On this 10th day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar which is sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and has been designated as a Day of Fasting and Prayer for all three Abrahamic religions, it is important to recognize that this ASHURA day took a whole new significance in 680 AD at the desert of Karbala. In my last Post at the start of the month of Moharram, I had explained why the family of the Prophet (pnuh) challenged the beginning of the dynastic tribal rule in Islam. Such rule is contrary to Quran and Sunnah and was specifically prohibited by the Prophet (pbuh) in his Last Sermon on Mount Arafat. I want to thank all the distinguished poets, writers, and other friends who have tagged me this month on their Posts about the Shahadat of Imam Husayn (SA) and his family. No amount of salutations and tributes are adequate to match the ultimate sacrifices made by the family of the Prophet to preserve the message of Quran and Hadith. No amount of Noha and Matam can come close to the grief and despair felt by the few survivors of the family of the prophet who had to make that walk to the Damascus court of Yazid. No amount of Curse and Condemnation is sufficient to match the cruelty and callousness of Yazid and his henchmen. Quran teaches us that the blood and meat of sacrificed animals on Yaum ul Adha does not reach Allah SWT, it is our piety and commitment to the Creator of us all that reaches Allah SWT and will be a vehicle of our salvation on the Day of Judgement. Similarly, a lot of our extreme poetry, Noha, and Matam does not reach the Shuhada, it is our prayers, Salam, Darood, and ultimately our commitment to the Mission of Imam Husayn that will be an instrument of our salvation. Regardless of being a Shia or Sunni, the Muslim world is divided between the followers of Yazid and followers of Imam Husayn. Imam Husayn ibn Ali lives in our hearts and will continue to rule our hearts till eternity. But contrary to popular poetry, Marg Yazid did not take place and just like Devil himself, Yazid and his followers live on. In fact Yazidis outnumber Husaynis in most Muslim countries. The dynastic tribal family rule that Imam Husayn fought against has continued unabated for more than a thousand years. With the possible exception of one or two countries, every Muslim country today is headed by a Yazid of modern variety. In my lifetime, I have seen only one follower of Husayn ibn Ali who took up his mission and succeeded in overthrowing the Yazid of his country peacefully and that was Imam Khomeini who destroyed the Yazid of modern Persia, Reza Shah Pehlavi. I was fortunate that I was taught the dangers of royal dynasties and tribal kingdoms (Malookiat) by two of the greatest Islamic teachers of my generation, Maulana Abulala Maudoodi and Allma Rasheed Turabi, going back to the early 196os. It is not easy to learn the truth about the ultimate sacrifice of the family of the prophet and its rationale in most Muslim countries. The content of Friday sermons and most textbooks was dictated by the rulers beginning with Yazids rule and it has continued to this day. That means most of it is against the family of the Prophet and is biased against their views and also the political philosophy of the Prophet (pbuh) himself. Yes, there has been some tit for tat content from the Shia side as well. Instead of targeting Yazid and his followers, some Shia literature targets Yazids contemporaries including some companions of the Prophet as well and that is totally wrong. Reconciliation within Islam requires acknowledgement of the Truth. 21st Centrury is a special gift from the Creator where we can investigate now scientifically with forensics and other approaches the validity of the content of a lot of Islamic history and literature that has been passed on to us in Arabic, Persian, and other languages. Let us dedicate ourselves to this mission on Ashura day today because only through Truth we shall understand the contribution of the family of the Prophet (pbuh). Then our expression of love and dedication to them will have some meaning and will be a vehicle of unity among the Muslims of future. Dr. Muhammad M. Awan 11/4/2014
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 03:30:31 +0000
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