose of Karbala.
Despite their importance, these rituals have taken center stage, and the true
message of Karbala has been eclipsed.
The spirit and revolution of Karbala, like all teachings of Islam, require a
pure heart and a sincere truth seeking soul to affect. Karbala can bring about
revolution in our lives only if we observe it along with all other teachings of
Islam.
May Allah make our souls adapt to the teachings of Karbala, allowing it to bring
a revolutionary change in our lives, eliminate ignorance, illuminate us, and
lead us to salvation in both worlds.
Source: Islamic Insights