What is Karbala---a brief summary

Monday, October 6, 2008

The event of Karbala is such that it demands the attention of the philosopher, the physician, and the historian alike. In Islam, there is no event greater in religious and social significance than this. The learned know that it is closely related to social, religious, and political thought alike. All individuals whatever there station in life, are concerned with this in their affairs of everyday life. Being a man and not have the qualities of man, does not entitle one to be called a man. God has granted two lives to the human being, one the apparent which consists of the body, and the other hidden in which the organs of morality play a part. The organs of morality themselves are of two kinds, one true, and the other false. The true are those without which man would be like an animal, while the false ones are not so effective because they degenerate the man. The study of the event of Karbala shows that it was morally a great lesson. The true morals are tolerance, kindness, forgiveness, love, generosity, faithfulness, and eschewing in justice. The false ones are miserliness, cruelty, injustice, greed, anger, malice, etc. the event of Karbala is such that by the study of it men can become models of virtue, if the virtues of sacrifice, kindness and generosity of Hussain(a.s) were of the highest order, the baseness, brutality and cruelty displayed by the enemy were the other extreme. Hussain(a.s) in his kindness and greatness of heart gives water to Hur and his men and beasts who were sent to capture him, but the men of Yazeed on the banks of Euphrates refuse even a drop of water to Hussain(a.s); instead they send forth an arrow that kills the six-month old son of Hussain(a.s.) Thousands of little instances can be cited to show the true morals of Hussain(a.s) and his men, and the false ones of the enemy. Domestic economy and relations are as important in the life of man in the battlefield as in the peace of the house, and the state. A critical study of the event of Karbala is a living commentary on this section of human life. It abundantly gives lessons for the relations between husbands and wives, masters and slaves, friends and foes, etc. The events of Karbala have thrown a flood of light on political questions as well. Today diplomacy, and expediency, are the basis of international relations. Hussain(a.s) could have also employed these to save his life, but he was above all this in his purity and honesty of purpose. For the sake of worldly power he did not make use of a false action. His acceptance of Yazeed?s caliphate would have made the world think that Hussain(a.s) the grandson of the prophet(pbuh) allowed and accepted the false instead of the truth; but Hussain(a.s) was for right and truth, and he sacrificed all for it. The battle of Karbala was not an ordinary battle, that is, for material possessions, but it was a battle for the upholding of Truth against falsehood. It was a fight between light and darkness, in which the ultimate and the everlasting success was that of truth and light. Today Islam owes its position to this battle that ended hypocrisy, and dispelled darkness from it forever. Hussain(a.s) the beloved son of Alia.s, and the grandson of the prophet(pbuh) was the cause, the means, as well as the end which, in one, brought about the everlasting triumph of Islam. Islam owes him an obligation from which it would never be able to free itself.