Just before Husayn departed from the pilgrims at Mina, he ended a long oration with a supplication to Allah:
O God! You know that everything we did was not prompted by rivalry for political power, nor for a search for wealth and abundance; rather it was done to demonstrate to men the shining principles and values of Your religion, to reform the affairs of Your land, to protect and secure the indisputable rights of Your oppressed servants, and to act in accordance with the duties You have established and the norms, laws, and ordinances You have decreed.
Karbala was not a scene of brinkmanship. The tales of 'Ashoora aren't meant to induce tears. The true spirit of Husayniyah has nothing to do with grief or mourning, but it has everything to do success and revitalization. People tell me that the spirit of Husayn has been kept alive because of the rites and rituals that emphasize sorrow and the traditions that describe the literal sufferings of Husayn and his family. I don't deny that there maybe some truth to that, but the remembrance of Husayn, its methodology and its purpose needs to evolve and re-define itself in the terms of each time. Because, at least for now--the pleasantries and cosiness of our mosques have replaced the thirsty sands of Karbala and our excessive lamentations have spoiled our taste for real sacrifice.
We have forgotten that Husayn is not befitting of any miracle. Nor was he deserving of the support of the angels and neither were his words and deeds revealed. No he didn't need any of that. Husayn is and was as real as we are. And that's why this is so special. We've allowed our emotional creativity to get carried away to the level were we have begun measuring Husayn's heroics by our standards of ignorance. We've used our words in place of his and compared his wounds to our untimely inconveniences. If the skies wept tears of blood and the ground shook from sorrow, they did so not because of Husayn but because of us. Because we are the followers of Husayn. We are those who claim to honour his message yet stand with cosmetic courage, moral indifference and lay response. We have begun to betray the spirit of 'Ashoora out of comfort and convenience. Truly, woe unto us.
The true tragedy of Karbala is our inability to take inspiration from it. We've canonized history according to our tastes and preferences and left the pillars of Husayn's message buried in the books of tradition, history and philosophy. Let us begin a new movement. A new struggle to uncover the timeless nature of Imam Husayn's message. Lamenting is not equal to action. Husayn acted. He remembered the sufferings of his family and persevered on. He stood alone on the fields of Karbala after all of his companions and family members laid slain and called out for anyone else, whoever they maybe to help. We must answer that call-- not simply listen to it, remembering the beauty of its voice. Husayn's struggle is never ending, it has a place beyond the realms of time and space. Its a struggle that belongs to all people who face challenges to their freedoms and rights, it belongs to all those who fight for the establishment of the rule of law and equality--Husayn's call is a universal call that transcends every imaginable barrier between peoples and calls on them to fight for the implementation of complete social justice. Let us not forget, Yazid is corruption, Yazid is poverty, Yazid is inequality, Yazid is illegal occupation, Yazid is discrimination, Yazid is misinformation and Yazid is disunity.
The events of 'Ashoora do not lead to a crisis of belief and are not the seeds of controversy, so we shouldn't shun them. To leave Husayn to the dungeons of history is to neglect the words Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn. The sacrifices of Karbala need to be remembered, but in a manner that befits its true spirit. And we need to tandem that remembrance with action. An action that is based on knowledge and wisdom. I sincerely hope that we can return to the battlefield, armed with morality, piety, courage and grace and be able to fight for the causes that Husayn fought for and answer the final call of Husayn.
Posts
