Whenever Muharram falls, a bunch of multifaceted feelings descend upon me. I remain in a trance of gloom as the historical events related to Muharram, Karbala, and the sacred family of the Holy Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), is revisited. I also feel motivated to stand up for the mission of revealing the truth, which this paper is all about.
Today, the world, including Pakistan, is commemorating the tragedy of Karbala. For centuries, the unfortunate incident has been a leading light for the oppressed segments of society. There are two sides to the massacre of the family and friends of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the desert of Karbala in 680 AD: One) the history and two) the moral of the legend. If we look at history, we find that the desire of small men to take over big offices leads to mayhem because injustice cannot prevail.
Imperialistic designs of certain segments in the times of Imam Hussain turned the tide of Islamic history making the rule of the dynasty a common thing. Known as power worshipers in the pre-Islam era certain segments tried to manipulate the successes of Islam to grab power and accumulate wealth, which was an injustice and against the teachings of Islam. Someone somewhere had to rise and say enough. Imam Hussain did it knowing well that it would enrage the small man in the person of Yazid occupying the big office of Khilafat.
In the modern day, we see Israel, India in Kashmir, ISIS, Al Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, and Taliban-like groups terrorizing the world to take over power using coercive and suppressive means. Of them, Israel and India take the cover of Zionism and Hindutva, while ISIS, Al Qaeda and TTP claim that they are doing it following the edicts of Islam, but then the world sees them cutting the throats of Muslims and victimizing women and children.
These are present-day embodiments of Yazid of the time of Imam Hussain. Their followers do not spare any chance to fiddle with history and mislead people. But history makers are rare and history writers are a dime a dozen. The moral of the legend is that justice prevails over injustice no matter the worst end seekers of justice may meet. The moral of the legend is that victories of the forces of injustice have a short life.
There, still, is some good in the world. When Yazid cut down the family of Hazrat Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), he celebrated his victory and made arrangements to disrespect the women and children who had survived the massacre in Karbala. But truth prevailed finally and independent historians wrote their research papers describing the message of humanity that Imam Hussain gave at Karbala. The oppressed people of Palestine, Kashmir and other parts of the world take inspiration from the Karbala story that at the end of the day justice will prevail.
History, however, has seen cruel twists and turns here in our part of the world. When the month of Muharram falls, the government of the day has to do extra work to maintain the law and order. Sectarian waves have claimed several lives over the decades. These are against the teachings of Islam and Karbala. Everyone should have the freedom to practice their beliefs without hurting others. For centuries, the commemorations of Muharram have been a peaceful event across the subcontinent. Then came sectarian organizations, which have driven a wedge among Muslim sects.
Things have changed since then. Another important message that Imam Hussain gave is that of love with not only human beings but also with animals and nature. At this time, his message to use our natural resources judiciously should be propagated more than ever as the world is on the precipice of climate disasters. We should learn from Karbala how to protect animals and preserve water.
