In his famous speech, On the Plight of the Oppressed People, Dr. Ali Shariati argues that Islam came as a challenge to the oppressive status quo of the time. But, after the death of the Prophet Mohammad (s), Islam suffered distortion and corruption like the messages of the previous Prophets. Islam was used to enslave helpless people for personal interests and glory of tribal dynasties of Ummayads and Abbasids and others. As Shariati puts it, “I saw the swords which were engraved with verses on holy war. I saw the places for worship. I saw those who prayed. I saw the saintly faces who spoke in the name of spiritual leadership, the Caliphs, and the preservation of the Prophet's traditions. Nevertheless, collectively, they took us into slavery!”A Reason for Hope
Despite this deviation, in this and other writings, Shariati is optimistic that Islam can still emancipate the struggling humanity from the servitude of Pharaohs of the modern age because its universal message has survived not only in the text but also through the exemplary lives and sacrifices of Ali and Fatima, their children Zainab and Hussain, and Prophet’s companions Abu Zarr and Bilal. Below, I look at how the great sacrifice that Imam Hussain and Syeda Zainab gave on the plains of Karbala (Iraq) became the conscience of Islam.
As soon as Yazid assumed the seat of Caliphate after his father’s death, he demanded that Imam Hussain do his bai’at, that is, pay allegiance to him. Yazid was a tyrant, who was personally corrupt and openly mocked Islam. "If this Ummah is to be tried with a shepherd such as Yazid, then farewell to Islam," Imam Hussain declared at this point. Imam Hussain who was the inheritor of the knowledge and piety of the Prophet and the leader of the Ummah, his allegiance would have blurred the distinction between the true Islam and falsehood. Islam would have become a fatalistic ideology serving the rule of the Ummayads. But Imam Hussain’s response to Yazid’s demand for bai’at became the universal message for all the followers of truth and justice, when he said, ‘Someone like me cannot do a bai’at of someone like him’ (‘mujh jesa, yazid jese kii bai’at nahi kar sakta’), and ‘It is better to die on feet than to live on knees’ (‘zillat kii zindagi se izzat kii maut behtar hai’).
In a will Imam Hussain made before departing from Makkah, he declared: “Indeed, I have not risen up to do mischief, neither as an adventurer, nor to cause corruption and tyranny. I have risen up solely to seek the reform of the Ummah of my grandfather. I want to command what is good and stop what is wrong, and (in this) I follow the conduct of my grandfather and my father, Ali ibn Abi Talib.” Imam Hussain was martyred along with more than 70 companions in Karbala on 10th of Muharram (Ashura) in 61 A.H/ 680 C.E.
After Imam Hussain, his sister Syeda Zainab carried forward his message and spoke in the courts of Kufa and Damascus with such courage and eloquence that reminded people of the eloquence and courage of her mother, Fatima, and father, Ali.
Development of a Movement
Imam Hussain’s revolt was the first one of its kind in the Islamic history. It marked a clear distinction between the true Islam and falsehood, and inspired many movements in the later generations against the Umayyads and Abbasids and other tribal dynasties. Imam Hussain’s revolt became the conscience of Islam that challenged any fatalistic justifications for the tyranny of Yazid and his likes for all times and places.
An equally significant influence of this great sacrifice was the development of a cultural movement within Islam. Analytically separate, but in reality, the political and the cultural are the two facets of the same movement. This cultural movement started with the commemorations of the tragedy of Karbala that continue to this day. Each year, in the month of Muharram, hundreds of thousands of followers and admirers of Hussain come together and remember the great sacrifice. They narrate the tragic accounts and engage in public mourning. Imam Hussain’s struggle is recollected as an archetype movement about the eternal struggle of truth against falsehood in which blood triumphed over sword. These commemorations claim to represent an alternative history of Islam following the demise of the Prophet and a commitment to preserve Islam’s true message through recounting the sacrifices of the noble household of the Prophet.
Over the passage of more than a millennium, a discourse has evolved out of this cultural movement, in prose and poetry, oral as well as written forms, and through an array of symbols and images in different colors in different parts of the world. This is the discourse of human conscience, resistance, and universal justice developed by the survivors of Karbala, Shia Imams, historians, poets, mystics, reformers, and devotees among Shias, Sunnis, and even Non Muslims.
Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, the Sufi preacher from South Asia, sees Hussain as the savior of Islam:
Shah ast Hussain, Badshah ast Hussain
Deen ast Hussain, Deen Panah ast Hussain
Sar dad, na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazeed
Haqaa key binaey La ila ast Hussain
Hussain is the Master, Hussain is the King
Hussain is Faith, Hussain is Refuge for the Faith
He gave his head but not his hand in Yazid’s hand
Verily Hussain is the foundation of La’Illah.
Muhammad Ali Jauhar, a Sunni reformer and a central figure in the Khilafat Movement in the first half of the twentieth century sees Hussain’s movement in this light:
Haqq o batil ki hai paikar hameha jari
Jo na batil se daren hain vahi Shi’an-e Hussain
The war between truth and falsehood is eternal
Those who are not frightened by falsehood are the partisans of Hussain
At another place, he presents his inspiration from Karbala in these terms:
Qatl-e Hussain asl men marg-e Yazid hai
Islam zinda hota hai har Karbala ke baad
In reality the murder of Hussain is the death of Yazid
Islam is resurrected after every Karbala
Faiz Ahmed Faiz, one of the prominent figures of the Progressive Writers Association (PWA), a literary movement for social justice in South Asia, takes inspiration from Imam Hussain’s sacrifice in these words:
(from a marsiya Faiz wrote)
Jo zulm peh la’nat na kare, aap la’een hai
Jo jabar ka munkir nahi, woh munkire deen hai
He is cursed who imprecates not the oppression
By not negating fatalism/suppression, he negates the religion
Over time these commemoration gatherings have developed some ritualistic aspects that may not be mindful of the underlying purpose of these gatherings. These gatherings nonetheless have retained the message of justice and resistance that serves as a conscience of Islam, and have provided the resource for political resistance against tyrannies in different parts of the world. This should be clear from the symbolic resource that the reformers in South Asia find in the message of Karbala. The Iranian Revolution in 1979 is another example.
These commemorations are much richer than what they appear to the outsiders in media and public observations. Without the underlying meaning, these commemorations would appear as merely a ritualistic street processions. But, for those who understand their purpose and message, these gatherings continue to inspire them and shape their subjectivities and worldview. These commemorations continue to influence the cultural discourse of the Muslim community. It is for this reason that tyrant regimes, like that of Saddam Hussein, wanted to suppress these gatherings. These tyrants, however, always failed due to the devotion and sacrifices of the followers and bearers of this movement over the last 1400 years.
Given its universal character and message, this movement is seen by the followers as the continuation of the struggles of all prophets, from the time of Adam to Mohammad (peace be upon them all). And for the same reason, it is understood as the conscience of all humanity. It is in this light that the mourners recite Ziyarat-e-Waritha (also spelled as, Ziarat-e- Warisa) at the end of each commemoration gathering, in which, with moving sentiments, they describe and testify the greatness of Imam Hussain’s sacrifice for the cause of Allah and make solemn pledge of their support for Imam’s mission:
An excerpt from Ziyarat-e-Waritha:
"Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Adam, the chosen one of Allah
Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Nuh, the prophet of Allah
Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Ibrahim, the beloved friend of Allah
Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Moosa, who received direct communication from Allah
Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Muhammad, the beloved friend of Allah
Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Ali, the commander of the faithful, and beloved of Allah
Peace be upon you,
O son of Muhammad, the chosen,
Peace be upon you,
O son of Ali, the one accepted by Allah,
Peace be upon you,
O son of Fatimah, leader of women in the world,
Peace be upon you,
O son of Khadijah, the great,
Peace be upon you,
O you, the one who will be avenged by Allah, and O son of the one who will be avenged by Allah.
O unique martyr, who was killed mercilessly.
I bear witness that you established the worship of Allah,
And the poor due,
And enjoined man to do good,
And forbade them for doing wrong,
And obeyed Allah and His messenger,
Until death came to you."
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Image: Candles lit for Imam Hussain, his household, and companions on "Shame-Ghariban" or "Evening of the Dispossessed". People all over Iran light candles in streets to remember the tragedy of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram.
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