Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. This month assumes a special significance in the eyes of those who have some knowledge of the sequence of events that took place in this month. And, on the 10th day of this month, the human history witnessed the most sad, pitiable and tragic event which left an indelible and everlasting impression on its pages. Prophet Noah lived for more than nine hundred years. Despite this long stay on earth, he could win the hearts of only a few as believers. Being exasperated and disheartened, he prayed to Almighty God for the punishment of those who remained completely absorbed and indulged in activities that bring man to the level of animal. God accepted Noah’s entreaty.
What happened thereafter is all put down in the Qur’ān and earlier in the Old Testament. There was an unprecedented deluge. Noah and his true followers remained safe for several days in a boat, which was made on the command of Almighty God. At last the boat, carrying Noah and his faithful followers reached the Mount Judi where it found land and ultimately stopped. It was 10th of Muharram.
Another important and heart-rending event that took place and shook the entire Muslim world is the assassination of Imam Hussain, the maternal grandson of the Prophet of Islam on the 10th day of Muharram. Similarly, there are also some other incidents that took place on 10th of Muharram. I am not going to mention all those events which are elaborated in books dealing with Islamic history and culture.
The world can never get rid of fighting, battle and war. It is because human beings are too pugnacious. It is also true that battles and wars have never occurred without any reason, minor or major. But, there would have been very few wars / battles that have yielded such far reaching consequences as I am going to pen down here. There have been wars for expanding the territories and boundaries of the empires. There have been wars and battles to settle disputes and/or to establish one’s superiority and might over others. However, seldom has ever been a war or battle raged and fought purely on the ground of justice and spread of Truth.
I place before the learned readers the narrative, in a nutshell, which focuses on a blood-curding and heart-rending battle fought between two Muslim camps – one raising the banner of justice and the other of injustice. One wanted to establish what is known today as ‘democracy’ while the other kingship. This was the battle which truly changed the course of Muslim history.
The battle which I am going to narrate is unique and unparalleled in nature. A person very gentle, very brave, very pious and true devotee of Allah accepted the invitation of some influential individuals of Kufa, a town in Iraq. It was the most telling moment in his life when he accepted this invitation. However, he along with the members of his family and relatives, totalling not more than 72 souls, departed from Medina, the city of the Prophet of Islam – and reached Karbala, a field on the bank of the river Euphrates in Iraq. (Euphrates and Tigris rivers are known as one of the seats of ancient civilization of the world. Euphrates and Tigris are called Farat and Dajla respectively in Urdu).
It was the 10th day of October, 680 C.E; and according to the Islamic era (which begins from the day the Prophet of Islam migrated from Makkah to Medina, earlier called Yathrib), it was the month of Muharram of the Islamic year 61. It was more than 1400 years ago when all the heavenly bodies watched the most heinous act of treachery and betrayal that ever took place on earth. The satanic hands were going to reveal to the world the most ignoble act of treachery that some sections of the Muslims in Iraq – rightly to be called ‘impostures’ – undertook against a pious one who was going to teach the entire world the lesson as to how sacrifice is made for the sake of justice and righteousness. This pious man was going to teach the entire human world the lesson of sacrifice for the cause of establishing on earth the reign based on the Will of Allah but with people’s consent i.e. Democracy.
Water was scarce and the Satans’ allies would not allow the faithful even few drops of it. The little soul’s tongue perched. The heart-breaking condition of the little one forced his father to fetch water from the river Euphrates, flowing at a little distance but guarded by the stone-hearted forces of the enemy’s camp. Father, holding the infant in his arms and lap, reached the bank of the river. The little soul’s throat could not be even moistened with a drop of water. Instead, an arrow shot by one (also a Muslim) from the enemy camp pierced into his throat. The hapless father came back to his tent with the dead child in the lap. I doubt if there is any other example which could match this heart-rending incident.
The matter did not end there. Like other members of the family, this man, the father of the dead child, was also very thirsty. He was offered a pot of water. But, no sooner had he taken the pot to the lips than a dart hit him and pierced into his mouth. Blood oozed. He fainted and fell on the ground. And, then “the murderous crew rushed upon the dying hero, cut off his head and with savage ferocity subjected it to every ignominy”, writes the distinguished historian, W. Mur in his The Caliphate – Its Rise, Decline & Fall.
I wonder, if you have been able to recognise the pious father, whose stand against injustices paved the way for offering sacrifices for the sake of justice and truthfulness. He laid down his life but did not dither and bow head in the face of very hostile situation, for he wanted to establish a true democratic government.
Well, the man was Hussain (called reverentially Imam Hussain) son of Ali and maternal grandson of the Prophet of Islam. Imam Hussain reached Kufa on getting a letter of allegiance from some influential persons living there. They had made an earnest appeal to him to go there and rescue them from the oppression and torture subjected to them by the cruel administrator appointed by usurper Caliph Yazid, son of Amir Mu’awiyah.
Though the people of Kufa had promised to extend all sort of assistances that Imam Hussain would need in dethroning the usurper Yazid, they betrayed. They trampled on every word of promises they had made so solemnly. When Imam Hussain reached Kufa, he was spell bound to see completely changed scenario. He then realised his mistake for reposing so much faith in the people of Kufa whose treacherous activities were well known to the people of Medina. Despite this, he did not bow his head before the impostures.
With the accession of Yazid to the throne, the very principle of Islam was dashed to the ground. The nomination of Yazid to the throne by his father Amir Mu’awiyah was sure to meet with vehement opposition. And, it happened. When Mu’awiyah died, Imam Hussain refused to declare his acceptance of the caliphate of Yazid. Hussain had the legitimate claim on the caliphate after the death of Mu’awiyah. Hussain was upright, sincere, honest and was noted for bravery, magnanimity, piety and ability. He got his head cut off but did not let it bow before anyone else save Allah.
Noted historian, Gibbon says in his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: ‘in the distant land and climate the tragic scene of the death of Hussain will awaken the sympathy of the coldest heart’. The tragedy that the field of Karbala witnessed proved to be an event of far-reaching consequences in the history of Islam. It decided not only the fate of the Caliphate but also destroyed once for all the respect of unity among the Muslims.
Historian P.K. Hitti says, ‘The blood of Hussain even more than that of his father Hazrat Ali (the fourth pious Caliph) proved to be the seed of the Shi’ite Church’. The seed sowed in the soil of Karbala got nourished and with the passage of time grew quite strong and ultimately drew a line of division between the members of the Muslim community – one is called Sunni and the other Shi’ite.
Undoubtedly, the Shi’ite party was born anew on the field of Karbala. This is the field where Imam Hussain was mercilessly slain. Henceforth the first ten days of the month of Muharram are to be observed by the Shi’ite Muslims as ‘days of lamentation’. It is but an irony for the Muslim race that its division into two hostile camps proved a great hurdle in the way of progress and prosperity of future Islam. This tragedy resulted in causing an irreparable damage to the Islamic world. Sacrifice of Imam Hussain for the cause of democracy is recognised even by the United Nations. It would not be wrong to say that the first battle for the purpose of establishing true ‘democracy’ was fought in the field of Karbala more than fourteen centuries ago.
Now a few words on how the Muslims in general commemorate the aforementioned tragedy these days. Some Muslims undertake actions entirely against the true spirit of Islam. They prepare colourful Tazia and Alam (flag), holding flags, move from one spot to another in Muslim localities. While doing so, they shout “Ya Hussain, Ya Hussain” without even knowing who this Hussain was and what happened to him and for what. Often these ignorant Muslim youth pass through the busy crossing and thoroughfares causing disruption to the smooth flow of traffic in big and metropolitan cities. These Muslim members are required to be taught the significance of the sacrifice of Imam Hussain and how to commemorate this. Some of their activities appear to be quite ludicrous and bizarre which reveal but their fanaticism.
The first day of the Islamic month of Muharram, 1437 Hijri falls on 15th of October, 2015.