RENEWING OF ALLEGIANCE
It is Muharram once again. Muharram 1431 exactly 1370 years since the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (A.S). We start our yearly commemoration of the event. Why do we do it? Millions of Shias all around the world celebrate this event in different ways. Let me try to analyse why do we do it? I think it is important for everyone who participates in the commemoration of this event to be very clear about whay he or she is participating in this event. Suppose I ask myself why I am doing so? Do I have an answer. It is 7.30 PM and I am sitting before a computer not at my home but in the library of Escorts Hospital and have just finished hearing a lecture of Syed Ammar Nakshwani. Why am I doing so? Is this a ritual I follow because I was born in a Shia family and have been doing so since my childhood. In other words is it just a habit? There are people in the world who perform many rituals out of habit just like they brush their teeth every morning.I have seen many people in Saudi Arabia e,g praying because of habit. You will see them join the congregational prayers and if you observe them closely it is clear that their hearts and minds are somewhere else. They have no attachment to the act they are performing. They simply do it because they have been brought up like that. They have seen others doing it and they have been doing it for years together. Are we commemorating the event of Karbala simply because we have been programmed or conditioned to do so over the years? There surely are some of us who are such.
There is a group of shias who want to gain material benefit from this commemoration. They believe that if they commemorate and cry for Hussain this will lead to their material prosperity and well being. Some of such men fear that if they don't commemorate they will face trouble and loss in trade, health or other material aspects of their life. I have seen many people especially the rich ones to spend extravagantly to organise the commemoration services of Karbala and when you ask them they firmly believe that whatever material riches they have are because of these commemorations. I am not sure about this. It is not impossible and may be true but the question is that should this be the aim of celebrating the martyrdom of Imam? Should we be content with asking the Imam this world when he himself did not give any importance to it. It is like you get a once in life time opportunity to talk to greatest mathematician of the world and when you see him you ask him what does 2 and 2 make. you spoil a golden opportunity to achieve something much more valuable, precious, enduring then material benefits. I don't say that we should not make these ceremonies as a Wasila for asking our needs from Allah but that we can do anytime. This should not become our primary aim in commemorating the event of Karbala. Some people commemorate these ceremonies as a matter of show and some of them can go long way to dramatise their methods of mourning Riya as it is called in Islamic terminology is an unfortunate phenomenon because it nullifies your act and you gain only sin from an act which was supposed to gain you nearness to Allah. What a misery? Some people commemorate these ceremonies out of love of Imam Hussain(A.S). They love the Holy Imam and feel pain at his sufferings. This is indeed a noble act because love of Ahlul Bait is one of the corner stones of our faith and we believe that loving the progeny of the Prophet (SAWW) is Ajr Risalat. This is a small token of thanks to the Prophet for the hardships he faced to make sure that we attain salvation. But is it enough to commemorate this event like this? Does love of Imam Hussain bring with itself some responsibilities? I believe it does. The best way to pay tribute to Aba Abdillah is to try and gain his marifat. Try to figure out why he took a stand which he took? why did he choose to sacrifice his life and honour in the way he did? What were the circumstances which lead to a state of affairs where muslims brutally martyred the grand son of their Prophet. The same persons who martyred th Imam were those who would attest to the Prophethood of his grandfather day in and day out. They were the ones who martyred the grandson of a person who had suffered immense hardships to make sure that they recieve salvation. Karbala did not occur out of blue . It's foundations were laid many many years before the event actually took place. We have the responsibilty to analyse these events and derive lessons from it and at the end of the day no commemoration will be sinceere if we don't try to follow the principles laid down by Imam. No love is sincere until it does not generate obedience. and this then is the crux of the matter. We need to analyse our motives in commemorating Ashura and then renew our allegience to the Imam. May Allah help us in achieving the Marifat of His Apostle and his Noble Progeny and through them help us to achive nearness to Him.
There is a group of shias who want to gain material benefit from this commemoration. They believe that if they commemorate and cry for Hussain this will lead to their material prosperity and well being. Some of such men fear that if they don't commemorate they will face trouble and loss in trade, health or other material aspects of their life. I have seen many people especially the rich ones to spend extravagantly to organise the commemoration services of Karbala and when you ask them they firmly believe that whatever material riches they have are because of these commemorations. I am not sure about this. It is not impossible and may be true but the question is that should this be the aim of celebrating the martyrdom of Imam? Should we be content with asking the Imam this world when he himself did not give any importance to it. It is like you get a once in life time opportunity to talk to greatest mathematician of the world and when you see him you ask him what does 2 and 2 make. you spoil a golden opportunity to achieve something much more valuable, precious, enduring then material benefits. I don't say that we should not make these ceremonies as a Wasila for asking our needs from Allah but that we can do anytime. This should not become our primary aim in commemorating the event of Karbala. Some people commemorate these ceremonies as a matter of show and some of them can go long way to dramatise their methods of mourning Riya as it is called in Islamic terminology is an unfortunate phenomenon because it nullifies your act and you gain only sin from an act which was supposed to gain you nearness to Allah. What a misery? Some people commemorate these ceremonies out of love of Imam Hussain(A.S). They love the Holy Imam and feel pain at his sufferings. This is indeed a noble act because love of Ahlul Bait is one of the corner stones of our faith and we believe that loving the progeny of the Prophet (SAWW) is Ajr Risalat. This is a small token of thanks to the Prophet for the hardships he faced to make sure that we attain salvation. But is it enough to commemorate this event like this? Does love of Imam Hussain bring with itself some responsibilities? I believe it does. The best way to pay tribute to Aba Abdillah is to try and gain his marifat. Try to figure out why he took a stand which he took? why did he choose to sacrifice his life and honour in the way he did? What were the circumstances which lead to a state of affairs where muslims brutally martyred the grand son of their Prophet. The same persons who martyred th Imam were those who would attest to the Prophethood of his grandfather day in and day out. They were the ones who martyred the grandson of a person who had suffered immense hardships to make sure that they recieve salvation. Karbala did not occur out of blue . It's foundations were laid many many years before the event actually took place. We have the responsibilty to analyse these events and derive lessons from it and at the end of the day no commemoration will be sinceere if we don't try to follow the principles laid down by Imam. No love is sincere until it does not generate obedience. and this then is the crux of the matter. We need to analyse our motives in commemorating Ashura and then renew our allegience to the Imam. May Allah help us in achieving the Marifat of His Apostle and his Noble Progeny and through them help us to achive nearness to Him.
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