Editorial
Martyrdom of Imam Hussein (RA)
A triumph of piety and faith
THE 10th day of Muharram is observed throughout the Muslim world with a profound sense of grief as well as a solemn realisation of how Imam Hussein (RA), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), set a unique example of piety and unflinching faith in Allah, the Merciful, by not bowing down to a repressive Yezid.
His Martyrdom at Karbala, along with other members of his family, left a message for not only Muslims but also mankind as a whole. He placed peace above everything else as a true believer and had the thought of welfare of others uppermost in his mind. He wanted a peaceful resolution but Yezid tried to coerce him to submission. Imam Hussein (RA), however, was ready to sacrifice his life for the ideals that he stood for and preferred a honourable death to the ignominy of surrender.
The Karbala tragedy has gone down in history as an episode where the innocent and the pious were up against a villainous ruler. They lost their lives under most tragic circumstances but a deeper look into the matter would instantly reveal that theirs was a glorious sacrifice which amounted to a disgraceful moral defeat for the evil forces. Nothing explains in a more emphatic manner the truth emanating from the Karbala tragedy, that the spirit of a believer cannot be destroyed.
Today when the Muslim world is passing through a crisis, the teachings of Karbala can indeed help it find the right path. Jihad actually means waging war against all that is evil. Muslims are supposed to fight for world peace and refrain from causing sufferings to others.
Karbala was the ultimate manifestation of how the true believers are supposed to respond to adverse situations. It was a glorious triumph of faith. And what Muslims must not forget today is that the best and only way to pay homage to Imam Hussein (RA) is to follow his ideals.
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