The Massacre at Karbala and how it saved Islam from near defeat
Only a few decades after the Prophet's (SAWS) passing, the Muslim Empire was being taken over by materialism, corruption, pride and pre-Islamic tribal rivalries. Many turned away from the great religion that they had been exposed to. The love of this world entered their hearts as a result of the rapid expansion and mass amount of wealth that the Muslims gained in their conquests. Few sincere men and women were left, and those who did survive were struggling to maintain their piety and devotion to Allah. The largest tragedy of all was the issue of the Caliphate, which had been forcefully taken by the Ummayid Clan, who were abusing their power and spreading corruption across the lands.
The troubles reached their peak when Yazid took control of the Islamic Empire after his father, Muawiya, passed away. Islam was doomed, and something was needed to re-ignite the spirit in the religion that the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SAWS) left behind. That was the Great Sacrifice, the sacrifice of al-Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), the son of Fatima al-Zahra (AS), the daughter of the Prophet (SAWS) of Islam.
Imam Hussain (AS), the 57 year old grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), sacrificed everything he had for one goal, namely, to let truth prevail over falsehood. On the tenth of Muharram, 680 AD, in Karbala, on the bank of the River Euphrates in the area now known as Iraq, the greatest massacre in history took place. On one side of the battlefield stood Imam Hussain (AS), who was raised in the house of the Prophet (SAWS) along with his family members and companions. On the other side stood the forces of Yazid, a tyrant claiming to be the representative of the Prophet (SAWS), the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, and furthermore, claiming to be the "Khalifat Allah," or the Vicegerent of God on Earth.
When Imam Hussain (AS) left Medina for the Battle at Karbala, he told the people, "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 (SAWS). I wish to enjoin the good and forbid the evil." (Maqtalu'l Husain by Al-Khatid Al-Khuwarazmi, vol. 1, pp.88). Imam Hussain (AS) knew Yazid had no regard for Islamic values and teachings, that he would do anything to impose his tyrannical rule. Imam Hussain (AS) also knew that pledging the oath of allegiance to an impostor like Yazid would surely place Islam in great jeopardy. Furthermore, Imam Hussain (AS) knew that he would be killed if he stayed in Mecca. Therefore, in order to preserve the respect of the holy city of Mecca and the House of Allah he had to migrate.
Heading towards Karbala, he never ceased calling people to strive for the Islamic ideals of social justice and government, and to wage war against deviation from Islamic conduct. At Karbala he quoted the Prophet (SAWS) saying, "He who sees a fierce governor violating Allah's law, breaking His covenant, acting in contrast to the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAWS), mischievous and suppressing people, then he does not try to change that ruler by action or speech, indeed Allah has promised an appropriate place in hell." Imam Hussain (AS) added, "They have pledged allegiance to Shaytan (the Devil) and left Allah's obedience. They have spread corruption, suspended the practice of Islamic laws, and taken the Muslims' wealth. Besides forbidding what is permitted and allowing what is forbidden."
By the afternoon seventy-two defiant believers had sacrificed their lives in Karbala to save Islam. All had fought under nerve racking conditions, severe thirst, dehydration, exhaustion, and under agonizing suspense of what would happen to the family of the Prophet (SAWS) afterwards. Many of the martyrs were brutally cut into pieces, including children. After Imam Hussain’s (AS) martyrdom, Shimr a general of Yazid’s army came forward and removed Imam Hussain’s (AS) noble head from his body, the noble head kissed often by the Prophet (SAWS). Yazid’s forces had the impudence to carry it on the tip of a spear to Yazid, 600 miles away.
Murdering Imam Hussain (AS), the grandson of the Prophet (SAWS), created an outcry across the Muslim world. His death was truly tragic, not to mention the gruesome details of the manner in which he was murdered, or the treatment given to his family, who had the highest esteem and respect of all Muslims, or the treatment of the women in Imam Hussain's (AS) camp, who were taken captive along with the son of Imam Hussain (AS), Imam Ali Zain al-Abedine (AS), and dragged to Damascus, the Ummayid capital. Consequently, most of the Muslims disassociated themselves from Yazid's actions and policies. In due course, Allah's wrath fell upon him, causing him to die at the young age of thirty-three, after wreaking havoc on the Muslim Ummah in only three years of holding power. A series of revolutions ignited by Imam Hussain's (AS) revolutionary spirit emerged at successive periods. Within a few decades, the rule of Bani-Ummayid crumbled and came to an end.
"Imam Hussain (AS) made a decision to confront injustice and tyranny rather than be complacent to it. The victory of Karbala was not decided in the battlefield but in the hearts of the truth-seekers and lovers of Allah. The real battle was not over power but over justice and obedience to Allah and His Prophet (SAWS). That is also why those who have properly understood the message of Karbala and emulated Imam Hussain (AS) have succeeded against the greatest odds. Look at how in the last twenty years, under the guidance of Imam Khomeini (RA) the people of Iran were able to topple the CIA-backed Shah, armed only with the love of Allah and a desire for truth or martyrdom! It was this same message of Karbala, which inspired the Islamic Resistance in occupied South Lebanon. One teenager sent the mighty US Marines running out of Beirut, and a few thousand men have been an inexhaustible thorn in the side of the Israeli military machine." (The History and Philosophy of Majlis Al-Hussain by Kamyar M. Hedayat).
Thus we see that the spark that Imam Hussain (AS) lit has been burning for the past 1300 years, and will continue to burn as long as man continues to desire justice and freedom, and as long as Muslims desire to implement Islam in society. I would like to conclude with some words from one of the greatest leaders of the century, a man who truly understood the revolution and the message of Imam Hussain (AS), Ayatullah Khomeini (RA), who is speaking to each and every Muslim about the reality of Imam Hussain's (AS) struggles and how they translate to our own lives today:
l you plainly that a dark, dangerous future lies ahead and that it is your duty to resist and serve Islam and the Muslim people. Protest against the pressure exerted upon our oppressed people every day. Purge yourselves of your apathy and selfishness; stop seeking excuses and inventing pretexts for evading your responsibility. You have more forces at your disposal than the Lord of the Martyrs (Imam Hussain, upon whom be peace) did, who resisted and struggled with his limited forces until he was killed. If (God forbid) he had been a weak, apathetic and selfish person, he could have come up with some excuse for himself and remained silent. His enemies would have been only too happy for him to remain silent so that they could attain their vile goals, and they were afraid of his rebelling. But he dispatched Muslim ibn Aqeel, his cousin to procure the people's allegiance to him so that he might overthrow that corrupt government and set up an Islamic government. If he had sat in some corner in Medina and had nothing to do with anyone, everyone would have respected him and come to kiss his hand. And if you sit silently by, you too will be respected, but it will be the kind of respect that is given to a dead saint. A dead saint is respected by everyone, but a living saint or Imam has his head cut off."
Only a few decades after the Prophet's (SAWS) passing, the Muslim Empire was being taken over by materialism, corruption, pride and pre-Islamic tribal rivalries. Many turned away from the great religion that they had been exposed to. The love of this world entered their hearts as a result of the rapid expansion and mass amount of wealth that the Muslims gained in their conquests. Few sincere men and women were left, and those who did survive were struggling to maintain their piety and devotion to Allah. The largest tragedy of all was the issue of the Caliphate, which had been forcefully taken by the Ummayid Clan, who were abusing their power and spreading corruption across the lands.
The troubles reached their peak when Yazid took control of the Islamic Empire after his father, Muawiya, passed away. Islam was doomed, and something was needed to re-ignite the spirit in the religion that the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SAWS) left behind. That was the Great Sacrifice, the sacrifice of al-Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), the son of Fatima al-Zahra (AS), the daughter of the Prophet (SAWS) of Islam.
Imam Hussain (AS), the 57 year old grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), sacrificed everything he had for one goal, namely, to let truth prevail over falsehood. On the tenth of Muharram, 680 AD, in Karbala, on the bank of the River Euphrates in the area now known as Iraq, the greatest massacre in history took place. On one side of the battlefield stood Imam Hussain (AS), who was raised in the house of the Prophet (SAWS) along with his family members and companions. On the other side stood the forces of Yazid, a tyrant claiming to be the representative of the Prophet (SAWS), the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, and furthermore, claiming to be the "Khalifat Allah," or the Vicegerent of God on Earth.
When Imam Hussain (AS) left Medina for the Battle at Karbala, he told the people, "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 (SAWS). I wish to enjoin the good and forbid the evil." (Maqtalu'l Husain by Al-Khatid Al-Khuwarazmi, vol. 1, pp.88). Imam Hussain (AS) knew Yazid had no regard for Islamic values and teachings, that he would do anything to impose his tyrannical rule. Imam Hussain (AS) also knew that pledging the oath of allegiance to an impostor like Yazid would surely place Islam in great jeopardy. Furthermore, Imam Hussain (AS) knew that he would be killed if he stayed in Mecca. Therefore, in order to preserve the respect of the holy city of Mecca and the House of Allah he had to migrate.
Heading towards Karbala, he never ceased calling people to strive for the Islamic ideals of social justice and government, and to wage war against deviation from Islamic conduct. At Karbala he quoted the Prophet (SAWS) saying, "He who sees a fierce governor violating Allah's law, breaking His covenant, acting in contrast to the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAWS), mischievous and suppressing people, then he does not try to change that ruler by action or speech, indeed Allah has promised an appropriate place in hell." Imam Hussain (AS) added, "They have pledged allegiance to Shaytan (the Devil) and left Allah's obedience. They have spread corruption, suspended the practice of Islamic laws, and taken the Muslims' wealth. Besides forbidding what is permitted and allowing what is forbidden."
By the afternoon seventy-two defiant believers had sacrificed their lives in Karbala to save Islam. All had fought under nerve racking conditions, severe thirst, dehydration, exhaustion, and under agonizing suspense of what would happen to the family of the Prophet (SAWS) afterwards. Many of the martyrs were brutally cut into pieces, including children. After Imam Hussain’s (AS) martyrdom, Shimr a general of Yazid’s army came forward and removed Imam Hussain’s (AS) noble head from his body, the noble head kissed often by the Prophet (SAWS). Yazid’s forces had the impudence to carry it on the tip of a spear to Yazid, 600 miles away.
Murdering Imam Hussain (AS), the grandson of the Prophet (SAWS), created an outcry across the Muslim world. His death was truly tragic, not to mention the gruesome details of the manner in which he was murdered, or the treatment given to his family, who had the highest esteem and respect of all Muslims, or the treatment of the women in Imam Hussain's (AS) camp, who were taken captive along with the son of Imam Hussain (AS), Imam Ali Zain al-Abedine (AS), and dragged to Damascus, the Ummayid capital. Consequently, most of the Muslims disassociated themselves from Yazid's actions and policies. In due course, Allah's wrath fell upon him, causing him to die at the young age of thirty-three, after wreaking havoc on the Muslim Ummah in only three years of holding power. A series of revolutions ignited by Imam Hussain's (AS) revolutionary spirit emerged at successive periods. Within a few decades, the rule of Bani-Ummayid crumbled and came to an end.
"Imam Hussain (AS) made a decision to confront injustice and tyranny rather than be complacent to it. The victory of Karbala was not decided in the battlefield but in the hearts of the truth-seekers and lovers of Allah. The real battle was not over power but over justice and obedience to Allah and His Prophet (SAWS). That is also why those who have properly understood the message of Karbala and emulated Imam Hussain (AS) have succeeded against the greatest odds. Look at how in the last twenty years, under the guidance of Imam Khomeini (RA) the people of Iran were able to topple the CIA-backed Shah, armed only with the love of Allah and a desire for truth or martyrdom! It was this same message of Karbala, which inspired the Islamic Resistance in occupied South Lebanon. One teenager sent the mighty US Marines running out of Beirut, and a few thousand men have been an inexhaustible thorn in the side of the Israeli military machine." (The History and Philosophy of Majlis Al-Hussain by Kamyar M. Hedayat).
Thus we see that the spark that Imam Hussain (AS) lit has been burning for the past 1300 years, and will continue to burn as long as man continues to desire justice and freedom, and as long as Muslims desire to implement Islam in society. I would like to conclude with some words from one of the greatest leaders of the century, a man who truly understood the revolution and the message of Imam Hussain (AS), Ayatullah Khomeini (RA), who is speaking to each and every Muslim about the reality of Imam Hussain's (AS) struggles and how they translate to our own lives today:
l you plainly that a dark, dangerous future lies ahead and that it is your duty to resist and serve Islam and the Muslim people. Protest against the pressure exerted upon our oppressed people every day. Purge yourselves of your apathy and selfishness; stop seeking excuses and inventing pretexts for evading your responsibility. You have more forces at your disposal than the Lord of the Martyrs (Imam Hussain, upon whom be peace) did, who resisted and struggled with his limited forces until he was killed. If (God forbid) he had been a weak, apathetic and selfish person, he could have come up with some excuse for himself and remained silent. His enemies would have been only too happy for him to remain silent so that they could attain their vile goals, and they were afraid of his rebelling. But he dispatched Muslim ibn Aqeel, his cousin to procure the people's allegiance to him so that he might overthrow that corrupt government and set up an Islamic government. If he had sat in some corner in Medina and had nothing to do with anyone, everyone would have respected him and come to kiss his hand. And if you sit silently by, you too will be respected, but it will be the kind of respect that is given to a dead saint. A dead saint is respected by everyone, but a living saint or Imam has his head cut off."
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