Humanity is defined as the quality or state of being kind to others – humans or even animals. An approach derived from appreciation of human values and of the unique ability of the humans to express it. In Islamic sense, it primarily stems from the divine directions – inni akhafullaha rabul aalameen (Holy Qur’an,59:16) means “… surely, I fear Allah , the Lord of the worlds”. Precisely, the sense of humanity demands capacity of a person to offer care, respect, express hospitality, be tolerant, exhibit love and compassion, extend forgiveness and express ability to promote equality. Philosophers have said, that in lighter sense humanity means happiness and in wider sense it can be obtained by virtues, that is full understanding of our morals and strengths. This all is expected of normal human beings; but for the infallible Imams a.s., it is their divine fikr o zikr and simple manifestation to guide us.
Human by nature is flexible, has ability to mould into any situation – virtuous or vicious. He can be drawn to a straight or to a wrong path. Allama Iqbal says –
Satiza kar raha hai azal se ta imroz
Chirag e Mustafavi se sharar e Bulahbi
It means that human being has remained an instrument of conflict from inception till now, in him we find the light of Mustafa, s.a.w.a., and the mischief of Abu Lahb. The extremity of virtues would take him or her to the wall of angel and the extremity of vices to the wall of devil. And to maintain balance remains his test. The same human being, in literal sense, endowed with lofty virtuous qualities came in the form of Hazrat Mohammad e Mustafa, s.a.w.a., the beloved Prophet of Allah, fondly referred in the Holy Qur’an as Habeeb. By extrasensory perception, batni nazar, the stature of Hazrat Muhammed, s.a.w.a., is divinely loftier. And the same human being pursuing devil’s pathcame in the form of Abu Lahab, the cursed one as mentioned in Holy Qur’an (al-Masad, sura 111).
The lives of the infallible Ahlul Bayt, a.s., are not mere lives but a set of ideals – Eisaar, Sabr, Ehtiram, Ibadat, Ikhlaq, Insaaf, Haya, Masawaat etc. (sacrifice, patience, respect, prayer, manners, justice, haya, equality, etc.) to guide the adherents of faith, to shape an ideal society based on these values for the good of humanity. As a human, at times, is deviant not adhering to what is expected of him or her, so he or she needs some ideologue, some rehber, to follow for the society’sbetterment. Symbolically, an example of a calf who follows its mother (cow), gets momentarily engrossed and deviates from mother’s path, moves left and right, then suddenly recollects and follows the right path of mother. Similarly, remembering every year the event of martydom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, a.s, at Karbala, guides us to follow the right & just path and to avoid the hateful & ignorant path. In a way, the event of Karbala is an institution of learning, touching the varied subjects essential for a just social system where significance of humanity is supreme. The foundations of this institution are just and fair.
While nurturing these virtues of humanity and sacrifice, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed, s.a.w.a, Hazrat Imam Hussian, a.s., avoided foreseeable bloodshed at the holy land of Madina and moved towards Makkah, and then to Kaufa (Iraq) turning Hajj into Umrah. To understand the aforesaid ideals and pursuit and hikmat of Hussain ibn Ali, a.s., a brief glance at the historical events would lend credence to it. The history goes – Hussain Ibn Ali, a.s., left Madina in a state of hope and apprehension like Prophet Musa, a.s., who in hope and fear, when unjust Israelites were planning for his murder, had left Egypt to Madian as ordained by Allah (Holy Qur’an, Sura al-Qasas, 28/verse 21) –“ So he (Musa) left therefrom, fearing , awaiting (and) he said, My Lord ! Save me from the unjust people”.An acclaimed Islamic scholar, Tibri in his book Tareekh e Islam (vol. 6) writes that when Hussain ibn Ali, a.s., left Madina on 28thRajab, 60 Hijri, Sunday evening , in a similar state of hope and apprehension, the same verse of Holy Qur’an (28:21) was on his sacred lips, seeking refuge ofAllah from the unjust people to avoid foreseeable bloodshed at Madina. A similarity of situation and will of Allah. Hussain ibn Ali, a.s., in a state of loneliness and estranged world, never intended to stir conflict in the turbulent land of his grandfather, Madina, but to remain silent, sensing the fragile and unjust atmosphere barely 50 years after the Prophet’s passing away, so that innocents won’t get unjustifiably killed. He preferred silence & truce over conflict & affliction, also no chance to the future historians to allege that Imam got into an avoidable conflict and wasted sanctity of Madina besides unduly involving respectable of the time. Simultaneously, by remaining silent, Hussain ibn Ali, a.s., didn’t want to affirm the arrogance and unjust dictates of Yazid so that anti Islam and anti Shariya barbarous acts would get unduly established. In this strategy, though position of the Imam, being grandson of the Prophet a.s., was comparably elevated but in this pursuit his other companions of Madina like Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdul Rahman ibn Abi Bakr and Abdullah ibn Zubair participated, who were familiar with the habits and style of Yazid and thus wouldn’t consider Yazid’s leadership as legitimate. This made difficult the smooth sailing for Yazid, offending his fragile empire and empty grandeur.
Yazid sent a letter to Walid, his cousin, formally informing about the demise of father, Amir Muawiya, on 22nd Rajab 60 Hijri, then he wrote a second letter asking him to coerce the Imam, a.s., and his companions for allegiance (baiyyat) of Yazid and to be harsh. On receipt of the message, Walid got tumultuous thoughts as he would acknowledge the effects and dangers of the Imam’s personality. He, as required by the so-called sovereign order, sought advice of Marwan, the former Governor of Madina, who said that Abdullah ibn Abbas and Abdul Rahman ibn Abi Bakr will neither offend nor participate in khilafat. But a message be sent to Hussain ibn Ali,a.s., and Abdullah ibn Zubair and if they disagree for baiyyat, then murder them. Walid sent a young boy, Abdullah ibn Amr bin Osman, as messenger to Masjid e Nabvi and Hussain ibn Ali, a.s., &Abdllah ibn Zubair heard the message, and understanding the ill will of Marwan decided appropriate to migrate from Madina. The Imam, a.s., didn’t sleep the whole night of 28th Rajab 60 Hijri, offered fatiha on the grave of his brother, Hassan, a.s. (Jannat ul Baqee), on the turbat of his mother, Hazrat Fatima Zehra, s.a., and the holy Masjid Nabvi, mausoleum of his grandfather, the Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w.a. Past twilight, by early dawn, the Imam, a.s., sad and dismayed, bade farewell to his fond native land and to the devout followers. All his companions were Bani Hashim, descendants of Abu Talib, except Muhammad bin Hanfiya, brother, who stayed back by some compulsion or choice, Umme Hani bint Abu Talib, being elderly, and Fatima Sugra bint Hussain, being ill. A small caravan, including women and children left on that common highway to Makkah which Abdullah ibn Zubair skipped and rather chose some uncommon route. The Imam, a.s., thought that none should perceive that he left for war, accompanying the decedents of Abu Talib with women and children, and none should say that he fled deceptively. That is why he chose the highway.
The Imam, a.s., left from Madina to the sacred land of Makkah where Hajj had to be performed after some months and possibility of meeting entire Muslim ummah. And this would also be in his mind that Makkah being the land of peace, by all human leanings, the murder of a human or even an animal to be haram there, and even uprooting the grass. So sacred and so peaceful the land! On 3rdShaban, 60 Hijri, Thursday, the Imam, a.s., reached Makkah and stayed at Shaab e Ali. And people, when knew about the Imam’s migration, came in scores and groups to meet and thus Imam attained focus and by then Abdullah ibn Zubair had also reached. The Imam, a.s., had already sensed the insensitivity of time and didn’t thus let anyone know in advance about his migration. On arriving at Makkah, the Imam, a.s., remained silent, neither indulged in any intrigue against Yazid nor remained busy in armoury preparedness. He had seen the insensitivity of public on his father’s and brother’s murder and mother’s plight. Also, didn’t spread hatred among the masses for greed of kingdom. But far away from Makkah, in Kufa there was public unrest on Yazid’s unruly and wild behaviour, demeaning religious obligations and the like. They wrote to the Imam, a.s., after the demise of Amir e Shaam , that they had no religious guide. Thus invited the Imam, a.s., in one voice and one heart, writing most affectionate and benevolent letter, delivered through Abdullah bin Asabi Hamdani and Abdullah bin Dhal to the Imam, on 10th Ramazan. Then followed the invitations in hundreds. In the meantime, some kind-hearted Governor of Kufa, Numan bin Bahir, was unceremoniously removed and replaced by Abdullah ibn Ziyad, by Yazid. Then strangely, those Kufans who wholeheartedly invited the Imam,a.s., overwhelmingly stood against him at Karbala, a twist apparently unperceivable. But all was designed.
After 150 days of tiring journey crossing over 900 miles, the Imam, a.s., finally reached Karbala, also called Nainawa, Ghazarya, Shabte Furat, on 2nd Muharram 61 Hijri (2nd October, 680 AD), Thursday. Hurr, the commander of Yazid’s side, objected to pitching of the Imam’s, a.s., tents on river Furat side. The same Hurr had no water for his soldiers enroute to Karbala, but the Imam, a.s., was benevolent and provided it. As destined, Hurr joined the small army of the Imam, a.s., on 10th Moharram(Ashura) a.s., and by account of some historians was the first martyr. In the small army of the Imam, a.s., comprising around 70 persons, were very elderly like Muslim ibn Owsaja and Habib ibn Mazahir. The army of Yazid would number between 35,000 to 1,00,000 as numerously written. On 7thMoharram the water was stopped to the Imam, a.s., his family and the companions. On 10th Moharram night, the Imam, a.s., and his companions including children, and an African Kaneez, Hazrat Fiza, r.a., all showed gracious contentment. Hussain ibn Ali, a.s., put off the candle during the Ashura night, so that anyone desiring to leave could. But none left. The night passed in prayers. The dawn of Ahura saw the gloomy sky, the day saw the offering of sacrifices one by one, from six month old Ali Asgar ibn Hussain, a.s., to 75 year old Habib ibn Mazahir. Then came Zuhur (noon time) when Hussain ibn Ali, a.s., stood for the prayer and lost his devout companions shielding him and finally around Asr (afternoon) the Imam was martyred most inhumanely with hundreds of body wounds with sacred head severed. Thus began another epoch of trail and tribulations for the surviving Bani Hashim women, children and ill ones to cross numerous cities from Karbala to Syria and finally to Madina, covering nearly 1414 miles. The legendary daughter of Hazrat Ali, a.s., sister of Hussain ibn Ali, a.s., Hazrat Zainab, s.a., delivered the sermons enroute and at the Yazid’s Darbar at Shaam (Syria) which shook the tyrants. The faith that once was groomed and nurtured after centuries of age of ignorance in the Arabian peninsula, saw its doomed canvass painted with blood of the pious and saintly, which no doubt renewed the Islamic message of peace and humanness.
Historically seen, Hussain ibn Ali, a.s., could have sought the support from the neighbouring kingdoms “and even escaped to a fortress in the desert that had defied the power of Caesar and Chosroes and confided in the fidelity of the tribe of Tai, which would have armed ten thousand warriors in his defence”, Writes Gibbon (Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 5). But the Imam, a.s., never wanted war, and war like victory, but something beyond that before the will of Allah. He chose victory of right over wrong, of fair over unfair, of just over unjust, of devout over deviated, of compassion over arrogance, of benevolence over greed, of knowledge over ignorance.
In the backdrop of this divine philosophy, the message of Hussain ibn Ali, a.s., is live, heard and followed the world over even today regardless of faith, colour, class, community, since its origin nearly 1400 years back. All the theologians, thinkers, philosophers, leaders, jurists and commons are influenced by this message with its beauty of intention focusing humanity and sacrifice.
I quote a couplet from Ali Mohammed Mua’ddib, a Persian poet (Boo e Karbala) –
Imshab ajeeb khosh dil amaz boo e Karbala,
Da’rad Hussain mi vazadaz soo e Karbala
Tonight I’m happy by the fragrance of Karbala,
As Hussein is smelt from the side of Karbala.
Mohammed Saleem, Former Commissioner/Secretary to J&K Government