Karbala – A Lesson For Mankind


Author:Inam Abidi Amrohvi


“The tyrant dies and his rule ends, the martyr dies and his rule begins.”
— Soren Kierkegard

The straight path or the right path is always the most difficult one to travel but one that rewards the most, and so we are told when young. This battle of good versus the evil is an age old phenomenon. Every religion has some story or the other to show us the ‘right’ path from the ‘wrong’ one.Hinduism celebrates the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon Narakasura (among other stories) as Diwali, Christians remember the crucification of Jesus Christ as a supreme sacrifice in the way of God, and so do Muslims observe Moharram (the month in which the tragedy of Karbala took place) to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of Imam Husain, the grandson of the Prophet [PBUH].

“Think not of those who are slain in Allah’s way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.”—Surah Aal-e-Imran (Chapter 3), Verse 169

The tragedy of Karbala took place some 49 years after the death of Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] in 61 Hijri (AD 680).

The Events Leading Up To Karbala

The Muslim Caliphate briefly came to Imam Hasan (elder grandson of the Prophet [PBUH]) after the martydom of Ali bin Abi Talib (son-in-law of the Prophet [PBUH] and the Fourth Caliph of Islam). Sensing a possible split in the Muslim empire Hasan entered into a peace treaty with Amir Mu’awiyah, the son of Abu Sufyan and father of Yazid.

“Hasan agreed to relinquish all authority to Mu’awiyah in exchange for an agreement not to harm any of the supporters of Ali, and to govern by the book of God and the examples of the Prophet. This he would do by letter and by word, explaining to the congregation in the Kufa mosque that he had ceded his right to rule ‘for the best interest of the community and for the sake of sparing blood’. Mu’awiyah acknowledged that ‘the reign would belong to Hasan after him’ (though this would soon be quietly forgotten) and that to avoid all future strife the next Caliph was to be decided by a formal council.”

—The Heirs of the Prophet Muhammad and the roots of the Sunni-Shia Schism, Barnaby Rogerson

All the first four Caliphs had first been acclaimed by the people of Medina but this right and duty had now been brushed aside in favour of the courtiers at Damascus. The solemn pledge to hold a ’shura’ was broken. None of the previous Caliphs had thought to impose their own sons on the community, and had looked beyond the narrow loyalties of a family, towards their brother in faith. When Mu’awiyah died, Yazid was acclaimed as the Caliph. It marked the decisive emergence of dynastic monarchy triumphing over the religion of God.

The moment Yazid came to power he started demanding the oath of allegiance (bay’ah) from everyone using unfair means. Paying allegiance was an old Arab practice which was carried out in important matters such as that of rulership and authority. Those who were ruled, and specially the well known among them, would give their hand in allegiance, agreement and obedience to their king or the one in authority and in this way would show their whole-hearted support for his actions without any opposition to him. The approach of Yazid was proof enough of the kind of Muslim he was. He showed complete disregard for the tenets of Islam.

*Ibne Aseer (A renowned historian Allamah Ali bin Abil Karam more famous as Ibne Aseer Jazari) in his Tareekhe Kamil has this to say for Yazid, “Yazid was notorious and well known for his love of numerous musical instruments, passion for hunting and play with young boys, dogs, monkeys, etc. Every morning he rose still drunk. His monkeys and young boys wore gold caps. If a monkey died, he spent a considerable time in mourning it.”

“Traditions inform us that Yazeed loved worldly vices, would drink, listen to music, kept the company of boys with no facial hair, played drums, kept dogs, making frogs, bears and monkeys fight. Every morning he used be intoxicated and use to bind monkey with the saddle of a horse and make the horse run.”

—Al Bidayah Wal Nihayah, Ibn Kathir

Yazid’s message was delivered to Imam Husain as well but he said a firm no. Acknowledging Yazid’s authority by the Prophet’s [PBUH] grandson at this point would have meant confirmation of his evil deeds and Caliphate. For Yazid, Husain’s seal of approval was the one most needed.

*Abul Hasan Ali bin Husain Mas’oodi in his Muroojuz Zahab wa ma’adinul Jawahir reported, “Whoever accepted the slavery of Yazid by swearing fealty at his hands was spared, otherwise he was subjugated. Thus the meaning of allegiance to Yazid was not merely the acceptance of a new caliph, but it meant to sell one’s Religion and faith in slavery to a tyrant.”

The Kufans urged Husain in Medina to ride north and lead them against the usurpation of the Islamic world by Yazid, and to reclaim his rightful place as the head of the Muslim nation. Husain, encouraged by the chief men of Medina, decided to respond and rode out of the oasis to assume the leadership of the true army of Islam. But not a soul left the garrison city to join him on the desert trail. The Kufans too would betray him! When Husain settled at a land devoid of water or vegetation named Karbala (‘Karb’ in Arabic means grief and ‘bala’ is for trials) he had just 72 loyal soldiers with him.

Battle For Truth

The battle of Karbala finds great similarity with the one at Badr – Islam’s first battle. It was the holy Prophet [PBUH] at Badr who fought with 313 die-hard supporters against a formidable army of some 1000 men. That day against all odds the small group won a decisive victory, and paved the way for a future Muslim empire. 56 years later it was his grandson with just 72 loyal men, who fought against an impossible opposition of several thousands to save Islam from the clutches of tyranny.

Karbala was a battle of truth against falsehood, humanity against villainy, righteousness against evil, justice against corruption. The much loved grandson of the Prophet [PBUH] stood in the scorching heat of Karbala along with his companions, devoid of water but determined. His loved ones, including his six month old son, fell martyr one after the other. In spite of this he repeatedly invited the other party towards righteousness and forbade them from evil and immorality, but it all fell on deaf ears. When the time arrived for him to march ahead all alone, he did it in a fashion which was reminiscent of his illustrious father Ali.

One of those who fought the battle of Karbala against him says, “I have never seen a person bereaved of his sons, menfolk and his companions more Lion-hearted than him. The foot soldiers were scattering to his right and left like goats when a wolf come upon them.” —–Ibne Aseer, Tareekh Kamil

Husain fell in the desert of Karbala on that fateful Friday, the 10th of Moharram 61H. Worse was to follow. The bodies of the martyrs including the Imam were not only refused a proper burial but were trampled under the horses’ hooves and were left for the birds. The Kufan army looted the belongings of Husain. Imam’s family including his women-folk and tender children were humiliated and taken captives after burning down their camps. The women were paraded with uncovered heads. It wasn’t Islam!

“If Hussain fought to quench his worldly desires, then I do not understand why his sisters, wives and children accompanied him. It stands to reason therefore that he sacrificed purely for Islam.” —Charles Dickens

The severed heads of the martyrs including Husain were raised on spears. How Yazid played with Husain’s head and the emotions of Imam’s family is a well documented fact. Karbala to this day remains a heart-wrenching story of exemplary courage and bravery to uphold the real principles of Islam.

“In a distant age and climate, the tragic scene of the death of Husain will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.”—Edward Gibbon

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, the famous English translator of Qurán, has beautifully summed up the whole essence of this epic battle.

There is of course the physical suffering in martyrdom, and all sorrow and suffering claim our sympathy, —- the dearest, purest, most outflowing sympathy that we can give. But there is a greater suffering than physical suffering. That is when a valiant soul seems to stand against the world; when the noblest motives are reviled and mocked; when truth seems to suffer an eclipse. It may even seem that the martyr has but to say a word of compliance, do a little deed of non-resistance; and much sorrow and suffering would be saved; and the insidious whisper comes: “Truth after all can never die.” That is perfectly true. Abstract truth can never die. It is independent of man’s cognition. But the whole battle is for man’s keeping hold of truth and righteousness. And that can only be done by the highest examples of man’s conduct – spiritual striving and suffering enduring firmness of faith and purpose, patience and courage where ordinary mortals would give in or be cowed down, the sacrifice of ordinary motives to supreme truth in scorn of consequence. The martyr bears witness, and the witness redeems what would otherwise be called failure. It so happened with Husain. For all were touched by the story of his martyrdom, and it gave the deathblow to the politics of Damascus and all it stood for.

Lessons From Karbala

Karbala stands for courage, self-sacrifice, integrity, honesty, vision, and bravery beyond words. It symbolises all that is pure and true. Karbala teaches us that real battles are always fought in the minds and not on ground. Yazid was powerful and yet he lost the battle for truth.

“I learned from Hussain how to be wronged and be a winner.” —Mahatma Gandhi

Also, being in the majority need not necessarily make you right.

“The best lesson which we get from the tragedy of Karbala is that Hussain and his companions were the rigid believers of God. They illustrated that numerical superiority does not count when it comes to truth and falsehood. The victory of Hussain despite his minority marvels me! —Thomas Carlyle

As the old adage goes, “Nothing lasts for ever.” Husain and his followers made sure that their martyrdom gave a fatal blow to Yazid’s oppressive rule. Karbala haunted Yazid till his eventual death two years later.

“Imam Husayn uprooted despotism forever till the Day of Resurrection. He watered the dry garden of freedom with the surging wave of his blood, and indeed he awakened the sleeping Muslim nation. Husayn weltered in blood and dust for the sake of truth. Verily he, therefore, became the bed-rock (foundation) of the Muslim creed; la ilaha illa Allah (There is no god but Allah).”—Sir Muhammad Iqbal

It also teaches us to be patient and stand up against any form of wrong treatment. We curse Yazid and his army for their inhuman treatment of people, yet the cruel treatment of captives by the so called jihadis meets little protest. Muslims must recognize and protest against the savagery of inhuman treatment at all times, no matter who does it and where it takes place.

“If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (For ever): And the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him.”— Surah An-Nisa (Chapter 4), Verse 93

The best homage that we can pay to the great tragedy is to do some soul-searching. Do we have the right to be called the followers of the Prophet [PBUH]? Have we really understood the message of Imam Husain? Are the tears for Husain drawn merely by the scenes of mere butchery? Would we ever stand up to the false narrations of the events at Karbala by some maulanas to generate excessive grief? Was Karbala a political war or a struggle for true faith? Are we ready to shed aside our differences and respect each others’ view during our religious discourses during Moharram?

And when we finally have all the answers then we would understand the real message of Karbala.

“Shah ast Hussain, Badshah ast Hussain,

Deen ast Hussain, Deen e Panah ast Hussain,

Sar dad, na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazeed,

Haqaa key binaey La ila ast Hussain

“It’s Hussain the Prince, it’s Hussain the king,

He is Faith, and Faith’s Defender most daring,

He preferred death to Yazid’s allegiance,

With his blood, Islam has verily been living.”

Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti

*

97 comments

  1. Lesson form Karbla:

    Muslims should not fight with each other and solve their problems with harmony and consultation. In karbla two muslim troops fought and Islam became weak more as by earlier war between muslims.

    We should study history without being baised.

    • It is people like you that create fitna. It was’nt troops fighting. It was the family of Rasulallah with ladies and infant and young kids against the liar and drunkard Yazid.
      Do you call these troops fighting? and also muslim troops? and what muslim became weak? It is when the seeds of Yazid-like people rule Saudi Arabia generations after generations that Islam becomes weak.
      There is no kingship and heirarchy in Islam, then why is it still there in the so called Muslim countries?

      and you are advising people to be unbiased. there is no point of being biased here.. it is very clear there was truth on the one hand and evil on the other and you ask us to be unbiased ? towards what? towards shaitan? so you mean live happily with a shaitan and not fight…

      wish islam gets rid of you people soon.. ameen.

      • @ Fatima…calling Saudis the weakness of Islam while the same rigidness, arrogance and “better than thou attitude” exists in Shia dominated countries (Iran, Iraq etc) is like the POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK!!..

        Look, non Shia Muslims love the Prophet and His family members as much as you would and what happened at Karbala is a gallant tale of bravery and standing up for justice which could be expected from a son of Hazrat Ali RA. But to demonize non shias if they dont agree with the flagellation or to somehow think of them as sell outs is also mighty ridiculous.

        If you want others to respect your Imaan then you should also shed this holier than thou attitude and dont try to judge everyone with your emotions. Perfect example of you losing your lid at even a hint of dissent and start with your rant against Saudis and shaitaan.

        Islam is neither the possession of Sunnis or Shias. If you want to heed to anything, then heed to the lesson of forgiveness that Imam Hussain RA kept showing even when one by His family members were being murdered.

        Peace!

      • Correction! Saudi are not the descendants of bani Omayyah. Shia are as ignorant of the history of Islam as the rest of the Muslims. There are not SECTS in Islam only schism on Inheritance. Inheritance, among the Arabs, is a very complex issue. Yes, there is a direct descent from father to son but with conditions. Please read it carefully and do not forget that the Great Ali did give his allegiance to all 3 caliphs without any hesitance. Indo/Pak Shia and Sunni are the product of English infraction: divide et regnare.
        Both are Muslims adhering to all the Beliefs, Obligations and Tenets of Islam. They should be united as one.
        Karbala happened to unite Muslims not to divide them.
        BTW Prophet’s family belongs to ALL Muslims regardless of their different schools of thoughts.
        UNITY AMONG MUSLIMS ABOVE ALL FOR ISLAM’S DEFENCE

    • salaam brother, how can you be so empty headed, by saying two muslim troops fought, where you have 72 weak against army of thoushands….

      you call it a war ??????

    • As Salamu Alaikum to all believers in ALLAH & holy Prophet Mohammed (MSAS).
      It was war between Right & wrong. Hazrat Imam Hussain was certainly a Pious & modest person. He sincerely believed that there was a genuine invitation by Ruthless Yazid group, thats why He with open heart travelled with young children & family members. People who donot support the Holy family of Holy Prophet Mohammed best of mankind is not a true Muslim.We must love & respect the family members of Rasulullah(SAS).
      May peace and mercy of ALLAH SWT be upon all of them. Thanking you.

    • true we shud not be biased….and we shud not get carried by those who praise scum like yazid by adding Radiallha talla to his name…..today people praise yazid…next hope its scum marwan….then ibne ziyaad…..i m sunni but after reading history its crystall clear who is who……hadees regarding Ammar bin yasir martyerdom clearly establishes who is on righteous path…..

  2. As we are aware Islam does not and will not ever concede to murdering anybody unless those declared by Allah (T). But that was not what happened at Karbala because it was two parties fighting amongst the Muslim Ummah, we suppose to refer the issue back to the Holy Qur’an here I qoute ” When two parties amongst you draw a battle line, settle the dispute and reconcile that what is between the two, if one forge ahead with instigation then Fight the one that defualt untill it submit to the right cause.when it comes to term then apply justice between the two.” No doubt when two are fighting one most be wrong one right, support the cause of the rightous is Islamic injunction. To know that one needs to knows what went between the two, so as to remain with the truth.

  3. Many a muslims aren’t aware of the history of Islam. They aren’t aware of the hardships and battles of Islam since the 6th century. Without the sacrifice of imam Husayn, Islam wouldnt have risen the way it did after his martyrdom. Being a true muslim isn’t just praying five times a day but to realize and respect the sacrifices of the mankind because of which we are where we are today !! I only pity majority of the muslims treat the sacrifice of Husayn as a story of shias but the truth is, when the battle of karbala was happening, little did Imam Husayn knew that there will be divisions in islam as shias and sunnis. he did what he thought he did for the truth and for Islam !!

  4. Salam,
    I am shi3a and I just wanted to say after reading this article about Imam Hussein that I am proud to be a Muslim.You have confirmed for me what I have always known: we are all brothers in Islam. In Love of Imam Hussein and the blessed Prophet we are one. When are we going to come together and realise that? If we are quarreling we must stop and think: who is benefiting from our division? Also Imam Hussein (a.s) is not dead, he is alive and receiving blessings from his Lord.

    Salam upon all those who love Justice. Salam upon all those who love Muhamad (s.a.w) and remember the sacrifice of his blessed Family…

    • salam bro

      I am a sunni and i agree with u. all muslims should come together and what ever conflicts that are their between us we should discuss and come to a common point. One thing that is already common in us is the love and respect for imam Hussein.

    • imam husain (raziallah tala anhu ) is alive (every saheed is alive in his grave but we don’t have knowledge about them). he will be the badshah of our ummah in jannah.

  5. “It’s Hussain the Prince, it’s Hussain the king. He is Faith, and Faith’s Defender most daring. He preferred death to Yazid’s allegiance. With his blood, Islam has verily been living.”

    “The tyrant dies and his rule ends, the martyr dies and his rule begins.”

    Simply amazing lines.

    Ya Hussain, our heart yearns for your majestic presence in Paradise

  6. Slaam
    This artical has been written wonderfully and it has clear my concepts about the battle of Karbla.
    Before reading this artical i always thought that it was a political war but now i realize that it wasn’t a political war but a battle for thruth,
    I am proud on the bravness of Hazrat IMAM E HUSSAIN and proud to be a Muslim.

  7. I wonder who calls it a Sunni view? To me and for many who have researched on the subject would claimed that it is a soft version of Shia’s point of view.

    It is not just a battle between right and wrong?

    Who are you to say so?

    Do you know sayings of the prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.) in respect of the person who would command first Muslim Navy??

    Go on and research from independent and authentic sources, for both the parties there are indications of Jannah and most of the people involved are sahabis, therefore, a modern-day sinner like us is in no capacity to use bad words for any companion of the prophet(s.a.w.).

    • On the Day of Judgment, each of us will rise with whoever we consider to be our Imam. You, Taimur, will surely be with Yazid and face the same fate as him. If you think Yazid will go to heaven, based on a false interpretation of Hadith, after what Yazid did to the blood and family of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), then you sure deserve to be with Yazid for eternity (a golden cap will be provided for you free of charge).

      Now, do YOU know the sayings of the Prophet (PBUH) about Hussain? Well, you have to be blind and deaf, as the Holy Qur’an says, to the truth to not know it. Read some history and stop listening to illiterates who claim to be your leaders and know nothing of Islam.

      • Brother Rehan!
        Hazrat Hussain (R.A) undoubtedly is a martyr. As far as as assembling with Imam on the Day of Ressurection, Inshallah we will assemble with Imam-Ul-Anbiya HAZRAT MUHAMMAD (SAWS) after whom no one in masoom. Just check the shia source in the book Kashful Ghumma, Tareekh Kulayni, Muroj Zahab Masoodi in those books it is clearly mentioned the killers of Hazrat Hussain(R.A) were Shia’s of Kufa.

      • Rehab your answer carries great deal of rage and desrespect to other disagreeing opinions. I don’t see why we should have sunni and Shia but we should be all muslims using simple common since.

    • Salam Muhammad Taimoor,
      I know the sayings of Aqa A.S about the first navy let me quote it:
      “awal-o-Jaishin min umati yaghzona madinata qaysara, makhfoor Ullah”
      Meaning:
      “The first of the Fleets to attack the City of Qaysar (Rome) are forgiven by Allah”
      Yazeed L.A went in the 8th fleet and was sent by his father forcibly.
      You do the research first and then talk on such sensitive issue.
      May Allah free you from your ignorance.
      Also just for the record I am a Sunni.

    • Also a side note on the Hadith you tried to mention but couldnt which I have referenced for you and other’s… The mathan of the Hadith says Madinatul Qaysara meaning the city of Rome and not Constantinople while popular belief is that Hadith talks about Constantinople because Yazeed went with the 8th army that went to Constantinople and not the other cities of Rome that were conquered before.
      So by no means the Hadith applies on yazeed.

      • with this do u intend to say that yazeed didn’t did any sin on his own by killing imam hussain…u mean to say he was forced to do this by his father…being a muslim u should think about the religion in mohammed (s.a.w) point of view not with yazeed’s point of view…y imam hussain is respected because he fought for the mankind for the islam…its not that shia’s of kufa killed him …it’s that yazeed who killed him…..

    • With no intention to discriminate, but the saying goes “Guilty until proven innocent”, yes the shia have made open claims of the event of Karbala, but your Yazid has not proven himself inncocent nor have any of your scholars done so. If your so firm in your belief for Yazid then rather than denying Karbala why dont you speak for him and tell us how did al Hussayn and his companions die? in fact why dont you be so intellegent as to telling us precisely how did all the Prophets Progeny pass away? If you cant prove if that is.

    • TAIMUR IS A MAN OF ARMY OF YAZEED ENEMY OF PROFET MUHAMMAD I THINK TAIMUR WHEN YOU LISTEN THE NAME OF PROFET MUHAMMAD YOUR BREATH STUCK YOUR FACE BLACK AND YOU SAFFOCATION . …..YOUR NABI IS DR ZAKIR NAYK . ABDULWAHAB NAJDI KAFIR IS YOUR ALLAH .. PROFET MUHAMMAD SAID ABOUT ALI TO HIS SAHBA IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHO IS MUNAFIQ SO IN MAHFIL START ZIKRA OF ALI.. YOU WILL SEE IF ANY ONE MUNIFQ THERE .ON HIS FOREHEAD LINE BECOME HIS FACE BECOME A CONSTIPATION . HE WILL FEEL SAFFOCATION AND ANY MOMIN WILL LISTEN HIS ZIKRA HIS FACE BECAME FLOWER HE WILL SMILE
      SO READ THIS ARTICLE AND YOU FEEL ALL THIS THINGS ITS INDICATING YOU RA WAHABI NAJDI KAFIR

    • Salam bro…..

      regardless of shia or sunni view, 72 against thoushands isn’t really a battle ?

      in the end of the day, Prophet’s gradson was killed by a stupid leader (Yazid), who shouldn’t have been in power in first place.

      • NEVER EVER SPEAK BAD ABOUT ANY SAHABAH EVEN IF THEY MADE MISTAKES. YOU CAN LOSE YOUR IMAN!!!

    • I am a sunni.If you have ever by yourself read about the hadith mubarak about the command of first muslim navy let me tell you brother that the birth day of yazid is 26 hijri and the first naval attack was launched in 32 hijri.The question is how could a six year old boy lead an army.Now coming to the other brothers i just have to say that Hazrat Imam Hussain R.A. did what is unthinkable talk to a nonmuslim and even he will say it that it was a cursed deed to stand against someone like Imam Hussain R.A.I plead to all the muslims that if you want to stand in the shadow of Imam Hussain R.A. on judgement day love Imam and look around you the battle of karbala is their and check wheither we are on the side of Imam Hussain R.A. or Yazeed Maloun and also think that if today you say it was a battle between two people then what will you say to Hazrat Muhammad PBUH on judgement day.

  8. A brilliant and balanced article without any emotional clouds and with input from a variety of respected sources.

    Could not have been any better.

    Proves that there is very little difference between Sunni and Shia opinion.

    But it will never satisfy anyone looking for a needle in a haystack, with too much idle time on their hands or people incapable of understanding.

  9. This Article has not been written without all the research, i am a sunni from Brailvi faith. Khawaja Moin-udin-Chishti Rehmatullah-Alaiy could not be Wrong about Hazrat Hussain and Shuhda-ai- Karbala… Ghouse Azam Jeelani and All True Muslim Scholars have Explained the truth about 10th Muharram-ul-haram and BAttle of Karbala. This Article reflects the same truth of the Battle of Karbala….

  10. Thanks a lot for a very subjective article.
    I am a sunni muslim and i believe that the foreigners played important role in dividing Shia and Sunnis.
    It s about time for us to re-unite and become one solid ummah of true believers and thus, cut the roads on all the enemies of Alla who want to devide us.

  11. Truth is not a monopoly of any sect or religion. It for the sake of the Truth that Imam Husayn (a.s.) sacrificed his life. No wonder, love for Husayn (a.s.) crosses sectarian borders! Let those Yazid-lovers burnt in envy for Husayn is alive while Yazid is dead!

    The article contributes to the trend of Muslim convergence after a long divergence. ‘Azzamallaho ojourakom…

  12. Allah(swt) is ONE
    Islam is ONE
    The Quran is ONE
    The Prophet Muhammad(sas) is ONE
    Imam Hussain is loved by ALL Muslims across the board.
    May Allah(swt) unite the Ummah of Muhammad(sas) as ONE.

  13. is the a true story that u will write & what is a difference b/w suni & sheyah who kills the hazarat ali suni or sheyah who is take the side of yazid b/w sheyah & suni on the karbala battle i m waiting 4 u r answer

    • Brother Nemo!
      References from shia sources that clearly states that it was Shias who martyred Hazrat Hussain (R.A) are given below:
      1)Hazrat Hussain (R.A) says “May Allah’s curse be on you & your intentions you tyrant, disloyal and traitor shee’as you have carved my chest with a dagger” (Jalaa-al-A’ayoon, pg. no. 468).
      2)Hazrat Hussain (R.A) said ” Our shee’as have denied everything and hence our victory” (Jalaa-al-A’ayoon, pg. no. 452 & 453).
      3)Mulla Baqir Majlisi states that “In the end it was these disloyal shee’as who martyred Hazrat Hussain (R.A) (Jalaa-al-A’ayoon, pg. no. 469).
      4)Mulla Baqir majlisi writes that Hazrat HAsan (R.A) SAID “I swear by ALLAH (SWT) instead of these shee’as, Hazrat Muawiya (R.A) is better for me as these shee’as just claim they are my shee’as when really intended to kill me and loot my wealth” (Jalaa-al-A’ayoon, pg. no. 423).
      5)Mentioned in Siyar Al-Aimah & Kashful Ghumma that “The shee’as betrayed Hazrat Hasan (R.A) and proved to be disloyal to him. They eventually rebelled against him and stole all his wealth and money to the extent that these shee’as forcefully pulled and stole the prayer mat Hazrat Hasan (R.A) was praying on”.
      6)The author of book Khulaasatil Masaa’ib Shee’ee said Hazrat Hussain (R.A) said “My shee’as have disgraced me” (pg. no.49). In the same book it says “The killers of Hazrat Hussain (R.A) were all Koofee and no one from amongst them was a Shamee (Syrian) or a Hijazee (from Makkah or Madinah)” (pg. no. 201).

      And there are many more references which I can provide you. The problem with our shi’a brothers is that they are taught to hate the companions (R.A) of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) whereas they are not told that Hazrat Ali (R.A) had named his sons with Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A), Hazrat Umar (R.A) & Hazrat Usman (R.A).
      If you or any shi’s brother doubt my references then please check it and inform me.
      Wassalaam.

      • Arabic meaning of shia is followers or party of…
        Thus you have the shia of Imam Hussain (a.s) and the shia of Yazeed.

        So please brother don’t point your fingers at no one without understanding a simple word like shia. There’s also proof in the Holy Quran about this word if you would like know i can give u the exact reference.

  14. assalamoulaikum
    I am sunni a muslim. Today after reading this article my misconceptions and all kind of doubts vanished. I am very thankful to all those who published this beatiful article.
    Hussain zindabad ,Islam Zindabad

  15. Salam
    Exquistly written article. May Imam give you reward of it. Every reader should determine himself/herself as to whose side he/she belongs to? All actions and beliefs are to emulated of the side you belong to. You cannot be on one side and emulate even one action that is a trait of the opposite side..If the whole Umma unites at the door step of Imam Hussain (A.S), the respect of Islam will be uplifted and there will be no extremists and terrorist who claim to follow Islam.

    Islam zinda hota hai, har karbala ke baad..

  16. “Shah ast Hussain, Badshah ast Hussain,
    Deen ast Hussain, Deen e Panah ast Hussain,
    Sar dad, na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazeed,
    Haqaa key binaey La ila ast Hussain”

    “It’s Hussain the Prince, it’s Hussain the king,
    He is Faith, and Faith’s Defender most daring,
    He preferred death to Yazid’s allegiance,
    With his blood, Islam has verily been living.”

    by
    Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti

    no better way to describe karbala than the way huzoor khwaja saab did

    Hussain zindabad

  17. Salam to all my brothers and sisters.
    this article is a great article nontheless, but you see, it is not the Political gains that will unite the muslims, like as we see Yazid, and Hussain were fighting fore, nevertheless hussain (r.a) was in the right, tho ive seen many Shias fall into shirk while calling for the blessing for their Imams rather of Allah, the only way we can unite is to Aknowledge that there is only ONE provider, ONE God, and ONE Religion.

    Islam means submission to God, not any other Human, the Prophet was Muhammad, thats all thats really important, all the political arguments and disputes have nothing to do with us, as we were not there to understand the issue, it is all in writing.

    Come to the way of the Prophet, and to the religion of Allah.

    • your wrong shia don’t call for the blessing of their imam, you got it wrong, we call god by asking him forgive us for prophet Mohammed (pboh) sake, and for the imam’s sake. for example when you need to get to a king or a high authority, first you have to go through his ministers and guards to let the king know what you want. same thing..

  18. the misconception between sunnis & shias on various issue will remain until the coming of the 12th Imam Mahdi As. since 1400 years, the debate continues. Al Azhar University has rejected calls from various muslim quarters to critcise shias and they have rejected time & again. Please muslim brothers sunnis & shias – set aside your differences. All shias and sunnis believe in Allah, Holy Prophet,one holy quran pray 5 times a day. Fight the biggest enemy of islam which is causing havoc in the muslim world and beyond. come together and pray to allah to destroy islam’s enemy.

  19. How the writer said that the two battles where same (The battle of Karbala finds great similarity with the one at Badr – Islam’s first battle. It was the holy Prophet [PBUH] at Badr who fought with 313 die-hard supporters against a formidable army of some 1000 men. That day against all odds the small group won a decisive victory, and paved the way for a future Muslim empire. 56 years later it was his grandson with just 72 loyal men, who fought against an impossible opposition of several thousands to save Islam from the clutches of tyranny) In my opinion they are two in ever aspect. since in Badre muslim army was fighting disbeliver(kufarre makka) but in karbala Imam Hussain was fighting with muslim army. they where muslim who had taken Islam for granted & want to impose their rule by destroying the rule presented by Prophet Muhammad(PBUH).

  20. How the writer said that the two battles where same (The battle of Karbala finds great similarity with the one at Badr – Islam’s first battle. It was the holy Prophet [PBUH] at Badr who fought with 313 die-hard supporters against a formidable army of some 1000 men. That day against all odds the small group won a decisive victory, and paved the way for a future Muslim empire. 56 years later it was his grandson with just 72 loyal men, who fought against an impossible opposition of several thousands to save Islam from the clutches of tyranny) In my opinion they are two in every aspect. since in Badre muslim army was fighting disbeliver(kufarre makka) but in karbala Imam Hussain was fighting with muslim army. they where muslim who had taken Islam for granted & want to impose their rule by destroying the rule presented by Prophet Muhammad(PBUH).

  21. It is worth it to know the ancestors of Yazid and most questions get answered on this famous utterance after the tragedy of Karbala. He said that he had avenged the Battle of Badr. Do we know who Abu Sufian was and who was the woman who tore open Hazrat Hamza’s torso and tried to eat his liver. Yazid had hijacked the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) and had sabotaged the religion in the garb of a Muslim. Had he gone unchecked there would be no Islam now. Hussan(AS) with his sacrifice completed the mission of his grandfather and made the religion of Islam immortal. The apologists of Yazid will surely deny themselves the Shafaaat of the Prophet PBUH. Remember the Prophet PBUH did not raise his head from Sajda till Hussain got off his shoulder.
    I am sure Allah will not let Yazid, his cohorts and their sympathizers even come in front of Muhammad PBUH on the day Of reckoning. Muslims please save your souls and hate Yazid from the core of your heart.

  22. Great article.

    B t w, if this was the sunni view, what , may I know, is the shia view on the battle of Karbala?

    Thanks.

  23. “Turn ye back in repentance to Him, and fear Him: establish regular prayers, and be not ye among those who join gods with Allah…” -(30:31)

    “…those who split up their Religion, and become (mere) Sects,- each party rejoicing in that which is with itself!” -(30:32)

    As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects , you have no part in them in the least: their affair is with Allah: He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did.” (6:159)

    Do these (there are more) not forbid everyone NOT TO DIVIDE INTO SECTS? Give it any name, diving into sects is forbidden.

    Inshallah, if I am wrong I will stand corrected and if anyone else is wrong he/she shall stand corrected!

  24. A very well written explanation of how the shi’a and the sunni came to their present day division. One can only hope that someday they will be reconciled to each other & stop the shedding of blood; that of fellow believers of Islam.

  25. Salam, A good time waste article so called written (cut copy paste )by Mr. Amrohwi. One fact anyone can easily trace out by reading article that it is not a neutral article and from the view point of indian sunni ( similar to shia in many things). I can discuss the matter at lagre but here I would like to bring only one hadith and a fact to the knowledge of the forum, the fact is Hazrat Amir Muawiyah (Radi.Allah Anho) appointed Hazarat Hasan (R.A.A) as his wali ahad but Hazarat Hasan (R.A.A) could not come into picture of appoinment of Khaleefa after H.Muawiya regime as H.Hazat (RAA) died during the Khilafat of Hazrat Muawiya. Regarding Yazid,All Shia & Indian Sunni, please note a Hadith pf RasoolAllah(PBUH)before mentioning any wrong word, AA Hazrat(SAW) said that first group which will go towards Costuntunia and Hind for Jihad fi sabi lillah, will be Jannati, In the reigm if H.Muawiya first group went for Jihad to Custuntunia under the leadership of Yazid and more importantly H.Hasan(RAA) and H.Husain(RAA) were also present in the Group.
    Allaha knows the best..

    • Read the narrations and historical evidences regarding Constinople again and you will see that Yazid (curse be upon him) did not go with the first group. He went with a later group and only went when forced by his father, Hazrat Muawiya (radi Allahu Ta’ala anh’).

      “The tyrant dies and his rule ends, the martyr dies and his rule begins.”

      Ya Hussain Madad.

  26. asslamalaikoom
    i am a sunni and i dont see any difference in sunni and shia story of the battle and also the reasons behind it………i always wonder where this difference of opinion started when basic idea is exactly same….both love hazrat Imam Hussain and deeply hate yazid and it was fought for truth and integrity of islam …………. we should all follow the teachings of RASOOL ALLAH SALLAALAAH HO ELEIH WAALIHI WASALAM and find our way to the right path!!!!!

  27. Assalaamu alaykum brother Inam,May Allah Reward you for the endeavour of writing this lovely article which is the common and majority belief of all Muslims regardless of man made sects. It is indeed very sad to know that the Non-Muslims can understand the meaning and nature of the truth behind the Waqiae Karbala but some muslims till date couldnot grasp the meaning of this self-sacrifice of a noble, unwordly and high esteemed man from the Ahlul bait. This is such a tragedythat Imam Hussain alaihissalaam stood against the evil, with no intention of rulership, took his family with him including all pious womenfolk and children with him (which clearly shows his no intention for a political fight or a battle with Yazeed), received letters from the Kufans to help them against the tyranny of the Yazeedians who later broke their promises and decieved the Ahlul bait, were brutely and treacherously martyred in Karbala, the Yazeedians didnot spare them a single drop of water even to the babies, instead they killed them, insulted the martyred bodies and took captive the rest of the Ahlul bait, chained them, dragged them on foot from Karbala to Kufa and then all the way to Damascus thirsty and hungry to the court of Yazeed. One cannot forget the martyrdom of the innocent people and equally one cannot forget the the humiliation of the Ahlul bait that they had to suffer by the Yazeedians and people like Zakir say May Allah be Pleased with Yazeed. What a tragedy!!!
    It is a very good link of the story of the later events of Karbala which I would suggest people to watch.
    **

    I am also raised as a sunni though I never knew many many Islamic historic facts after the death of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah be Pleased with him and his Progeny). The roots took place before Yazeed for the atrocious rulership. There are numerous Ahadithe Nabawi(PBUH) regarding that there would be twelve Imam aafter him and all of them would be from the Ahlul bait. As we the belief that the 12th Imam Mahdi will come towards the end of the world who will also be from the Ahlul bait. There are clear incidents of declaring the Imamat of Hadhrat Ali alaihissalaam by the Prophet (PBUH) himslef as one such incident was at Ghudair Khum (others include the first invitation given to the Quresh by the Prophet himslef where only a child Hadhrat Ali stood up to assisst him in Islam and the Prophet (PBUH) said about his successor and list goes on…). Muawiyah too fought unjustly with Hadhrat Ali alaihissalaam at various occassions to become a tyrant ruler. He too killed many innocent and pious companions of the Prophet (PBUH). To defam Hadhrat Ali alaihissalaam, he ordered to curse Imam Ali in the mosques and statrted the traditon of narrating false ahadith nabawi and this trend kept on going through out the Ummayyad caliphate. The silent murder scheme i.e; poisoning started by Muawiyah which was used against all the Imams till the eleventh one, Imam Hassan Askari alahissalaam. All of them were poisoned, imprisoned and torutured. Unfortunately in our curriculum nothing is taught of the above incidents and facts thats why most of us are unaware of the real facts. Not of the Imams but the other incidents during the reigns of Ummayyads and Abbasydes are narrated by Maulana Maudoodi in his book Khilafat o malookiyat which I recommend to read.
    **Links removed

    Urdu
    There is another book called “Shiayat ka Muqadama” by Hussain Al ameeni which is a very good book to read about the right of the Ahlul bait for Imamat by the Prophet (PBUH). He quotes by the sunni scholars for this. And that is indeed true but the masses are kept ignorant of such ahaadith. These facts are very important to know, not to spread mischief in the earth but to correct the mischief that has been intentionally spread for centuries and eventually caused this split among the Muslims which was never there. And the century old egoistic self-made beliefs still exist which we can find in Zakir and many people like him who donot even like to listen to teh shai brothers whereas there are facts with them as well.

    Note-Unclear links Books of Maudoodi will not be allowed to advertise.

  28. Shahnawaz Warsi bhai, I am good, Alhamdulillah!

    Insha’Allah I have more time now and try to contribute more to this wonderful sites.

    Ya Baba Farid Madad!

  29. To face the real enemies of our Deen:

    Assalaamualaykum to all brothers and sisters,

    I sincerely recommend all people of all faiths, christians, jews, muslims and other faith followers to watch thoughtfully and open-mindedly a documentary which is called “The Arrivals”. It can be watched at http://wakeupproject.com/VList.asp?Series=1
    or alternatively one could buy it (its safe.)
    at http://www.thearrivalsdvd.com/

    Most of the things shown in it, are eye-opening for all and it unites all faiths on compassion grounds which is much needed today on a wider scale. Much hatred has been spread by the world about “Islam” which is a religion of purity, tolerance, equality, compassion and love. A religion which never imposes itself on others yet opens its wide gates for all the people of understanding to explore it and welcomes everyone.

    There are some scenes which are surely unislamic like west pop culture, animations, hollywood but their sole aim is to show to those people who watch them without realising the harmful effects and the real evil ambitions behind promoting those satanic stuff in the media and entertainment sector.
    On the other hand, to our Muslims if they avoid watching it due to the reasons mentioned above, there is an audio documentary too on youtube showing the same message.

    My request is that the people of the world should know the real enemies who are defaming Islam and for what reasons.

    Wassalaam

  30. I am surprised at those who band the lovers of Hussain (as) with his killers from Kufa. What kind of shia could be there who would kill his very leader. Of course there were all kinds of people there, looters , opportunists, schemers and Muawaya’s machinations (that incidentally match the great Hindu thinker Chanakya) all working against the truthful ahle bait. Hazrat Ali (as) himself said that Muawaya would hardly match him in scheming but the problem was that Hazrat Ali never let falsehood come near him for whatever interest or aim. The mourning after Karbala was started by the family of the prophet and continues to date. The ummatis who join are shias and have nothing to do with the kufis. So this argument of comparing Kufis with the present day shias is totally irrelevant. Let me also say that Allah and Prophet (Pbuh) have made it essential for ummatis to love ahle bait. Those who kill them and criticize their remembrance violate the injunctions of Allah. I have also found that those who weep at the atrocities suffered by the Prophets family never indulge in Zulm. On the other hand you will find plenty of throat slaughterers on the other side those who say that Allah and Nabi are enough for them. Have you ever thought how Allah and Nabi have promoted the bonds of family. How could Islam be complete if it did not demonstrate through the Prophet how important family is. Those who love ahle bait surely will always value their own families and be better beings.

  31. amazing article,helped clear a lot of things up for me! may allah forgive us for our sins and reunite the muslim ummah!!!

  32. Salam 3laykon

    I just want to say a couple things, Im sunni and i dont really understand what it means to be sunni or shai, I love the sahaba, I love ahle bait also, i recognize the sacrafice of Iman hussien, but if your going to tell me to curze yazeed , i would say id rather spend my time praising Allah instead. Because even if he desrves to be cursed, you get no reward for cursing anyone and if you belivee you do , i would advise you to read. So why would i spend 1 sec of my time cursing when i can spend it praise and asking for forgiveness instead cause in the end what will be more benificial for me? It breaks my heart to see the ummah in such a “mess”.
    salam 3laykom

  33. AOA Bilal.
    You are a well meaning muslim. However you are missing the point. You have to detest the wrong just as you have to love the right. Getting away from bad people is as important as getting closer to those whom Allah loves. Yazeed was a great evil that befell Islam. So unfortunate that those who resisted the Prophet PBUH tooth and nail and fought at Badr, Uhad and Ihzab against him had become the rulers of Islam. No wonder that they tried to change the religion of Islam through their evil conduct until checked by Imam Hussain as by his supreme sacrifice. I can assure you if you dont hate Yazid all the rememberance of Allah wont take you to paradise.

  34. The Wahhabis are not Sunni Muslims , as no Sunni can praise Yazid or consider him to go to Jannah after what he did. They other day I had a chance to look at Yazid’s father’s grave on You tube and the look of the grave shows in what light the Muslims see him. Islam came for truth , humility, justice and softness. The Wahhabis introduced lies, hatered , coldbloodedness, and animal behaviour in the garb of simplifying the religion. All this is a part of the larger scheme to protect the usurper king of Arabia against the lawful claim of holy places by aal-e-Mohammad. How unfortunate that like Yazid the worst enemies of Islam rule their most sacred places with the help of West.

  35. Im sunni, rather im just a muslim rather im just an student of islamic history. What amazes me that how a pure historical event which was only politically motivated, became part of faith and it became the reason of seperating muslim ummah into two big sects sunni and shia. 1st of all martyrdom of Imam Hussain is not the biggest martyrdom in islam. Only the martyrdom of Syed al Shuhada Amir Hamza’s martyrdom is the biggest martyrdom. Battle of Karbala was fought on the issue of becoming the Amir ul Momineen of muslims, and it was not fought with kuffar for pure islamic reasons. Although Imam Hussain was on right path and mazloom and Yazid was on wrong path and zalim but hundreds of this type of wars happened throughout islamic history and hundreds of millions of muslims were killed by muslim themselves. No doubt it was a big fitna like the martyrdom of Syedna Osman the third caliph. By the way it was a type of revenge of the same bcoz in the battle of Karbala one side only Hashmites and other side were all Banu Umayyads so in other words it was old type of traditional arab tribal war which was fought for the sake of power and by chance it became the preface of one new maslak, shia.

  36. AOA Majeed,

    I don’t know which Islamic history you have been studying to reach the conclusions that you did. Just tell me was Prophet(PBUH) also fighting a tribal war between Hashmites and Ummayyads( with Yazids grandfather Abu Sufiyan)? Tell me who ate the lever of Hazrat Hamza( Hinda the mother of Yazid did). Indeed it was the same war between Prophets army and Kuffar ;only the kuffar were wearing the cloak of Muslims. As for enormity of the tragedy how many families of Prophets were destroyed before this event killing even 6 months old child in his fathers lap. Which prophet saw his granddaughters walk and suffer humiliation and insult over thousands of miles, paraded in bazzars and incarcerated for more than a year. Have a heart. With these ideas you cant hope to enter Jannah, I assure you.

  37. what the Muslims of today and tomorrow will gain even if shias are 100% right or sunnis are 100% right, nothing! only non muslim will benefit .
    we cannot change history, rightly or wrongly conveyed.
    what has not changed and Inshaa Allah will never change are five Pillars of Islam, both for Shias as well as Sunnis. keep on doing what you consider Mustahab in your deeds and prayer but do not call other to do the same. After all no one will come to know till Qiyamah how much right he was, then why fight . All is inAllah’s Scheme of things with no living soul ever coming to know the line of demarcations,( free will).
    and this does not justify acts of people like Yezid.So my dear brtohers and sisters, pl stick to the five intact pillars and do not risk wrong by being bias or else in your attitudes

  38. Those defending Yazid: Are you blind?!!! Did you forget who his father was and most importantly who his grandfather was?!!! He is a murderer, son of a murderer, and a grandson of a murderer. All three of them did nothing but cause pain, suffering and death to our Prophet (SAWS) his family and followers. I pray that Allah (SWT) will remove the veil from your eyes. What Yazid did is wrong not only from a Muslim point of view but from the point of view of any descent human being. It’s a shame to see people with such views among Muslims. Christians don’t defend Judas who betrayed Jesus, and yet we have Muslims who defend Yazid. Shame!

  39. indeed hussain was a great man but d act of the shi’ites is totally wrong, why did d kufans betray him? may Allah grant him jannah.

    • U are asking for Jannah for a Person who is grandson of Nabi Kareem.
      Hazrat HJussain will give Jannah to us…He is chief of Youths in Jannah.

      Correct ur facts and develop respects towards Ahle bait.

      • Dear Brother,
        It is here you go wrong –“Hazrat HJussain will give Jannah to us” –. It is Allah who will give Jennah to all of us. Such words will make Hazrath Hussain disown you as Jesus(PBUH) disownes christians. Recite Shahadah again. This time by understanding it. Read My previous post as well.

  40. Ashura – Lest We Forget

    Imam Husayn’s martyrdom at Karbala provides evidence of the moral victory of right over wrong, of virtue over vice, of principle over compromise, of the oppressed over the oppressor, of the denied over the denier; the ultimate victory of blood over sword
    Karbala, 50 km southeast of Baghdad
    The tenth day of the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar marks a significant day in the Muslim calendar.
    ‘Ashura, then and now
    The tenth of Muharram is the day on which, according to some reports, Allah saved Prophet Moses/Musa (pbuh) from the tyrannical Pharaoh, that prototype of despotic authority. There are many pharaoh-like authorities who have appeared through history and there were those incorrigible standard-bearers of justice who opposed them. In the post-Prophetic period, one such person was Imam Husayn, radiallah`anhu who took on the corruption of despotic Yazid and laid down his life on tenth Muharram in 61 AH (680 CE);
    an event that serves as a milestone in the history of the faithful; the martyrdom of the beloved grandson of the Prophet Muhammad at Karbala in Iraq.
    Prophet Musa,alay salaam & Pharoah,

    Husayn,radiallah`anhu & Yazid
    The valiant Prophet Moses did not fight Pharaoh to become king, neither did the righteous Imam Husayn, radiallah`anhu take on the army of the corrupt Yazid merely to become caliph.
    Their effort was in fulfillment of moral obligation which serves as a universal message which has left a lasting legacy of struggle and resistance against corruption and injustice. The lesson is not only in that they were prepared to fight for what is right, but were also willing to die for it; selflessness not selfishness, humility not ego, principle not power.
    Such Musawi and Husayn, radiallah`anhu struggle has always raged on in a corrupted world.
    As ‘Allama Iqbal said;
    Musa-o Fira’un Shabbīr-o Yazīd In do quwwataz hayat āmad padīd.
    “Ever since the beginning, two opposing forces have been at war – virtue and vice.
    Thus, Prophet Musa rose against Pharoah and Shabbir (Imam Husayn) rose against Yazid”
    Tragic Event
    So cowardly and gruesome was the killing of Imam Husayn that the renowned Arab historian Al-Fakhri wrote:
    “This is a catastrophe, whereof I care not to speak at length, deeming it a like too grievous and too horrible.
    For it was indeed a catastrophe so odious that a more shameful incident has not occurred in Muslim history. There occurred such a foul massacre as to cause any person’s flesh to creep with horror. Again I have dispensed with my long description of this horrific incident because of its notoriety, for it is the most lamented of all catastrophes. ”
    Western historian, Dr Edward Browne in his ‘a Literary History of Persia’ writes: “as a reminder, the 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 family; has been at any time since then been sufficient to evoke, even in the most lukewarm and heedless, the deepest emotion, the most frantic grief and the exaltation of spirit before which pain, danger, and death shrink to unconsidered trifles.”
    Professor E. Gibbon writes ,
    “In a distant age and clime the tragic scene of the death of Husayn will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.”
    [Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]
    Tragedy Compounded
    To compound the tragedy, it was the grandson of the final Messenger (and his close relatives) who were brutally killed.
    It was a massacre of the progeny of the final Prophet of Allah

    • That family of the prophet of whom Allah invokes us through the Qur’an;
    “Say (to the people, O Muhammad)! I ask of you no reward except that you love my family.”
    [Qur’an 42:23].

    It was regarding this Qur’anic verse that Imam Shaf’i wrote in his poetry ..

    Yaaala-bayti Rasulillahi hubbakum Fardun minaalhi fil Qur’ani anzalah Yakfikum min ‘azimil fakhri annakum Man lam yusalli ‘alaykum la salata lah

    “O Family of the Prophet! Allah has made it obligatory on us in the Qur’an to love you. It is a matter of pride for you that without saluting you our salutations (salawaat) are invalid.”
    • That Husayn, radiallah`anhu who, together with his brother, is considered by the Prophet as sayyida shabābiahlil Jannah
    “leaders of the youth of Paradise” [Sunanal-Tirmidhi]
    • That Husayn, radiallah`anhu who carried the traits of the Prophet and who many companions considered as an image of his grandfather.
    In the words of the poet Josh Mahalbadi É Of the attributes of the Prophet, the perceiver was Husayn, radiallah`anhu,Of the holiness of the Prophet, the inheritor was Husayn, radiallah`anhu
    • That Husayn, radiallah`anhu of whom the Prophet said,
    “Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn. Allah loves whoever loves Husayn.”
    [Sunanal-Tirmidhi]
    Yet, Imam Husayn,radiallah`anhu was martyred at the hands of those who considered themselves followers of our beloved Prophet Muhammad , those who claimed to act in the name of Islam yet unremorsefully and shamelessly were prepared to obliterate its true exponent; those who (like so many today) are prepared to kill for Islam yet are unable to live by it.
    Yes,
    Imam Husayn,radiallah`anhu was martyred at the hands of those who would kiss the Black Stone (because the Prophet kissed it),
    yet cut off the precious head of that dear grandson of the Prophet,
    a head which the Prophet so often caressed and kissed with affection
    Continuing the Abrahamic Tradition
    We bade farewell to the old year by celebrating Prophet Ibrahim’s commitment to Allah characterized by his valor against Nimrud, and proven through his willingness to sacrifice his patient son, Prophet Isma’il (pbuh).
    Now we welcome the new year by commemorating the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad’s beloved grandson, Imam Husayn who fought to uphold the principles of his grandfather Prophet Muhammad and his forefather Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh).
    (O Allah, Bless Our Master Muhammad and the family of our Master Muhammad as You blessed our forefather Ibrahim and the family of our forefather Ibrahim.)
    The Makkan struggle for the manifesting and upholding the values of Islam was founded with love and veracity by the family of Ibrahim and continued with love and patience through the family of Muhammad ,
    as ‘Allama Iqbal says;
    Sidq-e Khalil bhi hay ishq, sabr-e Husayn bhi hay ishq Ma’rika-e-wujud mayn Badr-o-Hunayn bhi hay ishq
    “The veracity of Prophet Ibrahim is love, so too the patient perseverance of Imam Husayn is love.
    Just as Prophet Muhammad’s selfless struggle at Badr and Hunayn too was love (for Allah, truth and justice).”
    Iqbal thus concluded;
    Gharib-osadao- rangeen hay dastane haram, nehayat is ki Husayn, ibtida hay Isma’il”
    “Strange, simple yet colorful is the story of the haram. It begins with Prophet Isma’il and ends with Imam Husayn.”
    Outstanding Example of Husayn
    The special status of Imam Husayn in Muslim history has in large measure been due to the his sacrifice of family, possession, and life itself in the cause of justice in the way of Allah.
    His courage, sincerity, steadfastness, dignity, and unwavering devotion in times of great crisis – have inspired and continues to inspire people of all walks of life.
    His struggle and eventual martyrdom became a source of strength and endurance for the oppressed in times of suffering, persecution and oppression.
    He has been morally on the side of every person against unjust rulers, reproaching tyrants and encouraging the oppressed to persist in their struggle for justice, freedom and dignity.
    “No battle in the modern and past history of mankind has earned more sympathy and admiration as well as provided more lessons than the martyrdom of Husayn in the battle of Karbala.
    ” [antoine Bara in ‘Husayn in Christian Ideology’]
    Perhaps the most fitting of all epithets regarding Imam Husayn was by one of the greatest spiritual luminaries the world has ever known, Khwajah Mo’inuddin Chisti (may Allah sanctify his status), who said É
    Shahast Hussain, badshahast Hussain,
    Deenast Hussain, deen-e panahast Hussain,
    Sar dad, na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazid,
    Haqa key binaey La ilaha ilallahast Hussain
    Translation,
    Husayn is the master,
    Husayn is the king,
    Husayn is the symbol of faith,
    Husayn is the defender of faith,
    He gave his life rather than allegiance to Yazid
    Verily the foundation of La’illah illa-allah is Husayn

    Call of ‘Ashura
    We must reflect on that monumental moment, over thirteen hundred and fifty years ago, on the 10th day of Muharram 61 AH (680 CE) just before ‘Asr prayer, when Imam Husayn stood on a sand-dune at Karbala in Iraq.
    Blood was flowing all over his body from the wounds he had suffered; having lost virtually everything that day. He had carried several dead bodies into his camp and even buried his dear infant child. He looked at the murdered bodies of his loved ones.
    Tears flowed from his eyes. He looked skyward and prayed;
    “O Allah! In You I place my trust amid all grief.
    You are my hope amid all violence.
    You are my Refuge and Provider in everything that happens.
    How many grievances are there that weaken the heart, leaving me with no means to respond;
    during which friends desert me while enemies rejoice.”
    Then, this beloved grandson of the Prophet and the apple of his eye, raised a call:
    “Is there anyone who will come to assist us?
    Is there anyone who will respond to our call for help?”
    He turned directions and repeated the call several times. Who was he calling out to?
    Surely he was not expecting anyone there to come to his aid since those who he had relied upon had already betrayed him?
    Perhaps it was a call to people of conscience of every period, every generation in every land.
    It was a call for help against corruption which everywhere in every age rears its ugly head to oppress justice and undermine the truth.
    Everyday and Everywhere
    Imam Husayn’s martyrdom at Karbala provides evidence of the moral victory of right over wrong,
    of virtue over vice,
    of principle over compromise,
    of the oppressed over the oppressor,
    of the denied over the denier;
    the ultimate victory of blood over sword.
    A lesson teaching humankind through the inscription of blood on the scrolls of human history,
    how he conveyed to the world, through his struggle, the meaning of life;
    that that living is truly of value which offers itself for a cause greater than its self;
    that to die with honor is better than living in subjugation to injustice.
    For those conscious of their moral obligations, consistently striving against injustice and oppression;
    EVERY DAY IS ‘ASHURA AND EVERY PLACE IS KARBALA.
    In the words of Moulana ‘Ali Gouhar, Qatle Husayn asl mein marge yazid hay Islam zinda hotahay har Karbala ki ba’d
    “The killing of Husayn is in fact the death knell of Yazid, as Islam is revived after every such Karbala”.
    Remember Never to Forget
    The commemoration of ‘Ashura on the 10th of Muharram every year serves to remind us of the sacrifices of the righteous throughout our glorious history.
    It reconnects us with our spiritual and moral legacy making us aware of the people, then and now, who bravely stood up for what was right; as well as those who tried to destroy the family of the Prophet and the noble ideals that the family stood for.
    More than that, it exposes those who watched what was happening, knew what was right; and yet did nothing.
    How many are there even today who shy away; not only from mentioning the struggle at Karbala,
    but from the very memory of Husayn.
    God forbid that we ever become of those who forget
    ***************************
    Excerpted from “Ashura – Lest We Forget” by Sadullah Khan

  41. Cursing is a Sunnah established by God himself in the Qur’an in various verses

    QURAN: 4:93 If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (For ever): And the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him.

    QURAN: 2:88] They say, “Our hearts are the wrappings (which preserve Allah’s Word: we need no more).” Nay, Allah’s curse is on them for their blasphemy: Little is it they believe.

    QURAN: 2:89] And when there comes to them a Book from Allah, confirming what is with them,- although from of old they had prayed for victory against those without Faith,- when there comes to them that which they (should) have recognised, they refuse to believe in it but the curse of Allah is on those without Faith.

    QURAN: 2:159] Those who conceal the clear (Signs) We have sent down, and the Guidance, after We have made it clear for the people in the Book,-on them shall be Allah’s curse, and the curse of those entitled to curse,-

    ASKING ALLAH TO CURSE IS SUNNAH OF PROPHETS
    QURAN: 9:68] “Our Lord! Give them double Penalty and curse them with a very great Curse!”

    ALLAH AUTHORIZED AHLEBAYT TO INVOKE CURSE OF ALLAH ON LIARS

    QURAN: 3:61] If any one disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full) knowledge Hath come to thee, say: “Come! let us gather together,- our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: Then let us earnestly pray, and invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie!”

  42. Every muslim loves the prophet and his family whether they are shia or sunni, obviously the situation around the world is not that some do and some don’t. The issue that divides us is that shias have self proclaimed to be the ones that love the prophets family and pay such devotion to the family that they clearly do shirk is asking for blessing from the family of the prophet. It happens all over from the sub continent to Turkey (and beyond). Shias have also in their show of love, gone against the sunnahs of the prophet by indulging into sever mourning over the death of Ali, Hassan and Hussain (pbut). As far as I am concerned none of this is line with the teachings of the prophet. The prophet had lost his only son but did not mourn as such or asked his companions to devote themselves to his son as shias do to his son-in-law and the grandsons. Even the Christians had believed in the message of prophet Isa early on. But with time they increased their devotion towards Isa (pbuh) to such an extent that they eventually lost the message and forgot God himself and started calling prophet Isa as the son of God. Sunnis love the family of the prophet but will not deviate from the sunnah (teaches of the prophet which after all is the true Islam) in showing undue devotion to the family that may lead to shirk or biddat. If the prophet would not do that for his own son then it cannot be done for other family members. Hazrat Hussain was not a shia, he was simply a muslim who followed the teachings of the prophet, the sunnahs of the prophet. As for Yazeed I don’t what exactly happened, back then I was not there nor was anyone alive today. There does not seem to be decisive documentation of the events that happened, I saw completely contradicting views of the same incident from the little bit of research I did as ofcourse the subject is high emotional one. However my best opinion (not a judgement, only Allah knows all and is the best judge) is that being a good muslim one cannot kill another righteous muslim let alone the grandson of the prophet. Beyond that I don’t know what happened and I believe it is not important for the muslims as a ummah as long as they follow the quran and the sunnahs only. Then there would be no divisions.

    • Habeeb you should be one of the few Muslims who was not there so for that reason don’t have to believe anything happened. You were also not there when Jibrael descended upon the Prophet( PBUH) and nobody in fact saw him. That is a great logic for you to simplify this great event.
      The Prophet said ” Alhussain o minni wa ana minal Hussain”. People didnt really understand this then. Hussain was from the Prophet ( PBUH) alright ,being his beloved grandson, but Karbala showed that Hussain made the Prophet’s message indelible with his supreme sacrifice. Thus Prophet and Islam are there today because of Hussain. Had Hussain given the stamp of legitimacy to Yazids Gunah e Kabeera laden rule as Caliph, such as leading prayers while drunk (saying extra rakats in this condition), womanizing, vandalizing, terrorizing, killing without reason, extortion, corruption, nepotism, trivializing Islamic practices and moral bankrupcy, knowing well about the short memory of mankind and its propensity to evil, Islam would have been long
      forgotten. Probably you would have still been a Hindu now. So while praying do pay homage to this great person who sacrificed even his 6 months old son in the way of Allah knowing that his left over family would be driven days on bare backs of camels and paraded in bazars of Syria. Thank him for that and do shed a tear or two for the great hardship he bore and the great Zulm that was perpetrated by Banu Ummaya to avenge Badr, Uhad and Trench from the children of Prophet and Ali.

  43. S Saeed stop it man! You have NO idea what youre leading this convo to….! Youre making muslim brothers fight!!!! Everyone LOVES IMAM HUSSAIN And NOONE LIKES YAZID !!! Get it in your head ! And dont make people fight. Im out of it bye.

  44. I may sound very different or may could not give right words to what I want to express, but I think at least give it a try. I have read comments stated above , and listen to TV , consult Newspaper & Journals every year again & again to understand why Allah made it happen, to bring in the history & keep alive since so many hundreds of years such a Great sacrifice. Allah Who could save Prophet Abrahim from fire, Prophet Moosa could walk through River alongwith his followers, A kafir could be dug in the earth along with his horse when followed Prophet Muhammad during Hijarat that very Allah sure have power to save Imam Hussain from Yazids but He did not for some purpose. Nothing happens without purpose , Allah has said it in Holy Quran. Imam Hussain ( R.A.U ) along with companions indeed succeeded into his mission.
    We have to observe what lesson & responsibilities are imposed onto us being the Muslim descendants, after this.
    Why talk about Yazid, his army & majority of Muslim Ummah of that time ( as they did not join Imam Hussain ) and perhaps Yazid’s father Amir Mo’aviya, why waste our time on discussing these personalities . They will all pay for their deeds and wish for the worst ………………. but the point is
    though I was not among Yazids at that time, my attitude toward my responsibilities for the sake of Islam & Allah may not make me stand among the cursed ones.
    There are hundred lessons & demands given us by Allah in this one Incident that happened at Karbla, for fathers, bothers, sisters, sons, friends, relatives : what should be our attitude for when one of us decide to stand against evil, the hypos in Islam . One very brief lesson is no matter how short we are in numbers we have no excuse to stand & fight against the hypos in Muslim Society , these hypos may be strong emperors but I have to fight them like a soldier.
    Please be Practical Muslims in the light of Prophet Muhammad’s Sunah, examples left by his followers especially 1st four Caliphs & the Incident of Karbla, the example left by Imam Hussain ( R.A.U ).
    Allah forgive me and show us all the right path which results in Closeness of Allah.

  45. Mr. Talha Rafique :
    Have you read this below mentioned verses in this article, I hope NOT?

    “If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (For ever): And the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him.”— Surah An-Nisa (Chapter 4), Verse 93

  46. As has been stated before, I do believe that Karbala was one of the greatest tragedies in Muslim history, However, I would spend my time praising Allah rather than hating yazid, Allah knows all and I don’t think wasting time on cursing some human is going to please Allah…That is just my opinion though. Focusing on the pillars of Islam should be of utmost importance for all Muslims. I don’t believe that hating someone who died a long time ago can be productive in any way, It just builds up feelings of negativity. All Muslims should remain united and work together so that Islam is known to be a exemplary religion of peace for people of other faiths as well.

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