Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Imam Husayn and Ashura

Introduction

Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, set out to seek to reform his grandfather’s nation, as he put it;“to promote good and prohibit evil; since good was not being promoted and evil not prohibited. And to uphold the policies of my grandfather and my father Ali bin Abu Talib.” In this cause Imam Husayn, on the day of Ashura, sacrificed everything; it cost him the lives of his sons, brothers, nephews, devotees, including himself, as well as his six-month old son, and it resulted in his wives, sisters, daughters and other women taken captives, and paraded across towns and cities from Karbala to Kufah and from there all the way to Damascus.

Ashura - the most unspeakable day in human history,“the like of which there is none” as stated by Imam Hasan, peace be upon him. Not only Allah’s most cherished were slaughtered on that day, but they were slaughtered in the most brutal way ever. Not only man and Jinn cried for Husayn, but even heaven and earth wept for Husayn. It is reported in numerous sources that on that day it rained blood, not only in Karbala but in other locations like Medina and Jerusalem. A report recorded in the Anglo Saxon chronicle alludes to this extraordinary phenomenon: 685 In this year in Britain it rained blood, and milk and butter were turned into blood.

The tragedy of Ashura is also cited in the Old Testament“For the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will offer sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.” Jeremiah 46:10

Imam Husayn embarked on this mission and gave the blood of his heart - with one goal in mind - in order to secure humanity’s salvation, and rescue them from ignorance and straying, as stated by Imam Sadiq. And in the course of that endeavour, Imam Husayn showed the most exalted forms of compassion and humanity when he lavishly gave water to his own killers as well as the their horses, and sprayed them with water in the middle of the scorching desert - knowing full well that, very soon, they would deny him water and kill him in the most ruthless manner. This is why Prophet Muhammad said about him,“al-Husayn is a torch of guidance and an ark of salvation.”

Were it not for his endeavour and his sacrifice, there would be no trace of Islam, morals, or human values today. We would instead have been in a totally different world; a world beyond recognition, a world that would have no resemblance to the one we live in today, despite all the tyranny injustice and evil there is today … it would have been pure evil. We would probably be worshipping Yazid and the devil today. Editors.

195: The holy month of Muharram has such a distinction and a feature that at the onset of this season, and the sighting of the new moon of this month, one remembers and relates to the name of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, when he was wrongly and savagely slaughtered on the tenth day of this month.

196: The holy month of Muharram reminds us of our responsibility towards Imam Husayn’s cause and the retribution of his blood. Amongst our responsibilities are two:

First: Introducing Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and his cause, such that every human being would recognise him throughout the globe.

Second: This is the more important, since the first leads to it; which is to pursue the goals of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him.

197: Promoting Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and his cause, through holding mourning programs and Husayni rites on the one hand, and through the endeavour to materialise the aim of Imam Husayn which is the salvation of the masses from the ignorance of disbelief and deviation of falsehood to the light of the Truth, Islam, and faith on the other hand, are amongst the responsibilities placed upon us all, with respect to the blood of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him.

198: With the onset of the holy month of Muharram, it is time to remember what Almighty Allah bestowed upon Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, who sacrificed everything in Allah’s cause. The Almighty gave him merits that He did not give to absolutely anyone else, not even those who are superior to Husayn i.e. his grandfather Allah’s Messenger, his father Imam Ali the Commander of the Faithful, his mother Fatima al-Zahra’, and his brother Imam Hasan, peace be upon them all.[45]

199: Indeed, Almighty Allah has given al-Husayn, peace be upon him, that which He has given to no one else. The Almighty has linked his blood to the realm of creation; for He has placed the responsibility for his blood upon the entire Earth, and upon everyone who lives on it - as if the crime was committed by the entire earth and whoever on it. He then made them responsible to take his revenge.

200: We must roll up our sleeves during the months of Muharram and Safar; while having planned and prepared extensively beforehand, and utilise all our energies and resources in this cause so that ultimately Imam Husayn becomes a guide for all humanity. This may be achieved through the means of the Husayni rites and processions, movies, the internet, satellite television channels, seminars, and all other means available to us. This is part of our responsibility alluded to in Imam Sadiq’s address to his grandfather Imam Husayn:“Allah has made the Earth and whoever on it liable for your blood.”

201: Let us carefully study the [various] ziyarat of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and contemplate the notions therein; it is only then that one would attain great understanding through reflections on the content of these ziyarat.

202: It is necessary to know why Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and his sons and followers chose the path of martyrdom, and in this particularly tragic way. There is a passage in the salutation of ziyarat-al-arb‘een that answers this question of ours:“In order to bring about the salvation of Your servants [O Allah] from ignorance and from the confusion and perplexity of straying and perversity” . Here the term“Your servants” is used; but this does not concern the Shi’a only but all human beings.

203: How great is the number of the people who do not know Husayn, his cause, and the objectives of his uprising! And how grave is our responsibility thereof!

204: Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, revived and upheld the religion of his grandfather, peace be upon him and his holy family, and were it not for Husayn, no pillar of the Islamic religion would have stood still.

205: By his sacrifice and martyrdom, Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, revived and upheld the religion and protected the Sharia.

206: Were it not for Husayn, there would have been no trace of the salah, fasting, and the hajj pilgrimage - because the Umayyad’s were about to annihilate the Islamic religion, but Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, protected the religion by [sacrificing] his blood and the blood of his Ahl al-Bayt.

207: Doesn’t Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, have a favour for the salah; every salah on the face of the planet?! Doesn’t his blood have a favour upon the Ka‘bah and the Grand Holy Mosque?!

208: Were it not for the struggle and jihad of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, his revolt and his blood, there would have been no fasting during the month of Ramadan, and there would have been no trace of the zakah, khums, and all other laws of Islam.

209: The survival of the name of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his holy family, and its daily mention from the top of the minarets is by the blessings of Imam Husayn, and were it not for Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, Mo‘awiyah, Yazid, and after them the dynasty of Marwan would have wiped any mention of the Prophet’s name, and the jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic era of ignorance) would have returned. This was the plan Mo‘awiyah had drawn up.

210: Every mosque you enter today owes its existence to Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and every salah and fasting, and“bidding good and forbidding evil” , all kindness to parents, sincerity to Allah, and even the name of Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, every time it is raised in the adhan . all these are due to Imam Husayn, peace be upon him. This is the meaning of the prophetic hadith,“I am from Husayn.”

211: The Prophets, their loyal successors, and devout followers were killed in the cause of Allah’s Laws. Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, informed his brother Muhammad al-Hanafiyyah when the latter tried to convince him not to leave for Karbala, that his grandfather, Allah’s Messenger, said to him in his dream,“O Husayn! Go for Allah has willed to see you killed [in the cause of saving the religion]” . Muhammad al-Hanafiyyah responded by reciting the Qur’anic verse“To Allah we belong and to Him we return.” He went on saying to Imam Husayn,“Then what is the purpose for taking the women and children with you, given you are leaving under these circumstances?” the Imam replied,“He told me: “Indeed Allah has willed to see them taken captive [to convey and revive the message of Karbala.]” “

212: The Prophet said to his grandson Imam Husayn,“You have degrees and ranks in Paradise that you may not attain except through martyrdom” . What did the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, attain other than it preserved and protected Allah’s religion and His Laws from being eradicated during the reign of the tyrant Yazid ibn Mo‘awiyah?!

213: It is absolutely not possible for us to imagine what the master of the martyrs, peace be upon him, endured on the day of Ashura. Occasionally some thoughts and ideas might occur to one, but it is absolutely impossible to imagine what actually took place on that day.

[For a brief account of some of the sufferings Imam Husayn faced on the day of Karbala, see endnote #2 in the endnotes section beginning on page 243.]

214: Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance, depicts the state of Imam Husayn’s horse when it returns to the tents without its knight; as if it feels it had failed to succour its master Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and that it rushed to his family to inform them of a massive calamity.

215: The term“nashirat al-sho‘ur” [46] or“having spread their hair” may be envisaged as follows:

It was cultural tradition of the ancient Arabs that when a woman loses a beloved one, she would remain grief stricken for the rest of her life. In these circumstances she would untie her braid inside her hijab as a sign of her grief. This tradition is prevalent in Iraq and may be in other Arab countries. By this statement it is not meant, as some tend to believe, that the ‘alawiyyat ladies left their tents while their heads and hair exposed, God forbid.

The meaning of“nashirat al-sho‘ur” or“having spread their hair” is that the ‘alawiyyat ladies untied their tresses under their hijab given their immense grief, and wore their hijab on their heads firmly abiding by the instruction of Sayyid al-Shohada’, peace be upon him, who ordered them to do so, and not let their immense grief make them overlook their hijab.

216: The polytheists gathered their forces to fight Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, and they meant to kill him in particular. But when they were defeated and some of them taken prisoners, the prophet could not go to sleep because one of them was groaning. But in the case of the Umayyad savages, they took the Prophet’s family and descendants [captive on the day of Ashura], and they never showed pity to them.

217: The calamity of Sayyid al-Shohada’ and his family is an exceptional calamity.

218: It is Allah’s will that the calamity of Sayyid al-Shohada’ and his household remains unparalleled in all existence from eternity until the day of resurrection.

219: Look at the station of Sayyid al-Shohada’s little daughter, Sayyidah Ruqayyah. After the passage of more than one thousand, three hundred and fifty years, in the district of the Levant, that is the centre of the Umayyad dynasty seat of power, great many prayers are answered through pleading to and the intercession of this honourable Sayyidah. This is in relation to this world, as for the hereafter, Almighty Allah is all-Knowing.

220: It is not for us to summarise the cause of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, by saying,“He is an Imam, and an Imam has the quality of patience and perseverance” .

221: In less than half a day, Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, experienced all those afflictions and endured such atrocities that no human being can possibly withstand. All that was in sight of Almighty Allah that never falls asleep; and the hour will come when in His absolute wisdom the time for patience will come to an end, and it will be the turn for Allah’s justice, of which retribution will be one of its consequences.

222: The battle of Karbala embodies the grandness of the Sayyid al-Shohada’ (Master of the Martyrs), peace be upon him.

223: When we speak about Imam Husayn and his merits and qualities, we may discharge some of our responsibilities towards him, and that may be not more than the amount of the wetness a needle can have from the sea. This is because talking about Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, is indeed talking about Almighty Allah, the Holy Qur’an, Prophethood, the Truth, and every merit and virtue there is.

224: Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, aimed at bringing about salvation of humanity from ignorance, straying and perversity.

225: If we want to attain closeness to Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, it is imperative that we sacrifice all we have in the cause of the salvation of ourselves and of all humanity from ignorance, straying and perversity.

226: Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, was martyred for the sake of three goals: the fundamental principles of the Islamic religion (osool al-deen), the Islamic Law, and the Islamic ethics and morality.

227: The majority of what we have of ideals and values is from the blessings of the sacrifices of the Master of Martyrs Imam Husayn, peace be upon him.

228: Ashura has implanted in our innermost the values of humanity, servitude before Almighty Allah, as well as favouring and serving others, compassion for the oppressed, and defence of those who have been wronged.

229: It is necessary to keep the embers of the slaughter of Ashura always burning, and to sacrifice the blood of our hearts for its sake. In this way we guarantee pride and prestige for ourselves and for the generations after us.

230: One of the goals for which Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, sacrificed the most precious on the face of the earth - himself and his family - and he emphasised that it be kept alive in words and in action, is to instil and uphold Islamic morality in the individual and in society.

231: Sound economy, just politics and morality were at the forefront of the goals of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, in his uprising against the Umayyad dynasty, who crushed all values, corrupted the country, humiliated the people, and imposed upon the nation detestable economy, and oppressive rule, such that the outward look of the nation became other than what Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, had brought to the world, and had implemented during his blessed life.

232: Indeed Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, offered the greatest sacrifices in Almighty Allah’s cause, when he sacrificed his honourable person, and his righteous family, even his infant son, as well as his devout companions.

233: Were it not for the blessed movement of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, the policies and practice of the Umayyad dynasty, and those of the earlier ones before them, as well as their likes, would have uprooted the Islamic religion, and wiped out Islam altogether.

234: The holy month of Muharram and the memory of Ashura continue to serve as a torch of light by which humanity is guided from the time of martyrdom of the master of the martyrs Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, until today.

235: It is a duty upon the faithful to follow Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, by adoring themselves with good morals, and adhering to them in all conducts of social life; with friends and relatives, with strangers and enemies.

236: The faithful enhance themselves with Ashura’s rich lessons for their world and their hereafter.

237: Every time the Ashura anniversary is commemorated, Imam Husayn’s devotees acquire new values and understandings from the eternal Ashura School.

238: The massive slaughter of Ashura provides guidance and enlightenment for generations over the ages.

239: Ashura makes the reverend individuals bow their heads out of respect for the magnanimity of its owner.

240: Let’s not forget that the commemoration of Ashura has passed through various situations and confrontations, and that the sacrifices which the predecessors and ardent devotees of the Master of the Martyrs, peace be upon him, have offered are indeed the ones which have conveyed to us this school of Ashura which stands up to tyranny and oppression, and legendry in its holy objectives.

241: It is not appropriate for us to claim we follow the school of Ashura if we do not give the precious and priceless in the cause of continuing its sublime goals, and to convey this divine Husayni trust to the forthcoming generations intact and without it being stained by any defect, while at the same time, being proactive and distant from any form of straying or distortion. This may be achieved when the intentions are sincere, and the personal interests are shunned and replaced by the objective of realising the content of Almighty Allah.

242: The duties of the devotees of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, are to promote and glorify the issue of Ashura, disseminate its culture and programs, revive the Ashura majalis, processions, and everything that is related to the rites of Ashura in order to eternalise its memory. Needless to say, this task is surrounded by hardship and difficulties - but they are worth it since the final outcome is great and abundant reward.

243: Our daily prayers, fasting, good conduct with the family and community, and every other good deed that we may do is accounted for by Almighty Allah. But the endeavour made in the cause of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, has a special status compared to the aforementioned deeds. It is Imam Husayn alone that Allah has given the authority to reward for such endeavours; so good for those who multiply their endeavours in this cause.

244: Let us consider what Sayyid al-Shohada’ Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, has presented us so that we track his path and follow his footsteps.

245: We must try to learn lessons from Imam Husayn, peace be upon him.

246: One of the lessons of Karbala is to use our words and deeds for the good cause - always and with everyone without exception.

247: One of the lessons we have learnt from the Master of the Martyrs Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, is that if we are able to help someone out of difficulty, then we should not hesitate about that.

248: Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, teaches us that if it is possible for us to help someone we know - or even don’t know - with our wealth, or words and deeds, or conciliation, then we should do so.

249: The Day of Ashura is not an occasion purely for mourning and lamentation, but it has always been the time for learning from its lessons, and following the examples of its heroes.

250: It is imperative that we follow the example of Sayyid al-Shohada’, peace be upon him, and take him as a role model in all his conducts.

251: The movement of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, is distinguished by two features; the teardrop and the role-model, and these two features are always together.

252: The one who is privileged to attain a higher station and a greater sanctity in the sight of Sayyid al-Shohada’ Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, is one who is more capable in taking him as a role model and shedding tears for him. The rewards attained are according to the extent of the efforts made in these two respects.

253: By his martyrdom, Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, founded the school of guidance for all.

254: Great many non-Muslims, even fire-worshipers praised Imam Husayn, peace be upon him.

255: Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, called upon the people to confront oppression and wronging, and persevere with hardships and tribulations in order to experience happiness and prosperity.

256: Whoever wants to prove his loyalty to Sayyid al-Shohada’ Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and his sublime goals, should endeavour to realize the goals for which the Imam was martyred, which are embodied in the religion’s fundamentals (osool al-deen), Shari‘a rulings, and Islamic morals, and that one makes these goals his or her top priorities.

257: We have an exemplary role model in the stance of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, vis-à-vis al-Hurr[47] and his army of fully armed men. [When they were stranded in the desert without water] Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, gave them all water to drink, knowing full well that they, with the exception of al-Hurr, will kill him after a while. Their mission’s only objective was to arrest Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and surrender him to Ibn Ziyad [the governor of Kufah]. They were the clearest manifestation of oppressors, hypocrites, enemy combatants, rebels, and hateful adversaries without any doubt or hesitation. They were fully armed in order to force the Imam to surrender, and if necessary they would resort to using force. However, it is the conduct of the Imam, peace be upon him, that kept the Shi’a faith alive.

258: It was imperative for Imam Husayn, given his moral code of conduct, to give water to his killers [even though he and his friends and family would be left without water, as it turned out to be], to the extent that he would dismount and personally shower their horses with water, as the narrations report, but the most important matter for the Imam was Islam and inviting the people to it.

259: Imam Husayn’s exemplar and ideal may be embodied through relentless endeavour to exterminate ignorance and aberrance from humanity as a whole. This will not be realized except through unyielding efforts and sincerity to Almighty Allah, great deal of sacrifice in the cause of awakening the masses, and spreading the light of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, to every country, city, village, and corner of the world, and to every house, man, woman, boy and girl.

260: It is essential that Imam Husayn’s teachings are implemented when utilising Ashura to rescue humanity from the current wronging, killing and bloodshed, torture, and the indignity that many people face every day, and the Muslims in particular, in various parts of the world.

261: As we approach the Ashura of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, whom Almighty Allah made as a Torch of Guidance and an Ark of Salvation, it is necessary for us all to embark on what the Almighty wants us to do and would be pleased with us doing, and that which would realize the goals of Sayyid al-Shohada’, peace be upon him.

262: One of the most important goals of Ashura that rests on our shoulders [and we must faithfully discharge of it] is to disseminate the teachings of Islam - whether osool or foroo‘ (roots or branches) of religion - through all forms of mass media, communication and networking, and to propagate them in various aspects of life.

263: Amongst the goals of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, on Ashura was the instilling of: The roots of the Islamic faith such as tawheed [the indivisible oneness of Allah] along with Allah’s attributes; the mission of the prophets; the mission of the Prophet of Islam, the seal of the prophets, peace be upon him and his family and all prophets; the imamate [the leadership of the nation after the prophet] and its discussions; the resurrection, and its details, consequences, rewards and punishments, and heaven and hell.

264: One of the most important goals of Imam Husayn’s movement is to revitalise the fundamentals of the religion in the hearts and souls.

265: More than ever before, it is essential to use modern technologies to disseminate Imam Husayn’s teachings, aims and objectives through the various means of communications such as books and newspapers, films and theatrical plays, satellite television channels, internet, and whatever means that the voice of Imam Husayn may be broadcast with honesty and integrity to all humanity.

266: The movement of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, determined the fate of the Islamic nation when it rescued it from falling into the abyss of deviation, distortion and disagreement, in which other nations fell, such as the Jewish nation, the Christian nation, and other nations before them.

267: The blessed movement of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, opened up the pathway for the nation to continue the mission in the same line that was drawn up by Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, for which the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali fought to preserve, and the Holy and the Truthful Fatima al-Zahra’ sacrificed herself in its cause.

268: The sacred month of Muharram is the month of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and the month of momentous sacrifices.

269: The sacred month of Muharram is the month of the Truth’s battlefront - personified by the holy and chosen ones from Ahl al-Bayt and their righteous devotees - against the front of tyranny and falsehood - represented by the oppressive Omayyad government and its materialists followers.

270: Karbala’s unequal battle - both in terms of men and ammunitions - resulted in the victory of the Truth and the annihilation of falsehood. The signs of this victory are evident throughout all times and places, especially in the months of Muharram and Safar.

271: Indeed Allah’s promise of victory to Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, has been materialised. The holy hadith narrated this from Allah’s messenger, peace be upon him and his holy family, and that lady Zaynab, peace be upon her, quoted this to Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him:“a standard will be set up for this Taff for the tomb of your father Sayyid al-Shohada’, the mark of which will not be extinguished, and its print will not be effaced despite the recurrence of the days and nights. So let the leaders of disbelief and the followers of aberrance do their utmost to obliterate and eradicate it, for indeed this will do nothing but enhance the manifestation of its mark and magnificence of its affair.”

272: Read the history to see how Almighty Allah’s promise of punishment against the enemies of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, materialised in their ruin and perdition.

273: We must learn from Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, the lessons of relying on Almighty Allah, sense of honour, sacrifice, morality, and every virtue.

274: It is extremely important that the devotees of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, know that the more they learn from Imam Husayn the closer they get to him.

275: It is imperative for us to do our utmost to realise - to the greatest extent possible - one of the most prominent goals of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, in his blessed movement, is the“salvation of humanity” in every sense of the word.

276: Almighty Allah insists on nothing but loftiness and superiority for Sayyid al-Shohada’ Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and expansion and spreading for his blessed teachings, just as Almighty Allah insists on nothing but defeat and destruction for his enemies.

277: This year’s Day of Ashura is over, except that the tribulation of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, are not, rather they begin from now on. We should not allow this day to pass over us except in the best manner.

278: Despite the numerous attempts of the enemies to extinguish the torch of Sayyid al-Shohada’, peace be upon him, it remains shining over fourteen centuries, and it will remain shining until the Day of Resurrection.

[For a brief account of the recent history of some of the attempts against the shrine of Imam Husayn, see endnote #3 in the endnotes section beginning on page 243.]

279: The tomb of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, was in the vast stretch of the desert with no sign for it, and no one could find and visit it without a guide. On the other hand, spies and agents had orders to arrest anyone attempting to visit the tomb, and this casted fear in the hearts of all, and no one would dare visit the tomb.[48]

280: Look at what happened on the 10th Muharram 1425AH![49] Did the pilgrims stop visiting the tomb of Sayyid al-Shohada’, peace be upon him? Do the enemies believe that the people will abandon visiting Sayyid al-Shohada’, peace be upon him?

281: There is no doubt that those killed on the day of 10th of Muharram 1425AH [and on all other occasions before and after] have gone to Almighty Allah’s paradise, but woe onto those who wronged the devotees of Sayyid al-Shohada’ who had come to visit his shrine; those wicked individuals are amongst those who had lost both this world and the hereafter.

282: Good for those who were martyred while visiting the Ahl al-Bayt peace be upon them. Tomorrow we will envy them and we will see, by the will of Almighty Allah, their lofty station on the day of resurrection.[50]

283: I met many of the victims and those who had been wronged in Iraq. One of them used to say:“I have lost my five sons, and I know nothing of what has happened to them.” and there are many other such cases, where many youths have been killed, the honour of women violated, scholars assaulted, but despite all that the devotees never abandon the issue of Sayyid al-Shohada’, peace be upon him, and they will never abandon it until the day of resurrection.

284: It was Allah’s will to make out of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn a tear of sorrows and a role model, not only for the generations that followed him, but even for the divine prophets and messengers, peace be upon them, who preceded Imam Husayn, peace be upon him.

285: The trials and testing of the Ashura tragedy and its cause is not applicable to today only, nor was it on the day of Ashura 61AH, but rather it began before Almighty Allah created the Prophets, peace be upon them. So Almighty Allah trialled even Prophets Noah and Abraham, peace be upon them, with the case of Imam Husayn peace be upon him.[51]

286: The affair of Ashura will remain a burning issue until the day of resurrection, and millions of individuals will be tested on that.

287: We will all be tested, and therefore it is imperative that we take necessary caution not to disrespect any aspect of the affair of Sayyid al-Shohada’, peace be upon him. Indeed Almighty Allah will forgive a disobedience against Him quicker than forgiving an issue against the affair of Sayyid al-Shohada’, peace be upon him. This is similar to the narration which states: On the Day of ‘Arafah, Almighty Allah favours the visitors of the tomb of Sayyid al-Shohada’, peace be upon him, before He favours the visitors of His Sacred House.

288: The responsibility of those of us who know about Sayyid al-Shohada’, peace be upon him, is to convey the message of Imam Husayn to all humanity, by all means possible. In this way we can introduce Sayyid al-Shohada’ to the world, so that people of the world are guided to the truth.

289: The souls are created such that they would gather round the oppressed and defend the wronged. What would then be the response of the people when it comes to the calamity of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, his pure household, and devout companions?!

290: The movement of Imam Husayn, the calamity he suffered, and the great results that came out of that were and will continue to be the best source of aspiration for the generations and their approach in adopting the policy of defeating the oppressors.

291: The Husayni school has endless legacies and achievements that never fade away.

292: Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, is our leader and the most sublime role model.

[See also the chapter on“The Husayni programs” .]