Jaffar Abbas Agha
In this month of Muharram, we acknowledge the sacrifices made by Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his followers. This month we remember the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s.), which took place on the 10th of Muharram, the day we now call Ashura.
Year after year, we gather on this day and remember the pains and trials the Imam faced at the tyrannical hands of Yazid’s Caliphate.
We hear how Yazid’s troops, who were too cowardly to meet Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his companions on the battlefield, picked off the men with bow and arrow from a safe distance. We hear how they fell, one-by-one, friends, cousins, nephews, and sons. We hear how Imam Hussain (a.s.), now the last man capable of fighting, carried his infant son to the enemy [to expose their ultimate wickedness for the last time] and asked them at least to give the baby the water they were hoarding. And we hear how Yazid’s troops, instead of giving water to the crying child, transfixed his throat with a triple head arrow.
We hear these things and tears come to our eyes. But have we learned anything from these sacrifices? How many of you know that Imam Husain (a.s.) carried the body of his bloody child and laid him in his mother’s lap? How many of you know that he then prayed for the very people who killed his son and his followers?
From this we can see the Imam’s spiritual and moral greatness, as he asked Allah (s.w.t.) to forgive those who were led astray by Yazid. Look into your own hearts and see if you can compare these acts with your own. Do we forgive and pray for those who wrong us, or do we close ourselves and fill our hearts with spite? As Muslims, do we befriend our non-Shia brethren, or do we reenact the very hate Yazid bore against the family of the Prophet?