Imam Hussain (AS) the True Leader
Defiance to Injustice, no to surrender!
‘Hussain is of myself and I am of Hussain…”- Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him)
By: M Ahmad
Many of us experience situations in our daily life when we are oppressed by other people, or we witness an act of injustice. We might prefer to stay silent to prevent the probable consequences, not realizing that this may keep us away from immediate harm, but it will be followed by greater consequences and damages later on.
As we know, Imam Hassan (AS) remained silent and signed a peace treaty with the ruler of his time. The main reason was that although the rulers had started to bring some changes in some of the rules of Islam, they still preserved Islamic attitudes in public. Therefore, being in peace with such a regime did not lead to so much damage to religion. But Yazid had no intention even to present an Islamic behaviour in the Islamic society. If Imam Hussain (AS) kept silence and paid allegiance to Yazid, it would have meant that he approved of his behaviour.
As a result, all the rulings and laws of Islam that the Prophet (PBUH)) had suffered to teach people for a more prosperous life would gradually disappear over time. As Yazid forced Imam Hussain (AS) to pay allegiance to him, he notified his reasons for which he could not accept Yazid’s ruling over the Islamic society. The most important reason was that he was not behaving as a Muslim and had stood up against Allah’s orders.
It is clearly mentioned in the Quran that it is prohibited for Muslims to accept the ruling of a non-Muslim or a non-believer: “O! You who have faith! Do not take those who take your religion in derision and play, from among those who were given the Book before you, and the infidels, as friends, and be wary of Allah, should you be faithful.” (5: 57) However, Imam Hussain (AS) did not mean to start a war, and therefore, he took his family and left Medina for Mecca. Yazid knew that Imam had a significant impact on Muslims’ decisions and was afraid that Imam’s decision would spread among the Muslims and lead to their uprising against him. Thus, he sent his people to bring the Imam (AS) and to take his allegiance.
Imam left Medina for Kufah and then to Karbala. He was surrounded by the massive army of Yazid. Based on his ideology and belief, and the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) that he had grown up with, Imam Hussain (AS) chose never to surrender against the injustice acts of Yazid. He, therefore, did not give up his duty to stand against injustice and along with his companions and family, defended his household until they were all martyred.
The beauty and magnificence of his free spirit and his uprising started to spread throughout the world after his martyrdom. He reached his goal to conserve the true religion of Islam and the pathway to prosperity by unveiling the real character and aims of those who desired to rule over the nation. After the event of Karbala, his message on ‘standing against injustice and being free-spirited’ spread all over the world. He became a symbol for all those who care about their spirit, don’t want to accept oppression, tyranny, and injustice for the sake of their benefits in the short life of this world.
From Imam Hussain’s (AS) lifestyle, we learn that neglecting some mistakes may bring significant harm to society and, consequently, to our lives. Therefore, we should be wise and realize in our daily life to speak justice where oppression is taking place. That might be in our relations with our family members, our colleagues, or on a larger scale with those in power. “Prophets and Imams (PBUT) are vivid examples and leaders that true believers should practically follow and not just worship. The example of Imam Hussain (AS) teaches us the lesson of standing against tyranny and injustice, the movement of honourable believers who preferred martyrdom to humiliation, and who have shown us what it means not to surrender.
The leader of the nobles restrained his self from increasing oppression and taught sacrifice to the people. Musab bin Zubair says, “He gave preference to death with honour to a life of degradation.” “By Allah, I shall never give you the hand of humility and I would not accept slavery. I seek refuge from my Lord and yours that you may stone me”-these brilliant words show to what extent the great Imam was rich with nobility and unlimited virtues; whose best example is the everlasting valour that shall remain forever recorded in history of mankind.
No personality braver, determined and more valiant than Imam Hussain (AS) is seen throughout all the stages of the history of humanity. Because His Eminence on the day of Karbala was in such a position that the intellects are perplexed and minds are bewildered at it. The generations venerate his memory and regard his bravery with absolute astonishment, and people have considered his valour higher to that of the well-known valour of his father. Though Imam Hussain (AS) gave his life years ago, but his indestructible soul rules the hearts of people even today.
“I learned from Hussain how to be wronged and be a winner, I learnt from Hussain how to attain victory while being oppressed.” -Mahatma Gandhi
(M Ahmad is a regular writer for this newspaper and can be reached at [email protected])
