BISMILLA HIR RAHMA NIR RAHIM A S H O O R A ________________________________________________________________________________ BED TIME STORIES series # 28; Published by Peer Mahomed Ebrahim Trust; 363, Sirajuddaula Road, Karachi 05-11-1976., PAKISTAN. It was reprinted for Imam-e-Zamana Mission, Hyderabad, __________________________________INDIA on 24-8-1988______________________________ Ashoora is an Arabic word meaning ten. In Islamic literature the word Ashoora now stands for the 10th of the month of Moharram which is the first month of the Hijri calender. The Day of Ashoora has a special significance because on this Day in the year 61 A.H. Imam Husain A.S., the grandson of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S., was martyred at Karbala in Iraq. The words Ashoora, Karbala and Imam Husain A.S. have become so closely associated with each other that you cannot think of any one of them without the other two. Think of one and the image of the other two would at once jump to your mind from the subconscious. The name of Imam Husain A.S. has become a virtual symbol of the highest form of sacrifice that is possible for man to offer for the achievement of a noble objective. Along with Imam Husain A.S. the name of Karbala, the place where he and his associates were martyred and their bodies lie in their eternal rest has also become a symbol for all that Imam Husain A.S. stands for. In the same way the word Ashoora has become a symbol for the great achievement of Imam Husain A.S. through his sacrifice at Karbala. THE CLASH BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL Why was Imam Husain A.S. martyred? Why did the tragedy of Karbala occur? These are the fundamental questions that arise in the mind on knowing that Ashoora, Imam Husain A.S. and Karbala are knit together in the great event known in history as the Tragedy of Karbala. Briefly, this tragedy was the final result of the clash between all that is good in Islam represented by Imam Husain A.S. on one side and Evil represented by Yazeed on the other. Muawiya died on the 22nd Rajab 60 A.H. whereupon his son Yazeed assumed the position as Caliph (ruler of Muslims). Yazeed's wanted to secure allegiance of Imam Husain A.S. to his position as Caliph. This was because at this juncture Imam Husain A.S. was not merely an individual but carried with him the entire heritage of the previous Prophets A.S. particularly of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S.. He had the same responsibility as the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. would have had if he was present for the safeguard and preservation of Righteousness, Truth, Good and Virtue which all stood embodied in the shape of Islam. Imam Husain A.S. was the eldest direct descendant of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. at that time and carried out all these responsibilities. Yazeed did not demand allegiance only in his capacity as a temporal ruler but in his view the Caliph in authority should also be sovereign power in matters of religion so that he could effect whatever change suited his free will in the commands, laws, tenets and practices of Islam. Imam Husain A.S. understood fully well the real meaning and purpose of Yazeed in seeking his allegiance. He was also aware of his own position as the sole representative of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. with the responsibility to defy any attempt to undermine Islam. Thus, in the circumstances in which Imam Husain A.S. was placed, allegiance to Yazeed would have meant his giving licence to Yazeed on behalf of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. to play with religion as he wished in his capacity of being the sovereign ruler of Muslims. Yazeed's position as Caliph could not be acquiesced in by Imam Husain A.S. and if he had done so it would have meant abandoning his responsibility. Consequently Imam Husain A.S. refused to pay allegiance to Yazeed. After refusing to pay allegiance, it was clear that Yazeed would be violent and try to coerce the Imam A.S. into allegiance; and being determined not to surrender, Imam Husain A.S. made himself ready to face any degree of violence that might be made to bear upon him, but in a novel way. On 28th Rajab 60 A.H., Imam Husain A.S. left the Holy City of Medina with his whole family and some followers and travelled to Holy Mecca. There he preached for four months and then began the pilgrimage in Zilhijja. The Imam A.S. was not safe as various attempts were made to assassinate him. To guard the sanctity of Holy Mecca, the Imam A.S. changed his Hajj pilgrimage to Umra and left the Holy City on 9th Zilhijja going to Kufa in Iraq. Imam Husain A.S. had sent his representative earlier to Kufa, and while the Imam A.S. was on his way to Kufa he became aware of the martyrdom of his representative in Kufa by the governor of the city. An army commanded by Hur was sent towards the Imam A.S. to stop the Imam A.S., and make him go to another place, Karbala. On 2nd Moharram 61 A.H. the Imam A.S.'s party arrived in Karbala. Armies of enemies began arriving and surrounding the Holy Imam A.S.. On the seventh of Moharram, excess to the Euphrates river was closed and with this the thirst began in the Holy Camp. ASHOORA THE EVENTFUL DAY It was on the day of Ashoora, that is the 10th of Moharram 61 A.H. that Imam Husain A.S. made the practical demonstration of his great decision. There on the plain of Karbala he set a lasting example before the world how to face violence with strength of character against the large army, and enduring much suffering in a way that had never been witnessed. Imam Husain A.S. seventy two comrades and family members with him at Karbala while the enemy's forces were more than twenty thousand. It was Thursday afternoon, 9th Moharram, that Umar ibn Sa'd the officer commanding the enemy forces at Karbala, made a sudden attack on Imam Husain A.S.'s party. Imam Husain A.S. sent a message asking respite for one night; it was allowed with the reply that the following morning was the final day for the battle if Imam Husain A.S. did not like to surrender along with his men. THE NIGHT PRECEDING ASHOORA KNOW AS SHAB-E-ASHOORA Imam Husain A.S. had asked for this night's time before actual engagement in the battle with the enemy not to make any preparations for fighting, nor in anticipation of the arrival of any one to support him, but his purpose was two fold. First to spend this night in devotion and prayers to Allah seeking His forgiveness and praying for steadfastness in their adherence to Truth; and secondly to give a last opportunity to his men to assess their own selves to make sure that they would not hesitate in facing death the following day or to leave him during the cover of the night. The Imam A.S.'s party reassured him of their unflinching help and support till their last breath. SHAB-E-ASHOORA ALSO FOR STOCK TAKING BY ENEMY Another objective of Imam Husain A.S. in seeking time to put off fighting for one night was to allow time to the men in the enemy ranks to take stock of their conscience and to examine once again whether it was right to fight Imam Husain A.S.. Such stock taking did prove effective in the case of Hur bin Yazeed Riyahee who was at the command of a contingent of four thousand soldiers in the enemy ranks. He had been responsible for bringing Imam Husain A.S. and his party to Karbala upon order from Yazeed bin Muawiya few days earlier. Hur thought over the position of Imam Husain A.S. whole night and came to the conclusion that it was not at all proper to fight him. So next morning he left the army of Umar bin Sa'd and galloped over to the side of Imam Husain A.S. along with his son and slave, thus saving himself from eternal damnation at the last moment. THE DAWN OF ASHOORA The night preceding Ashoora was spent in constant prayers and devotional pursuits by Imam Husain A.S. and his men till dawn appeared. Ordinarily on this morning there should have been much worry among the members of Imam Husain A.S.'s party and also among the womenfolk; as large armies had surrounded the camps and there was no question of survival; but it was not so. There was no sign of consternation or hopelessness on the face of any one on Imam A.S.'s side. Soon after morning prayers Imam Husain A.S. arrayed his men in defensive positions while the enemy became ready for the attack, 32 horsemen and 40 footmen. When the Sun had risen a bit high Umar bin Sa'd shot the first arrow towards Imam Husain A.S. as a token of commencing the fighting. It was a strange confrontation. On the one side was Imam Husain A.S., the sole representative of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. and an embodiment for all that Islam stood for with a small group of his companions; and on the other side more than twenty thousand mercenaries bent on killing the grandson of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. whose religion they claimed to be following. THE GREAT TRAGEDY As is well-known water had been denied to Imam Husain A.S.'s party for the last three days and all approached to the Furaat river bank (Euphrates) were strongly guarded so as not to allow a single drop of water to any one from Imam A.S.'s side. In spite of extreme thirst the brave men on Imam A.S.'s side fought with extreme courage and every one of them killed large numbers of enemy men before being overpowered. Eventually however, the whole band of these selfless people were martyred, some of them in single combats and others in collective battle. After them the blood relations of Imam Husain A.S. also took their turn and finally the great hero of this unique fight between Truth and Falsehood, namely Imam Husain A.S. was also martyred by being mercilessly slaughtered by Shimr, with a dagger, after he had fallen from his horse having been overwhelmed with myriad wounds inflicted by the countless mercenaries with their weapons. ASHOORA THE SYMBOL OF GREAT SACRIFICE The sacrifice offered by Imam Husain A.S. stands as singularly unique in so far as it was not only by a single individual but a whole band of selfless lovers of truth and adherents of righteousness, and this band comprised of not men alone but also women and even children of different ages. Allah, Glory be to Him, made them successful in this great sacrifice. All the members of this heroic group were so united in their common determination for unflinching adherence to Truth, that they never yielded on any point before the forces of violence. They also never suggested to the Imam A.S. to accept the demand of allegiance to Yazeed and save his whole family and comrades. Even those who advised Imam A.S. not to go towards Kufa did not at any stage suggest that he might swear allegiance to Yazeed which was the main point of issue and the line of demarcation between truth embodied in Islam and wrong as practised by Yazeed. Ashoora is the day which recalls to our mind the great sacrifice and achievement of Imam Husain A.S. and the sublimity of his character. Ashoora reminds us that for a Muslim nothing, not even life, is dearer than his religion Islam; that for the sake of Islam and its principles in tact no sacrifice is too great and that it is the foremost duty of every Muslim ever to remain prepared to resist evil that may raise its head to undermine Islam. Ashoora reminds us of those selfless comrades, companions and adherents of Imam Husain A.S. who willingly and out of their free will laid their lives for the sake of Truth and did not budge before any kind and any degree of violence that was brought to bear upon them. Ashoora is the day of mourning because of the inhuman cruelties and atrocities perpetrated upon Imam Husain A.S., his adherents, the womenfolk and his children on that day. It is but human to feel grieved over the grief stricken events of fellow men, much less a leader, a spiritual guide, an Imam A.S.. Obviously commemoration cannot be but by expression of grief. Ashoora is therefore a day of grief for everyone who harbours a human heart in his bosom and who has even the least consideration for human values. Ashoora is the day of Imam Husain A.S., the Saviour of Islam, the great spiritual teacher of mankind, the Chief of Martyrs and the supreme crown of human virtues. Our countless salutations to him to his severed head, to his headless body besmeared with blood and dust on the sands of Karbala on the Day of Ashoora, and to his holy grave in Karbala where his sacred body lies in eternal rest. Also our countless salutations to them who laid their lives with Imam Husain A.S.. ASEERAN-E-KARBALA (The captives of Karbala) After the martyrdom of Imam Husain A.S., his relations and friends, their enemies set on fire the tents which were sheltering the ladies of his house. They snatched away the chaadars (head gears) of the women. By burning the tents the enemy made them shelterless. At night they were kept in a separate partially burnt tent. On 11th Moharram the enemy sent those noble ladies, belonging to the house of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S., as captives to Kufa. They were torturously tied to backs of camels, exposed. IN front of them, the heads of the martyrs were carried on lances. On the morning of the 12th of Moharram the caravan of these pious persons, consisting of women and children and one male member, the ailing fourth Imam as-Sajjad A.S., entered Kufa. They were paraded through the streets and outside the governor's palace. For a week they all remained imprisoned there. Later they were dispatched to Damascus in Syria through a main route which was very long covering a distance of 1439 miles. They were often abused. They were paraded through numerous towns and villages. The caravan of Assyrian-e-Karbala was headed by Hazrat Imam Ali Zainul 'Abedeen (as-Sajjad) A.S. and Hazrat Zainab S.A. daughter of Hazrat Ameerul Mo'mineen Ali ibn Abi Talib A.S., the first Imam. The third Imam Hazrat Husain A.S. and other Shohadah (Martyrs) of Karbala proved what was just and right and they sacrificed their lives for what was just and noble. The Assyrian-e-Karbala performed the sacred task of spreading the message of these martyrs throughout the country. It was this caravan that while passing through so many places, acquainted the people with the principles and practices of Islam as presented by the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S.. In short they explained: 1 "It is we who have the true principles and practices of Islam with us". 2 "We are Aale Rasool (the Progeny of the Prophet) and are responsible for the spread and safeguard of the message delivered by him. And it was for those reasons that: 1 "Our enemies mercilessly killed the relations and the companions of the Imam A.S. and the Imam A.S. himself". 2 "Made us prisoners". 3 "Took us from place to place in a humiliating manner." On the first of Safar 61 A.H., they entered the city of Damascus, the seat of the tyrant ruler Yazeed. People were surprised to see heads on lances followed by the captive womenfolk and children. Many people insulted them, threw stones and rejoiced. They were then displayed before the tyrant and further insulted. They remained in the prison for one year in Shaam (Damascus). It was dark at night and exposed in the day time. Very little food was provided. They were frequently abused. In the beginning of the year 62 A.H., Yazeed released them. The Assyrian-e-Karbala left Damascus and reached Karbala on Chehlum (40 days after 10th of Moharram). From there they proceeded to Medina.