After the lapse of centuries, the name of Hussein kindles an indescribable zeal in the hearts of free-spirited people all over the world, as Hussein's move was transcended the boundaries of time and place.
The love of God, seeking of justice and fighting oppression had encompassed all phases of Imam Hussein's holy uprising. The beautiful pictures of self-sacrifice, faith, cognizance and sympathy imply a sublime ideology and objective. Now we have a special feature in this regard as follows:
We are on the first day of Moharram, 1439 Lunar Hijri. The month of Moharram is one of the four holy months among the Abrahamic religions in which war and bloodshed is forbidden. Islam, too, corroborated this principle and any kind of war was forbidden in this religion. But in the year 61 AH, the ungodly rulers of Umayyad regime violated the sanctity of the Prophet's infallible progeny and brutally killed the grandson of the Prophet, Imam Hussein (AS) along with his companions, sons and relatives. From then on, the month of Moharram has been blended with the name of Hussein and the unmatched epic created by him in the desert of Karbala. On the 10th of Moharram 61 AH, history was witness to an event which went beyond the limits of time and space to inspire all freedom-seekers throughout ages.
A brief look at Imam Hussein's uprising reveals the fact that the quintessential goal of this infallible leader was to fulfill the divine duty. An individual who honors to be God's servant will not think except on pleasing God through fulfilling His commands. What prompted Imam Hussein to rise up against the Umayyad regime was that the regime had totally deviated from the path of genuine Islam and thereby corrupted the society. This bitter reality had gradually occurred within 50 years after the departure of the Prophet from the mortal world.
Abandoning the recommendations of Prophet and isolating of his infallible progeny, decline of spirituality in the Islamic society, accumulation of wealth by the owners of power, spread of innovations and perversion were the causes that had set the stage for retrogression of the society to the period of Jahiliya (pre-Islamic ignorance). The moral and spiritual decadence of society continued to the extent that the fate of Islamic Ummah fell to the hand of an absolute debauchee like Yazid. He used to desecrate Islamic principles and rules explicitly. He was always indulged in abominable sins like drinking wine, womanizing and reciting sacrilegious poems. Imam Hussein (AS), on one hand, was faced with a government which thought of nothing but its illegitimate interests. On the other hand, the Imam saw that the Islamic society was immersed in a state of indolence and the individuals didn't react against corruption and oppression in spite of recognizing it as they were in pursuit of worldly pleasures.
Thus, it was very important for Yazid and his deputies to get the pledge of allegiance from Imam Hussein (AS). However, it was obvious that the Prophet's grandson would never accept such a pledge for this meant the approval of the corrupt and ungodly rule of the libertine Yazid. Once Imam Hussein described the hedonistic people of his time as, "People are the servants of this world and religion is just a plaything on their lips. They want it as long as their livelihood is secured. But as soon as they are exposed to test and tribulation there are few religious people."
The Umayyad rulers had made religion as a tool to advance their political goals. Imam Hussein, understanding the deviation of the Umayyad regime, rose up against the ruling system and, explaining the socio-political condition of the time, refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid. Thus, the ruler of Medina toughened the circumstances for Imam Hussein. Therefore, the Imam decided to leave Medina. He was waiting for a proper opportunity to organize his uprising. The city of Mecca was a good option given that the season of Hajj pilgrimage was nearing and Imam Hussein (AS) could use the huge gathering of pilgrims to proclaim his message. While leaving Medina, he said, "I am rising up in order to reform the Ummah of my grandfather. I intend to bid what is right and forbid what is evil."
Upon the arrival of Imam Hussein in Mecca, he made strenuous effort to prepare the grounds for the uprising. As a result, many of the people of Kufa and other regions demanded his allegiance and sent him letters inviting him to Kufa. But as soon as the ruling system intensified conditions for them, they were scared and breached their allegiance. Some others, lured with money, deserted Imam Hussein (AS). Those who were blinded and deafened by the luxuries of the world, knew it well that Imam Hussein is the grandson of the Prophet. Imam Hussein (AS) left Hajj unfinished and set out for Kufa together with his family, relatives and companions. But before reaching Kufa, he was besieged by the hordes of Yazid coercing him to surrender and pledge allegiance to Yazid. But the Propeht's grandson defied. At last, Imam Hussein and his loyal companions were martyred in Karbala on the 10th of Moharram 61 AH or the day of Ashura.
The uprising of Imam Hussein (AS) had various consequences in the social and political domains. Today, after the lapse of many centuries, this unmatched move continues to guide freedom-seekers throughout the world like a radiant beacon. There is no room for thirst of power, supremacy, avarice and dominance in the ideology of Hussein. There are only divine virtues like altruism, magnanimity, self-sacrifice, love of God and benevolence. One of the manifest examples of Imam Hussein's uprising was the Islamic Revolution in Iran which continues the path of enlightenment despite all conspiracies hatched by the Great Satan (The US), the Zionist regime of Israel and their lackeys and minions.
A conspicuous student of Imam Hussein's epic was the Iranian youth, Mohsen Hojaji, who was recently beheaded by the western-created Daesh terrorists in Syria.
In short, Ashura was not just a single day; rather the rays of its light have stretched till eternity. Imam Hussein (AS) continues to enlighten freedom-seeking and justice-loving souls and minds in every geographical region and from every creed.
