I was forced to write this article when I read a blog ‘Why Ashura is a ‘Holy-Day’ for all of us and not just you’ (Mahjabeen Khan, Express Tribune, December 6 2011). The blog was supposedly a response to another blog ‘Muharram is your holiday, not mine’ (Sidra Rizvi, Express Tribune, December 2), but in effect, turned out to be an edict excommunicating all the Shia Muslims, and playing down any importance attached to Muharram due to martyrdoms of Imam Hussain (a.s) and other members of the Prophet’s (pbuh) family.
The ostensibly neutral blog (which easily found many waiting vultures as cheerleaders in the ET comments section) was not only factually incorrect, but replete with hate. The whims of
صد شُکرِ مولا محرم الحرام کا ابتدائی عشرہ تمام پاکستان میں پچھلے سال کی نسبت پُر امن گُذر گیا۔
محرم کے اوائل میں ہونے والی دہشت گردی کے واقعات سے تمام مُلک میں ایک بے چینی پائی جاتی تھی۔
پشاور میں ٩ محرم الحرام کے مرکزی جلوس سے واپس جاتے ہوئے عزاداروں کو انتہا پسندوں کی جانب سے دستی بم کا نشانہ بنایا گیا، جس میں ایک بچہ شہید اور کئی خواتین زخمی ہوئیں،
پچھلے سال سفاک قاتلوں کے جتھے نے جس طرح عزاداروں کو اپنی دہشت گردی کا نشانہ بنایا
اُس سے عاشقانِ رسول کی صحت پر کوئی اثر پڑتا دکھائی نہیں دِیا۔ ماضی کی طرح مجالس و جلوس میں جوق در جوق عزاداروں کی شرکت نے تمام دہشت گردوں کو اپنے حوصلے اور ایمان کی پختگی کا نمونہ دِکھایا۔
پُر امن عاشورہ کے انتظامات میں ہماری سکیورٹی ایجنسیز، حساس اداروں، پولیس، رضاکار فورس اور امن کمیٹی کی مثالی کوارڈینیشن دیکھنے کو مِلی۔۔۔۔بالخصوص لاہور کے مرکزی جلوس میں حیدریہ سکاوٹس کے نو عمر جوانوں نے جیسے چیکنگ کے فرائض انجام دئیے اُس کی تعریف نہ کرنا بُخلِ قلم ہوگا۔ میرا سلام ہے ُان ماؤں پر کہ جنہوں نے اپنے جگر ٹکروں کو عزاداریء امامِ مظلوم کی حفاظت پر مامور ہوجانے کی اِجازت دی۔ یہ پست قد مگر بلند حوصلہ نوعمر چاق و چوبند ہر مجلس و جلوس کے روٹ کو اپنے حفاظتی حصار میں لیے تلاشی کا فریضہ انجام دیتے رہے۔۔
سولہ سے چوبیس سال تک کی عمر پر مشتمل یہ جوان ہماری پولیس، حساس اِداروں،حکومتی رضاکاروں کے شانہ بشانہ یزیدی لشکر کے ہر گھناؤنے عمل کو ناکام بنانے کی خواہش لئے اپنے فرائض بخوبی سر انجام دیتے رہے۔۔۔ جذبہء شہادت سے سرفراز اِن ننھے مجاہدوں کو دیکھ کر یہ سوال جاگ اُٹھا کہ وہ جواں سالہ افغان لڑکا جو سینے سے جیکٹ لگائے اِس ہجوم کو دھماکے سے اُڑانے کے لیے آتا ہے وہ بھی شہادت کا تمنائی ہے، اور یہ نو عمر، جوان، اور اہلکار جو اُسے روکنے کے لیے اپنی جانوں کی پرواہ نہیں کرتے وہ بھی شہید ہونے کا جذبہ لیے اپنی ڈیوٹی سر انجام دے رہے ہیں۔
شہادت کے تمنائی دونوں۔۔۔۔۔۔ دھماکا کرنے والا بھی اور اُسے روکنے والا بھی۔۔
مسلمانوں نے فلسفہء قُربانی کو کِس عجیب موڑ پر لا کھڑا کیا ہے؟۔۔۔
ابو جہل کی نسل میں سے ہوتا تو شاید اِس سوال کے جواب پر غور و فکر نہ کرتا اور دونوں کو شہید قرار دے دیتا ، یا دھماکہ کرنے والے کی خاندانی پسماندگی، بدلے کی خواہش، یا معاشرتی انتقام سے تشبیھ دے کر اِس گھناؤنے فعل کی تاویل تلاش کرتا۔
مگر عشقِ محمد و آلِِ محمد نے مجھے سوال کی تلاش میں بھٹکنے نہ دِیا، حقیقتا اسلام میں خود کشی حرام قرار دی گئی ہے، جو اِس بات کی واضع مثال ہے کہ اِسلام انسانیت سے پیار و محبت کا درس دیتا ہے، اسلام کے علاوہ بھی کوئی مذہب چاہے وہ عیسائی ہو، ہندو ہو یا بدھ اِزم کوئی بھی دین ۔۔۔۔ انسانیت کے قتل کو جائز قرار نہیں دیتا۔
تو وہ کِس دین کے متلاشی ہیں جو ننھے بچوں کے جسم پر جیکٹ باندھ کے اُس کے ذہن میں جنت کی ایسی جھوٹی تصویر بنا دیتے ہیں کہ وہ معصوم کلی اپنے ساتھ ہزاروں کے پرخچے اُڑا دیتی ہے۔
اُنھیں اسلامی تاریخ کا کون سا فلسفہ قربانی سمجھایا جاتا ہے کہ جس میں بے گناہ انسانوں کی جانوں سے کھیلنے والے کو جنت کا حقدار ٹھہرایا جاتا ہے۔
کربلا کے واقعہ میں مسلمانوں کو فلسفہء قربانی کچھ ایسے سمجھایا گیا کہ شبِ عاشور امام حسین نے تمام اصحاب و عزیز کو اپنے خیمے میں جمع کیا اور شمع بجھا دی۔
عاشور کے دِن بپا ہونے والی قیامت کا منظر پیش کیا اور کہا کہ جسے جانا ہو خاموشی سے چلا جائے۔
بجھے چراغ کو جب دوبارہ روشن کیا گیا تو سوائے اُن کے کہ جنہیں امامِ وقت نے خود واپسی کا حکم صادر فرمایا ، سارے لشکر کو موجود پایا۔
عاشور کے دِن کا آغاز ہوا، اور نمازِ عصر تک تمام شہادتیں بارگاہِ ایزدی میں پیش کی گئیں۔
عاشور کے دِن نمازِ عصر کے بعد سے خاتونِ جنت بی بی فاطمہ الزہرا سلام اللہ علیہ کا گھرانہ تو ختم ہو گیا مگر حقیقی اِسلام کو حسین ابنِ علی علیہ السلام ہمیشہ کے لیے زندہ کر گئے۔
قلسفہ قُربانی کو ایک عظیم انداز میں دُہرادِیا کہ حضرت ابراہیم علیہ السلام اور حضرت اسماعیل علیہ السلام نے بھی عرشِ بریں سے اِسے ذبح عظیم قرار دیا۔
یہاں ثابت ہوا کہ فلسفہء قربانی میں مقصد اہم کردار ادا کرتا ہے، انسان دنیاؤی زندگی کے جھمیلوں اور پریشانیوں سے عاجز آکے کوئی انتہائی قدم اُٹھائے تو خدارا اُسے خود کشی ہی گردانئے۔۔۔
اِس عظیم قربانی کی یاد مناتے لاکھوں عزاداروں کی حفاظت ہی وہ مقصد ہے کے جسے لئے ہزاروں جوان عزاداری کے جلوس کی حفاظت پر مامور رہے۔۔۔اِن جوانوں کے لئے سندِ شہادت کسی کاغذ کے ٹکڑے یا امیر تحریک طالبان کے دستخط کی مرہونِ منت نہیں۔ بلکہ انہیں سندِ شہادت اُس وقت مل گئی تھی کہ جب انھوں نے اپنی عظیم ماؤں سے حفاظتی ڈیوٹی سر انجام دینے کی اجازت طلب کی اور انھیں اجازت ملی۔
Sanad of the so-called shahadat given by extremist Deobandi mullahs to the parents of suicide bombers
بس یہاں سے فلسفہء قربانی کا مفہوم اسلامی نقطہء نظر سے واضع ہوتا چلا گیا۔۔۔ جو جو جہا ں جہاں بھی نسلِ انسانی کو بچانے کے لیے جان قُربان کرے وہ شہید قرار پائے گا اور جنت کا حقدار ہوگا۔
رسول پاک کا فرمان ہے کہ حسن اور حسین جنت کے سردار ہیں۔
تو ایسے میں عزادارنِ حسین پر دھماکا کرنے والا کیسے جنت کا حقدار ہو سکتا ہے؟
پس، جس قربانی کے پوشیدہ مقاصد میں اِسلام ، اسلاف اور انسانیت کو بچانے کی کوشش کی گئی ہو اُس قربانی کو شہادت کا درجہ ملتا ہے۔
اور جس فلسفہء قربانی میں اِسلام، اسلاف اور انسانیت کو ختم کرنے کے سازش نظر آئے اُسے خودکشی کہا جائے گا جسے اسلام میں حرام قرار دیا گیا۔
اسی فلسفے کو معیار بنا کر بنی نوع انسان کی یاد دہانی کے طور پر رب العزت نے اِسلامی سال کا اِختتام بھی ایک قربانی کے مہینے کو رکھا اور اسلامی سال کی اِبتدا بھی قُربانی کے ماہ سے کی گئی،یہی وجہ ہے کہ ہر سچے مسلمان میں قربانی کا قرینہ شیرِ مادر سے منتقل ہو کر اُس کے جوان و پیر ہونے تک خون بن کر شریانوں میں دوڑتا رہتا ہے۔
محرم الحرام کے ابتدائی عشرے میں حکومتِ وقت کی طرف سے کئے گئے اِنتظامات قابلِ تعریف تھے۔
امن کمیٹی، صوبائی حکومتوں، سِول ایڈمنیسٹریشن،پولیس و مختلف سکیورٹی ایجینسیز ، اسکاوٹس اور عزادار کونسلز نے اپنے اپنے فرائض احسن طریقے سے سر انجام دئیے اور یزیدِ وقت کے مضموم اِرادوں کو ناکام کیا۔
نئے اسلامی سال کے پہلے عشرے میں کئے گئے سکیورٹی انتظامات پورے سال بالخصوص ایسے اہم اسلامی دِنوں کی مواقع پر انتہائی سخت ہی رکھے جانے چاہیے، وزیرِ داخلہ رحمن ملک کی کاوشیں محرم الحرام کے آغاز سے ہی انتہائی قابلِ رشک رہیں جنھوں نے اتحاد کی اہمیت پر زور دئیے رکھا اور مختلف علماء دین اور سیاسی و سماجی تنظیموں کے درمیان بڑھنے والی خلیج کو کم کیا۔
مفاہمت کا ایسا سنہری عمل سیاسی اور مذہبی جماعتوں کو قریب سے قریب تر لانے میں بے مثال کردار ادا کر رہا ہے۔اسی مفاہمتی عمل سے جذبہء برداشت کو فروغ حاصل ہوگا اور مسلمان اخوت اور بھائی چارے سے یزیدی طالبان کے گھناؤنے عزائم کو خاک میں ملائیں گے۔
موسمِ بہار کی آمد کے ساتھ ہی شمالی وزیرستان میں دشمن کی کمر توڑنے کے لیے آپریشن کا آغاز متوقع ہے۔۔۔ بقول وکی لیکس کے پاکستانی عسکری قیادت تو اس آپریشن کے لیے ہمہ وقت تیار ہے مگر صدر آصف علی زرداری نے موسمِ بہار کی آمد تک انتظار کرنے کو ترجیح دی ہے۔۔۔
یہ فیصلہ سیاسی سمجھ بوجھ کا شاخسانہ ہی تو ہے کہ بہار کی آمد تک محرم اور صفر کے مقدس اسلامی ماہ اختتام پذیر ہوجائیں گے اور یزیدی لشکر کی بدلے کی آگ کا نشانہ بننے سے عزادار محفوظ رہ سکیں گے۔
بیشک یہ میلاد ، مجالس و جلوس ہمارا سرمایہ حیات ہیں جس کی حفاظت ہم سب مسلمانوں پر واجب ہے۔۔۔ یہی وجہ ہے کہ ہماری مفاہمت کی پالیسی ہی یزدانِ کفر کی بلند و بالا عمارتوں میں بھی دراڑیںڈال سکتی ہے۔۔
مفاہمت اور جذبہء قربانی عصرِ حاضر کے یزیدی لشکر کو شکست دینے کی اہم کُنجی ہے۔
I clearly remember how in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings in London by Islamofascists (brainwashed by an extremist Deobandi/Wahhabi version of Islam), Londoners refused to give up their lifestyle, the majority of London schools remained open, public services remained available and the message from most London boroughs was business as usual.
One may differ with the then Prime Minister Tony Blair on many accounts but I have high appreciation for his clearly articulated message to the people of Britain on 7/7:
First, he did not generalize the attackers:
“We know that these people act in the name of Islam but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent and law-abiding people who abhor those who do this every bit as much as we do.”
Second, he urged Londoners to carry on with their everyday life:
“…I think we all know what they are trying to do. They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to frighten us out of doing the things that we want to do, trying to stop us from going about our business as normal, as we are entitled to do and they should not and they must not succeed. When they try to intimidate us, we will not be intimidated. When they seek to change our country or our way of life by these methods, we will not be changed.”
This brings me to the core point of this post.
For the last thirty years, since the inauspicious days of military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq who sowed the seeds of religious sectarianism in Pakistan by patronizing a narrow Wahhabi-Deobandi version of Islam while persecuting the minority sects, Pakistani Shias have remained subject to continuous persecution, harassment, hate speech and violence by various jihadi and sectarian proxies of the State, i.e., the Sipah-e-Sahaba, Taliban, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Hizbullah, Lashkar-e-Taiba etc.
Thousands of Shias have been killed in the last thirty years in all parts of Pakistan most notably in Parachinar, Quetta, Jhang, Dera Ismail Khan, Multan, Karachi, Lahore, Kohat, Hangu, Gilgit-Baltistan etc.
Their only crime? They practice a faith (belief in Imams instead of Caliphs) which is different from the majority Sunni belief.
Yet, while the majority of moderate Sunnis and Shias are tolerant of each other’s ideological differences, the extremist Deobandi and Wahhabi mercenaries of the GHQ consider it their strategic as well as ideological duty to harass, attack and kill Shia Muslims. They consider Shias as heretics, infidel (kafir) and Jewish agents (Sabaai).
Over the last many decades, Shia Muslims in Pakistan have been massacred in their mosques, imambarghas, funerals, marriages, political meetings and jirgahs. They have not been spared in their offices, schools and colleges, transports, not even inside their houses.
Yet, one must salute Pakistani Shias for their resolve, their firm commitment to their lifestyle and traditions, their refusal to give in to all forms of violence and harassment by the extremist Deobandis and Wahhabis who are in turn mentored, supported and protected by a ruthless State.
In Muharram each year, every Shia knows that the majlis they are going to attend, or the juloos they are participating on Ashura, may be subject to a violent attack by a suicide bomber.
Every year, extremist Deobandi and Wahhabi mullahs issue fatwas (religious decrees) against the Shia rituals of Ashura.
Every year, terrorists of the Taliban and Sipah-e-Sahaba issue ultimatum that Shia gatherings during Ashura will be attacked.
Yet the Shias of Pakistan have consistently refused to give in. They have refused to cave in to the demands and tactics of extremist Deobandis and Wahhabis.
This point was neatly highlighted by Batool Zehra:
…no one is really in doubt about how vulnerable the Ashura procession is this year. In their majalis, Shia clerics have been philosophic about the possibility of suicide bombing, acknowledging that while safeguards have been taken, the threat by its very nature cannot be eliminated by better security.
Come Ashura and each mourner or ‘azadar’ on the long stretch of M A Jinnah Road (in Karachi) is more than a mourner — he is a protester and also a fighter. When the azadar walk out of their homes and join the procession, it is with the understanding that, had they been present at the battle of Karbala, they would have formed part of Imam Hussain’s (RA) army. To a follower, there are no anachronisms.
The Ashura procession is a concrete recreation to the idea that evil, even if it were to hide behind piety, behind religious facades, must be identified and exposed. And if the procession today is Imam Hussain’s (RA) lashkar, then in many ways, the Taliban today in their excesses, rigidity and barbaric cruelty still broadly embody the characteristics — intolerance, cruelty and a penchant for barbarism — of the Imam’s enemies.
Those who suggest that the processions should not take place, are missing the essential point. The Taliban attack not just lives, but a way of life, and it is the latter which must be protected, and which needs to survive. As hundreds of empty schools in Fata and Balochistan testify, it is all too easy to relinquish a way of life in an ultimately empty bid to protect lives. While the fear of bombing is palpable, there aren’t many today who are debating whether or not to go to the procession this year.
Let me once again recall Blair’s words to highlight what Pakistani Shias have been experiencing and courageously demonstrating in the last many years:
“I think we all know what they are trying to do. They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to frighten us out of doing the things that we want to do, trying to stop us from going about our business as normal, as we are entitled to do and they should not and they must not succeed. When they try to intimidate us, we will not be intimidated. When they seek to change our country or our way of life by these methods, we will not be changed.”
Through this post on the eve of Ahsura 1432 AH, I wish to pay my tribute to Pakistani Shias, those who sacrificed their lives in the Pakistani nation’s war against extremist Deobandi / Wahhabi ideology and those who still continue to challenge Yazid and its progeny in Pakistan.
Shia mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, all of them know they or their dear and near ones might be killed by extremist Deobandis, yet they have demonstrated to the Pakistani nation and the entire world the true way to deal with terrorism, i.e., through perseverance, sacrifice and a firm resolve to carry on with the business as usual.
My salute to Pakistani Shias. My salute to all those individuals, groups and communities in Pakistan including Sunnis and Shias, Christians and Ahmadis, Hindus and Sikhs, who are facing the brunt of extremist Deobandi (and to a lesser extent Wahhabi) violence but they have refused to surrender to the terrorists’ aims and demands.
To Pakistani Shias and all those who stand by individuals’ and communities’ right to practice a faith of their own choice, let me dedicate the following Noha by legendary Sachay Bhai of Karachi:
In times like these when Saudi petro-dollars are lavishly available to cultivate extremism in Muslim youth and children, particularly in the Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith households, madrassahs and media, it is important to highlight the internal diversity of Islam, particularly those people and traditions that face the usual brunt of extremist Deobandi and Wahhabi violence.
The movie, Ishq-e-Hussain (produced by Kauthar TV in December 2009 http://www.kauthartv.com), highlights a peaceful message of Islam, a message based on love, sacrifice and cultural diversity, a message that highlights the sacred connection between a lover and his beloved.
The movie is a saga of enthusiasm to sacrifice for the sake of Imam Hussain. It portrays the life of a poor rickshaw driver – Abbas – vibrating with the love of Imam Hussain.
It depicts his zeal to reach Karbala for pilgrimage (ziarat) of Imam Hussain, his will to overcome all difficulties and extend all sacrifices in order to reach the shrine of his beloved, Imam Hussain.
Abbas is seen trying to face and overcome all forms of hardships in the path to Karbala. He remembers the days when lovers of Imam Hussain suffered all kinds of ordeals, their hands cut, their properties confiscated.
He too tries to sacrifice an organ of his body – his kidney – so as to reach the eternal abode of his beloved.
How then does the story take a turn and how does the loving Imam shower his blessings on Abbas? Does Abbas give away his kidney? Does he make it to Karbala?
Produced by: Zulfiqar Ali
Directed & photographed by: Muhammad Ibrahim
Special consultant: Maulana Syed Asad Alam Naqvi
Cast: Adnan Jilani (as Abbas), Farhana Maqsood, Aurangzeb Leghari
Vocals for the Marsiya: Irfan Haider
In selecting this post, we at the LUBP stand by the pluralist traditions of our land. We stand with our Hindu and Christain Pakistani brothers and sisters (and followers of other religions and faiths) and want to highlight the universalist strands of the Karbala paradigm where Imam Hussain was supported by his Hindu and Christain friends and supporters, who also sacrificed their lives for his cause of standing up against injustice.
Karbala teaches us to awaken our conscience and take a stand against oppression and tyranny. This is a clarion call for us to take a stand against not just the ongoing genocide of Shias in Pakistan but also of the persecution of our Christain, Ahmadi, Hindu, Barelvi and Sikh Pakistanis. We stand with our moderate Deobandi Pakistanis who are taking a stand against the ISI tactic of cultivating their sect for raising jihadi-sectarian militias that fulfil the foreign and domestic policy imperatives of our establishment.
Karbala teaches us to stand with Aasia Bibi in this time when she is being persecuted by the so-called independent closet Jamaati judiciary. Shame on you, Babar Awan, for opposing the revocation of the laws passed by Islamist tyrants and going against the initiatives and efforts by your party, the PPP, to help Aasia Bibi. By your words , you have cast your lot with the progeny of Yazid and General Zia ul Haq. (Qudsia Siddiqi)
It may appear a bit odd to talk about Hindu contribution to the tradition of marsiya and azadariat a time when communalists in India seen bent upon effacing every vestige of the religious heritage of the Muslims from that country. In fact, now is the time to show how different were the cultural attitudes in this land in the past. I am chiefly indebted for this information to Kalidas Gupta Raza.
Kalidas Gupta Raza, who died recently, is known as an authority on Ghalib. His preoccupation with the marsiya and the azadari tradition in general is a little less known. And it was something more than of mere academic interest. While on a visit to Bombay I had the opportunity to meet him. Seeing me curious about his pen name, ‘Raza’, he told me that he had chosen it because of his devotion to Hazrat Imam Raza. He was kind enough to give me his booklet titled, ‘Shaoor-i-Gham’, which included marsiya pieces written by him.
While engaged in his research on Hindu marsiya writers he had unearthed a number of such writers, which were hitherto unknown to us. An article, which was intended to be the first chapter of his book, Hindu marsiya go is included in his collection, published under the title,Sahv-o-Suragh, in which he has traced Hindu involvement in azadari from the times of Quli Qutab Shah. This ruler, he says, would take care to say goodbye to wine as soon as the moon of the month of Muharram was sighted. Clad in black, he would come out from his palace and proceed to the aza-khana followed by a large number of people, most of whom were Hindus.
The first Hindu marsiya writer, as researched by Gupta Raza, was as Ram Rao, whose pen name was ‘Saiva’. He belonged to Gulberg but migrated to Bijapore in the time of Ali Adib Shah. In about 1681, he translated Rozatush Shuhada in Deccani verse. This translation was in addition to the original marsiyas written by him.
Sri Makkhan Das, and Balaji Tasambak with ‘Tara’, as his pen name are some other marsiyawriters, who flourished in Deccan in the years that followed. Add to them the name of Swami Prashad who wrote marsiyas in Urdu under the pen name of ‘Asghar’, though he also wrote poetry in Persian and Hindi.
As the centre of Urdu shifted from the South to the North and the azadari culture began to flourish in Lucknow. Here, too, we find the Hindu gentry actively participating in the rituals of Muharram and Hindu poets ardently engaged in writing marsiyas. Better known among the earlier poets was Munshi Channoo Lal Lakhnavi, who wrote ghazals under the pen name of ‘Tarab’ and marsiyas under the pseudonym, ‘Dilgir’. In his later period, he wrote marsiyas alone and distinguished himself in the field.
Raja Balwan Singh, who wrote under the pen name, ‘Raja’, was the son of Maharaja Chait Singh, the ruler of Benares. But the British did not allow him to rule for long. Ousted from Benares, he succeeded in winning a jagir from the Maharaja of Gawalior. His son Raja mostly lived in Agra and became a disciple of Nazeer Akbarabadi. He distinguished himself as amarsiya writer, though he also wrote in other verse forms.
Lala Ram Prashad wrote marsiyas under the pen name, ‘Bashar’. Gupta Raza tells us that he was a devotee of the Ahl-i-Bait. In his last days, he migrated to Karbala. It was there that he breathed his last and was buried there.
Perhaps in Lucknow, Hindus were more deeply involved in the rituals of Muharram. So their participation was not confined to writing marsiyas alone. Lala Har Prashad was not a marsiyawriter. But he had a passion for reciting them. Every year, he participated with devotion in taziaprocessions and recited his favourite marsiyas depicting the martyrdom of Hazrat Abbas.
Lala Har Prashad belonged, as Mirza Jafar Husain has told us, to the family of Raja Mahra. But Tika Ram was a potter. Out of his devotion for Imam Husain (AS) he had made a tazia of clay, which in its own way was a piece of art. This tazia was exhibited every year on the night of Muharram 10 and was always a centre of attraction for the mourners.
Mirza Jafar Husain has written about a unique ritual observed by the Hindu mourners. On the night of Muharram 10, someone from among them chose to masquerade as a messenger. He was expected to perform his duty on the day of Ashoor. So the next day, with bells hanging around his body and with a morchhal in his hand, he would go running from one place to the other, going to each group of mourners and announcing in a mournful voice, “Husain Kushta Shud” (Husain has been martyred).
In a cultural atmosphere of this sort, who could imagine a Hindu-Muslim riot? Only in such an atmosphere a Hindu poet could feel inspired to write marsiyas. This atmosphere in later times found its echoes in Munshi Prem Chand when he wrote his famous play, Karbala, in which a group of Hindus is seen fighting in Karbala for the cause Imam Husain (AS) stood for.
Female leaders in Islam have been overlooked by the mainstream Muslim world for hundreds of years. The truth to be told is that if it were not for women like Lady Khadijah, Lady Fatima Zahra, and Lady Zainab (peace be upon all of them), Islam would not have survived.
Lady Zainab (also spelled as Zaynab or Zeynep) was born in the year 6 AH (627 CE) in Medina, present-day Saudi Arabia. She was the daughter of Imam Ali and Lady Fatima, sister of Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain and granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). Born into a family known for its knowledge, Lady Zainab grew up to become one of the most knowledgeable women in Muslim history.
The Prophet named her “Zainab” explaining that this name was the combination of two words “Zain” and “ab” which meant father’s adornment, in other words she was like an image of Imam Ali’s character.
In her character, she reflected the best attributes of those who raised her. In sobriety and severity, she was likened to Ummul-Muminin Hazrat Khadija, her grandmother. In chastity and modesty to her mother Fatima Zahra; in eloquence to her father Imam Ali; in forbearance and patience to her brother Imam Hassan and in bravery and tranquillity of the heart to Imam Hussain. Her face reflected her father’s awe and her grandfather’s reverence.
In Medina, it was Zainab’s practice to hold regular meetings for women in which she shared her knowledge and taught them the precepts of the religion (Deen) of Islam as laid out in the Holy Qur’an. Her gatherings were well and regularly attended. She was able to impart the teachings with such clarity and eloquence that she became known as Fasihah (Skillfully fluent) and intensely eloquent (Balighah).
The depth and certainty of her knowledge earned her epithel given to her by her nephew, Imam Zaynul-Abidin of ‘Alimah ghayr Mu’allamah’ – she who has knowledge without being taught by anyone.
Lady Zainab married Abdullah, son of Ja’far Tayyar. Although Lady Zainab’s husband was well-off, the couple lived a modest life, as much of their wealth was donated to charity.
Her Role in the Negation of Oppression
Lady Zainab is famous for her patience during the tragedy of Ashura (Karbala). She watched her two sons, Aun and Muhammad, get butchered before her eyes on the day of Ashura. She also witnessed the brutal mutilation and slaughter of her brother Imam Hussain.
Before his martyrdom, Imam Hussain is said to have asked Lady Zainab to be patient in spite of all the calamities. Lady Zainab was afflicted with unspeakable tragedies, but as she was always steadfast, she came to known as Sabira (the Patient One).
In the aftermath of the massacre of Karbala, Lady Zainab led the women and children who were taken as prisoners by the tyrant Yazeed’s army.
While Imam Hussain’s mission ended on the plains of Karbala, Lady Zainab continued his struggle to be the voice of Imam Hussain.
Zainab assumed the task of delivering the message of the martyrs of Karbala to the people of her time and to the generation to come. She spared no time disclosing the plots hatched by the ruling system to distort the real importance of the Karbala Movement. Her provocative speeches delivered in the Courts of Yazid in Kufa and Damascus, when taken as a captive, still echo throughout the Muslim World.
Delivering a fiery speech in Kufa, at the seat of Ibn Ziyad, she condemned and unveiled his inhumane attitude. In a long speech in Damascus at Yazid’s court, she castigated vicious Yazid and cursed him because of his mischievous acts.
In one of Lady Zainab’s famous speeches in the palace of the tyrant Yazeed, she condemned oppression and scorned Yazeed in his own court. With a heart filled with the fire of truth, she spoke her eternal words: “So scheme whatever you may scheme, and strive for whatever you may strive, and put forth your best efforts – but, by Allah, you will never erase our mention (the family of the Prophet). ‘And are your days not numbered? And is your gang not dispersed – on that day when the caller shall call: Is not the damnation of God upon the oppressors?!'”
Even after her return to Medina, Lady Zainab did not sit still. Instead, despite having endured such hardships, she traveled all over the Islamic world and continued to preach the message of Imam Hussain, causing a reawakening in the Muslim nation that continues to this day in the form of Ashura commemorations. He struggle against oppressors and usurpers is an inspiration even today, and millions visit her shrine every year.
It is a fact that neither Karbala nor true Islam would have come to be known in reality without Hazrat Zainab’s sacrifices, and the pain and torture she endured in that period of time, and her perseverance in challenging the Omayyad government of tyrants and usurpers.
Zainab’s Sermon in Darbar-e-Yazid
At the plush seat of government, Yazid, proud of himself, surrounded by men of influence, was seated in wait. It was somewhat startling when he saw the 44 (see Note 2) bound captives arrive. It was more startling when the head of Al-Husain was brought to him on a golden tray. He, playfully touched the Imam’s teeth with the end of his stick and said: “O Husain! You have paid the price of your revolt.”
Taken aback at this audacity, Zainab and her companions were inflamed. Present were many sympathizers who felt sorely aggravated. But Yazid carried on gloating over his victory. He said to his subjects: “An avenge for my ancestors killed at Badr. Now Benu Hashim had staged a ploy to gain power.” Zainab, however, was incensed. She drew herself up and said aloud:
“Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds and blessings on my grandfather, the Master of divine Prophets.”
“O Yazid, Allah says, and His word is true, that:
ثُمَّ كَانَ عَاقِبَةَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاؤُوا السُّوأَى أَن كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا بِهَا يَسْتَهْزِئُون
In the long run evil in the extreme will be the End of those who do evil; for that they rejected the Signs of Allah, and held them up to ridicule. [Quran 30:10].”
“O Yazid, do you believe that you have succeeded in closing the sky and the earth for us and that we have become your captives just because we have been brought before you in a row and that you have secured control over us? Do you believe that we have been afflicted with insult and dishonor by Allah but that you have been given honor and respect by Him? You have become boastful of this apparent victory and you feel jubilant and proud over this honor. You think that you have achieved worldly good, that your affairs have become stable and that our rule has fallen into your hands. Wait for a while. Do not be so joyful. Have you forgotten Allah’s saying:
وَلاَ يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ لِّأَنفُسِهِمْ إِنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُواْ إِثْمًا وَلَهْمُ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ
Let not the Unbelievers think that our respite to them is good for themselves: We grant them respite that they may grow in their iniquity: But they will have a shameful punishment. [Quran 3:178]”
“O son of freed slaves, is this your justice that you keep your own daughters and slave-maids veiled while the daughters of the Prophet of Allah are being paraded from place to place exposed.”
“You have dishonored us by unveiling our faces. Your men took us from town to town where all sorts of people, whether they be residents of the hills or of riversides have been looking at us.”
“The near as well as the remote ones, the poor as well as the rich, the low as well as the high – all casting their glances at us while our position is such that there is no male relative of ours to render us help or support”.
“O Yazid, whatever you have done proves your revolt against Allah and your denial of His Prophet (pbuh) and of the Book and Sunnah that the Prophet brought from Allah. Your deeds should not cause amazement because one whose ancestors chewed the livers of the martyrs, whose flesh grew up on virtuous people, who fought against the Master of the divine Prophets, who mobilized parties for fighting against him and drew swords against him, should conspicuously excel all Arabs in unbelief, sinfulness, excesses, and enmity against Allah and His Prophet.”
“Remember that the evil deeds and sinful actions that you have committed are the result of unbelief and old rancor you bear because of your ancestors who were killed in Badr.”
“One who cast his glance of enmity, malice and rancor upon us does not lag behind in practicing enmity against us. He proves his unbelief, declares it with his tongue and jubilantly proclaims: ‘I have killed the sons of the Prophet of Allah and made his progeny captive,’ and wishes that his ancestors had lived to see his achievement and to have exclaimed, ‘O Yazid, may your hands not lose their strength, you have wreaked good vengeance on our behalf.’
“O Yazid, you are striking the lips of Imam Al-Husain with your stick in front of this crowd while these very lips used to be kissed by the Prophet of Allah, and yet your face reflects pleasure and glee.”
“By my life, by killing the Master of youths of Paradise, the son of the Master of Arabs (Imam Ali) and the shining sun of the progeny of Abdul Mut’talib, you have deepened our wound and uprooted us completely.”
“By killing Al-Husain ibn Ali you have gained nearness to the state of your unbelieving ancestors. You proclaim your deed with pride and if they were to see you they would approve of your action and pray that Allah may not paralyze your arms.”
“O Yazid! If you had heart enough to take account of your horrendous deeds, you yourself would surely wish your arms to be paralyzed and severed from your elbow and you would wish that your parents had not given birth to you because you would know that Allah has become displeased with you. Allah, Grant us our rights. Avenge those who have oppressed us.”
“O Yazid! you did what you wished, but remember that you have cut your own skin and your own flesh to pieces. Soon you will be brought before the Holy Prophet (pbuh). You will be overwhelmed with the weight of the sins committed by shedding the blood of his progeny and by dishonoring his family. The place to which you will be taken will be before all the members of his family. The oppressed will be avenged and the enemies will be punished.”
“O Yazid ! It is not seeming for you to swell with joy after slaying the Prophet’s progeny. ‘Reckon not those who are killed in Allah’s way as dead; nay, they are alive and are provided sustenance from their Lord; rejoicing in what Allah has given them out of His grace’ [3:169-170].”
“Allah is sufficient to deal with you. The Messenger of Allah is your antagonist and Jubra’eel is our support and help against you”.
“Those who have made you the head of state and burdened the Muslims with your leadership will soon find out what awaits them. The end of all tyrants is agony.”
“O Yazid. I speak not to you thus to warn you of the severe chastisement in store for you so that you should be regretful for you are one of those whose hearts are hardened, souls are rebellious and whose bodies are busy in Allah’s disobedience while they are under the curse of the Prophet of Allah. You are from among those in whose heart Shaitan has made his abode and has been breeding young ones”.
“How amazing it is that the virtuous people, sons of the divine prophets and vicegerents are killed at the hands of liberated slaves, evil-doers and sinners. Our blood is shed by their hands and our flesh serves as food for them. We feel grieved for those whose bodies are lying uncovered and unburied in the battlefield, wounded with arrows.”
“O Yazid, if you consider our defeat is your achievement then you will have to pay its price”.
“Allah commits not injustice to His servants. Our reliance is on Allah. He alone is our Relief and abode of Protection, and in Him alone do we repose our hope.”
“You may contrive and try however much you can. By Him who honored us with revelation, the Book and Prophethood, you cannot achieve our status, nor reach our position, nor can you effect our mention, nor remove from yourself that shame and dishonor that is now your lot because of perpetrating excess and oppression on us. Your word now is weak and your days are counted. Beware of the day when the announcer would announce the curse of Allah on the tyrants and the unjust.”
“Praise be to Allah who gave good end to His friends and granted them success in their aims, and thereafter called them back to His Mercy, Pleasure and Bliss, while you hurled yourself into evil and mischief by committing injustice against them. We pray to Allah to favor us with full recompense through them and grant us the good of Khilaafah and Imamah. Surely Allah is Kind and the Most Merciful over His creatures.”
Thus was how Zainab relayed the message of the martyrs of Karbala to the people, enlightening their minds towards the realities. Through her awe-inspiring speeches, she sought to disclose the tyranny of Umayyad’s rulers. Like sparks of fire, her fiery speeches would penetrate deep into the hearts of all tyrant rulers and oppressors, making them tremble on their feet.
Here is an excellent lecture (in Punjabi) by an eminent Ahl-e-Hadith Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ishaq. LUBP readers interested in a balanced historical perspective on Imam Hussain, Karbala and Khilafat may find this lecture informative and thought provoking.
Here is an introduction to Maulana Muhammad Ishaq:
Pakistan Blogzine 