Seyed Abdollah Hoseini Right of Reply The front page picture of last week’s Mail and Guardian was a distorted, sensational depiction of Ashura, a sacred period on the Muslim calendar, and created negative perceptions about the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (S), Imam Hussein (AS), and his martyrdom. It likely also had the effect of equating cultural practices and customs related to a particular part of the world, in this case Lebanon, with the Islamic faith itself. It therefore becomes necessary not only to dispel such notions, and place the photograph within its proper social and geographic context, but also to convey the message of Ashura from the perspective of those among whom its passion is most keenly felt. “One man with a belief,” wrote the renowned thinker John Stuart Mill, “is better than a thousand with only interests.” And though our religious experiences may differ, few would disagree that it would be hard to find anyone with firmer conviction and sense of purpose than the Imam Hussein. His steadfast character and unshakeable belief were borne out in striking testimony throughout his life, and in his death with the word justice on his lips. That Imam Hussein believed it is better to die than to submit to the yoke of oppression and tyranny won him the admiration of even those who lived generations after him. The message brought by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him and His Family) to mankind Islam is submission to the will of God. The values of truth, kindness, justice, peace and universal brotherhood brought by the Prophet of Islam continue to inspire millions around the world. The Islamic maxim that justice comes before peace was no more evident than in the life of the Imam Hussein; and in a contemporary society characterised by inequality, poverty, destitution and discrimination, the values for which he lived, and died, could not possibly be more significant. After the demise of the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century, the leadership of the ummah, or brotherhood of believers, passed to a succession of caliphs, or chiefly deputies. The community accepted their leadership, which did not seriously violate the legacy of the Prophet, until the ascension to power of the Muawiya and his son Yazid. An open violator of the laws of the Koran, and a spoiled 25-year-old prince, Yazid was rejected by the faithful of the community who were under the leadership of Imam Hussein. But, by maintaining his infant rule by force, he proceeded to consolidate his iron grip on power. The Arab tradition of bay’ah, or swearing allegiance to the leader, was used by Yazid to attempt to force the Imam Hussein, revered and respected by the faithful, to submit to his rule. The political system of Islam lays down strict criteria for leadership, including a natural disposition towards justice and fairness. The Imam Hussein, who held adherence to the laws of Islam as more sacred than his own life, refused to pay allegiance to Yazid, saying, “Death with dignity is better than life with oppression.” Whilst on pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Imam Hussein received 12?000 invitations from the people of the city of Kufa, now in present-day Iraq, to lead them in an uprising against the rule of Yazid. On his way to Kufa, Imam Hussein, and his band of only 72 faithful followers, were ambushed by Yazid’s armies. Despite their knowledge of the superior military might of the armies numbering over 10?000, the Imam Hussein refused, again, to submit to the leadership of Yazid, in order not to leave a wrong example behind. It was on the dusty plains of the place called Karbala that the grandson of the founder of Islam, together with 72 of his closest companions and family members, was martyred by Yazid’s armies, in a very tragic and painful manner. He sacrificed the life of his two sons, four of his brothers, 17 family members and other companions in an epic event. The highly dignified manner in which Imam Hussein and his followers were martyred is a wonderful lesson to all humanity. The soil ran red with the blood of the man so loved by the Prophet Muhammad (S) that he once said: “Hussein is part of me, and I am part of Hussein.” The reason we mourn Imam Hussein, and feel his passion so keenly, is because principles and values are so cheaply bought and sold in today’s society. The noble ideals of self-sacrifice, devotion and a call above the world’s vanities to the higher matters of the spirit are all but lost in a world that promotes a dog-eats-dog existence, and does not heed the pleas of the oppressed. Where he could have saved himself, Imam Hussein sent a clear message that the ideals by which he had lived his life were the very ideals for which he was prepared to die. When Shi’a Muslims around the world cry tears for Imam Hussein, they are remembering the depth of his sacrifice, and with every tear shed, calling for a self-introspection that asks constantly: “Am I ready to die for what I believe in?” It was this firm belief in the justice of God, and the eventual triumph of the oppressed that drove the mighty army of Israel out of South Lebanon. It was only through the remembrance of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein that the Islamic revolution in Iran was victorious and the Iraqi invasion into Iran was not successful. It was also only by the cry and remembrance of Hussein that the British forces in Iraq were expelled 100 year ago and the same was the fate of the Russian troops in Afghanistan. The soldiers, gun in one hand Koran in the other, held firmly to their faith, amidst circumstances so trying that they would be forgiven had they given up. Because the world may no longer have Imam Hussein physically, Shi’a Muslims maintain the spiritual connection by keeping his memory alive and because of this, it continues to inspire us.
Allowing the flame of his life to be extinguished would be an acknowledgement that his legacy was for another era, and that the ideals for which he died are quaint, even old-fashioned. The world may have lost the physical body of Imam Hussein, but not his spirit. It continues to exist in the hearts and minds of every Shi’a who gathers in Muharram to mourn him. Outsiders may find the austere ways of remembering Imam Hussein peculiar, but it would be folly to doubt the sincerity of those who do so. The Shi’a are the sons and daughters of Imam Hussein, and as long as the perfect society, where justice and peace reign supreme, is within our grasp, but not quite attainable yet, we will continue to rally around the cry, “Ya Hussein” (O Hussein). Imam Hussein was a walking, talking testimony to those wise words, that it is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees … It is therefore totally unjust to portray such an awesomely beautiful event with a photograph which does not depict the real meaning and significance of this occasion. The act of self-laceration has been openly declared a Haraam (forbidden) act by all Shi’a scholars, especially the present Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatullah Khamanei. Seyed Abdollah Hoseini is director of the Islamic Centre for Africa