THE GUIDING STAR OF PEACE - THE LITTLE MARTYR, HAZRAT ALI AL-ASGHAR (A.S.)

After the second World War, the scholars and thinkers of Europe resolved in a conference to Appeal for Peace to all the powers in the world in the name of Hazrat Ali Asghar (a.s.), the Little Martyr of Karbala, Iraq. And they declared him as the “Guiding Star of The Peace”.

The great French poet, Alexander Ginil, composed a poem of 1500 couplets regarding the tragic event of Hazrat Ali al-Asghar (a.s.). This composition has also been translated in English. The poem was sent to all the government of the world in the name of The Little Martyr, Hazrat Ali al-Asghar (a.s.). Following are few of the couplets from the poem:

1.      Ali Asghar, celestial star of every child, Master of the bruised and hearts triumphant,

Towards thee rises, time without end, the unquenchable,

Flame of eternal love, which thou to our souls hast given.

2.      The martyrdom in the middle of the stifling desert,

of Karbala, held close in thy father’s arms,

Amid the thousands of sorrows,

In the desert which saw thy doom and thy victory,

Will exalt without end the love in our hours,

Thy young bloodshed in honor’s name,

Like a sun dying in its own purpled glory,

3.      The little innocents were refused a drop of water,

And the victims of the tyrant’s fury,

But the death, noble child, facing the armies,

Thy martyrdom among the deserts scorching stones,

Will, attest forever the wickedness of the tyrants,

Who left thee too perish of a terrible thirst,

And to thy dying lips, Refusing the charity of a drop of water,

The end in the scorching desert.

4.      Child: You have risen the tribes of the world,

You have risen like a star of stars,

In the arms of your venerated father.

Your death fertilized the desert sands,

And in every heart, you reached the pinnacle of love.

5.      At the day of judgement,

We too say: KARBALA!

Thy martyrdom, O our Master ALI-ASGHAR,

Has engraved thee in our hearts,

Thy name shall ever be on our lips!

From your place so high, pray with us,

For an age of Gold, so that justice,

Will open all paths!

Never can we think of Karbala,

Without remembering Thy glorious martyrdom,

Now we shall ever pray that a new era,

Of LOVE and JUSTICE and PEACE

Shall reign in our world forever.

Source: rizvanamrohvi.blogspot.com

SAYINGS OF THE KING OF MARTYRS, THE INFALLIBLE IMAM HUSAYN (A.S.)

The Infallible Imam Husayn (a.s.) was the son of the Gateway of Knowledge, the Gateway of Wisdom, the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (a.s.). His sayings are numerous, some of the selected ones are:

1.      Wisdom never attains perfection except by following the truth (obeying the commandments of Allah).

2.      One who loves you prevents you from all evils, while your enemy persuades you to commit wrong and evil.

3.      Act in this world like a person who knows that he will be rewarded for virtuous deeds and punished for sins and crimes.

4.      One who annoys Allah to please people, Allah leaves him to the people.

5.      One who accepts your gift has really helped you in attaining generosity.

6.      One who removes troubles from a believer, Allah expels troubles from him in this world and in the Hereafter.

7.      Do not seek help from anyone except the one who is religious, or generous, or of noble descent (parentage)

8.      One who is generous may attain greatness and he who is miser becomes miserable.

9.      The most generous person is one who helps the despondent, who does not expect any help from others.

10.  Compete for virtuous deeds and hasten to seize opportunities for honorable deeds.

11.  The most forgiving person is the one who forgives despite his ability to punish.

12.  Don’t speak about your brother behind his back except you like to be spoken about you behind your back.

13.  A salaam (greetings) has seventy virtues, sixty-nine of which are for the one who is first to greet, whereas only one award is for the one who replies (to your salaam).

14.  Do not allow anyone to enter or speak to you if he does not greet you or wish you salaam.

15.  A miser behaves miserly even in greeting salaam to others.

16.  What has he obtained who lost You O God? And what has he lost who found You?

17.  People are slave of this world. They revolve around religion if their materialistic needs are well provided; but when they face difficulties, tests and trials, very few people prove to be steadfast.

18.  God initiated commanding the good and forbidding the evil as a compulsory duty for us, as He knows that if these two duties are well performed and established, then all other Divine duties whether difficult or easy, shall be established as well; and this this commandment and forbiddance shall invite people to Islam, and secured the rights of the wronged people as well as arouse opposition against tyrants and transgressors.

19.  A nation, which buys the goodwill of the people at the cost of annoying the Creator, can never be happy and fortunate.

20.  To argue with one who is unable to think reasonably, is an indication of one’s ignorance.

21.  Beware of oppressing a person, who finds no one to revenge against you except the God the Mighty and Majestic.

Source: imamreza.net

LEADER OF THE OPPRESSED, INDIGENT AND FREEDOM FIGHTERS

The Infallible Imam Husayn (a.s.) was born on 3^rd Sha’ban 4 A.H. His father was the Conqueror of Khyber, the Lion of Allah, the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (a.s.). His mother was the Lady of Paradise, the Chief of the women of the world, Sayyida Fatima Zahra (s.a.), the daughter of the Chief of the Prophets of Allah (s.w.t.), the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.). After the birth, Jibra’il descended on earth with greetings from Allah s.w.t.) to him (s.a.w.a.s.) and directed to name the new born as “Husayn” and conveyed the news that he will be mercilessly martyred by the so called, in the desert of Karbala, depriving him water for three days. The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) cried and his daughter also cried upon hearing the impending tragedy. On inquiry from Sayyida Fatima (s.a.), the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) forecasted that Allah will create a nation who will cry on her son Husayn (a.s.). She promised that she will not enter the Paradise until every mourner of her son enters the Paradise.  There is a famous tradition of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) which says, “Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn”

When the people interfered in the Divine scheme of leadership and elected their own leaders, the deviation started and the leadership settled in the arch-enemies of Islam and the Prophet of Allah, the hypocrites Bani Umayyads. Muawiya, after breaking the truce with the grandson of the Prophet of Allah, the Infallible Imam Hasan (a.s.), appointed his son Yazid to be the caliph of Muslims. Yazid openly ridiculed Islam and Islamic tenets. After he became the caliph, he demanded the grandson of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.s) to pay allegiance to him, to get the seal of approval for all his anti-Islamic actions from Imam Husayn (a.s.).

Imam Husayn (a.s.), who was one of the Pure ones in the Qur’anic Ayah of Purity (Surah al-Ah’zab Ayah 33) and included in the “Truthful” according to Ayah 61 of Surah Al-Imran, could never pay allegiance to a vicious, immoral and tyrant person.

Imam Husayn stood for and defended the human rights, human dignity, freedom of speech, justice, the rights of the oppressed, compassion and mercy to even his enemy, forgiveness and clemency, chivalry and bravery, faith and sacrifice.

He saved not only Islam but all the Abrahamic faiths revealed by Allah from beginning of time. Before the tragedy of Karbala, the world knew only the rule of “Might is Right” The Day of Ashura introduced even more powerful rule to this world; “The Right is the Might”

Mahatma Gandhi of India said, “I learned from Husayn, how to achieve victory while being oppressed.” The first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Nehru said, “Imam Husayn (a.s.) ‘s sacrifice is for all groups and communities, an example of the path of Righteousness.” Former President of India Dr. Radha Krishna said, “Though Imam Husayn gave his life 1300 years ago, but his indestructible soul rules the hearts of the people even today.”

There is a saying that, “Every land is Karbala and every day is Ashura”

Most of the freedom movements in the world draw inspiration from Imam Husayn (a.s.)’s powerful sacrifice.

When this small band of freedom fighters left Makkah, and was travelling towards Iraq, Yazid’s army commander Hurr leading an army of about one thousand soldiers met Imam Husayn (a.s.). They were thirsty. Imam Husayn asked his brother Abbas ibn Ali (a.s.) to let the enemy be provided with water even to their horses. While travelling in the desert, water is a precious commodity but the son of “Saqi-e-Kusar” offered his water resources to the enemy.

The famous Urdu poet Josh Malih’abadi said, “Insan ko bedar tu holane do Har qaum pukaregi hamare hain Husayn.” It may be translated as, “Let the human beings be awakened, every nation will claim to own Imam Husayn” 

THE GREAT SACRIFICE

Eid al-Azha is the Divine order to remember the sacrifice of the Prophet Ibrahim and his son Prophet Is’mail. Prophet Ibrahim saw in a dream that he was slaughtering his son. He saw this dream for two nights. Prophet Ibrahim prayed for a son for many years and Allah granted him Is ‘mail at the age of 90 years. When Prophet Is ‘mail was of the age of 11 or 12 years, then Prophet Ibrahim saw the dream.

The Glorious Qur’an describes the event in the following manner in Surah al-Sa’ffat Ayahs 102 to 108, “When his son was old enough to work with him, he said, “My son, I have had a dream that I must sacrifice you. What do you think of this?” He replied, “Father, fulfill whatever you are commanded to do and you will find me patient, by the Will of Allah.” When they both agreed and Ibrahim laid down his son on the side of his face (for slaughtering), We called to him, Ibrahim! you have fulfilled what you were commanded to do in your dream. “Thus, do We reward the righteous ones. It was certainly an open trial. We ransomed his son with a great sacrifice and perpetuated his praise in later generations.” After Prophet Ibrahim opened his eyes, he saw that a ram was slaughtered and his son was standing nearby smiling!

There are many interpretations for what the “great sacrifice” was. Some commentators suggested that the ram was the “great sacrifice”. There is no comparison between a Prophet and a ram. Yet some others say that the “King of Martyrs” the Infallible Imam Husayn ibn Ali (a.s.)’s sacrifice in Karbala was the “great Sacrifice”. Imam Husayn (a.s.) cannot be the ransom for Prophet Is ‘mail as it is universally accepted that the Infallible Imams (a.s.) are superior to all the Prophets except the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.). The martyrdom of Imam Husayn (a.s.) was known to the Prophets Adam, Nuh, and Ibrahim. At the time of the sacrifice of Prophet Is ‘mail, the seeds of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.), the Chief of the Women of the world Sayyida Fatima Zahra (s.a.) and all the Infallible Imams (a.s.), were in the loins of Prophet Is ‘mail and if he would have been slaughtered at that time, the seeds of all Imams would have destroyed. 

The famous companion of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.), Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari inquired from the Infallible Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) about it and he (a.s.) replied, “O Jabir, there is an interior of the Qur’an and an interior of the interior. And it has an exterior and an exterior of the exterior of the Qur’an.” There are many meanings of the Ayahs of the Qur’an. If one believes in the apparent meaning, it does not mean that one denies the inner interpretations.

   

According to Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari that Fazal narrates that Imam Ali al-Reza (a.s.) said, “Prophet Ibrahim wished that if he would have been allowed to slaughter his son with his own hands, he would have been eligible for the rewards of grief-stricken people. Thus, Allah revealed to him, “O Ibrahim! Who is more beloved to you among all the creatures? Ibrahim replied: O My Lord! None among your creatures is as much beloved to me as Your beloved, Muhammad.” The revelation asked: Is he more precious to you or your own self? He said that he was more beloved to him than himself. Then he was asked whether Muhammad’s son was more beloved to him or his own son (Ismail). Ibrahim replied, “His (Muhammad’s) son is more beloved to me.” At that time Allah informed Ibrahim, “Would you be more aggrieved upon his oppressive slaughter or upon the slaughter of your son by your own hands under My orders?” Ibrahim replied that he would be more aggrieved on the slaughter of Prophet’s son at the hands of the enemies. Then the Almighty informed him that a group would think that they are from nation of Muhammad and after Muhammad they would unjustly slay his son like a ram is slaughtered. And those people would be eligible for the divine wrath due to this act. Hearing this incident, Ibrahim (a.s.) became restless and his heart became aggrieved and began to weep.” At that time, Almighty Allah revealed: O Ibrahim! The grief you would have suffered due to slaughtering Ismail with your own hands, We have ransomed it with this restlessness that you experienced due to Husayn and his slaying and I have bestowed you with the highest position of the grief-stricken people; and that is the aim of the divine saying, “And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice.”

Sources: The Glorious Qur’an, Bihar-ul-Anwar by Allama Majlisi, Understanding Karbala by Allama Saeed Akhter Rizvi