Issue No: 102
9th December 2011
13th Muharram 1433 A.H
Salamun alaykum,
The Final Call:
"Is there anyone who will come to assist us?
Is there anyone who will respond to our call for help?"
On the 10th day of Muharram 61 A.H. the beloved grandson of holy prophet, standing with blood flowing all over his body from the wounds he had suffered from the Yazidi forces, raised the above call.
Earlier on since day break Imam Husayn had witnessed the commitment of his close companions and family who had submitted to martyrdom. He had rushed to their side as they lay in their final moments of life on earth. Then he had carried several dead bodies of his loved ones into his camp.
Bihamdillah this week we have observed the day of Ashura, the pinnacle of the days of azadari. May Allah SWT accept our efforts and grant us the pleasure of the Ahlul Bayt a.s.
With the events of Azadari still fresh in our minds questions pop up:
“Was Imam Husayn expecting any help?
“What was the response from the people present in Karbala?”
“Was the call only for the day of Ashura 10th Muharram, 61 A.H.?”
“Is the call for assistance still relevant to this day?”
Surely Imam Husayn was not expecting anyone there in Karbala to come to his aid.
The Imam and his devoted companions, by their deeds and eloquent words, had exhausted all opportunities of awakening the Yazidi forces from the slumber they had fallen in. Against a lone man who was deeply hurt in body and heart, suffering in pain and anguish the responses given by the enemy forces under the command of Umar bin S’ad was an increased beating of drums, cheering and jeering at the Imam. This smacks of barbarism.
The call by Imam Husayn on the day of Ashura did not end there. The life span of this call is neither restricted to the day of Ashura in 61 A.H. nor to the land of Karbala.
In an address the Imam explained the purpose for exiting from Madina. His desire was to seek reformation in the ummah of his grandfather, the holy prophet.
The world today is still in need of upholding the value of justice and freedom. Man is still striving to achieve leading a life in submission to Allah. So the call for help by the Imam on the day of Ashura still reverberates to this day. The struggle to uphold the values for which the tragedy of Karbala occurred is still continuing.
This is amplified in the hadith: “Every day is Ashura, every land is Karbala.”
As we lift our hands in matam and raise our voices with “Ya Husayn” are we responding positively to this call for help by Imam Husayn?
Are we being with Imam Husayn for the objectives with which he had set out from Madina?
May Allah make great our reward and your reward, for our grief on Husayn a.s. May He place us and you from those who help his cause with His representative, the guided Imam from the family of Muhammad, peace be on them.
Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah
Fazle Abbas Datoo
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Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat