Tuesday, January 16, 2007,7:11 pm
Reaffirming our pledge to Imam Husayn [as]. . .

The Sun of Dhul Hijjah has set. It takes away with it the warm happiness and joy. The darkness spreads as the moon of Muharram ascends, a thin crescent cloaked with sorrow. It brings with it the cries of the household of the Prophet [pbuh]. The month of Muharram has arrived and with it comes the remembrance of the tragedy of Karbala. It is the time of mourning for those who laid down their lives on the plains of Karbala and with their blood they revived Islam from the hands of hypocrites and infidels. Karbala, a living legacy which preaches patience, piety, righteousness, morality, truth and most of all it preaches a living stand against oppression and injustice.

The message of Al-Husayn [as] is fresh as ever. The blood spilled on the plains of Karbala is fresh as ever. The revolution of Al-Husayn [as] is an eternal revolution which shall echo in the words of the true revolutionaries till the day of Judgement. The spiritual bliss which man seeks comes from following the commandments of Islam and the Laws of Allah. The heart of men find rest in the remembrance of Allah. The Quran testifies to this [13:28] 'Those who believe and whose hearts are set at rest by the remembrance of Allah; now surely by Allah's remembrance are the hearts set at rest.' Allah has given man the ability to distinguish good from evil, to spread justice and stop oppression yet the man falls into the traps of darkness and uses power to spread hatred and oppression. Imam Al Husayn [as] was a figure who was the spring of knowledge, goodness and virtues while on the other hand Yazeed [la] was a figure who represent the epitome of filth, injustice and hypocrisy.

The struggle between the good and the evil, a struggle which has been continous since the advent of religion, carries on within our selves everyday we find battling against our nafs and fighting our worldly desires. It is not merely limited to our nafs more over we see the struggle of good and evil throughout this world. The oppression and injustice still lives on today within our societies, our communities and our nations. That is why we find the statement 'Everyday is Ashura, everyland is Karbala' is so widely spread. There are many who oppose the use of this statement as a slogan but what one has to realise is the context it effects us in. For instance in what way does it effect us?

One has to realise that this statement adheres to the micro level effect when used and not macro level effect. It can never be used in the macro level effect as there is no tragedy as great as Karbala nor is there a more sorrowful day than Ashura. What is meant by this statement is the reflection of the values of Karbala within ones preception. Karbala and the day of Ashura in physical terms are entities which happened and would never be repeated or matched in anyway however when it comes to the spiritual level the essence of Ashura is within all of us, for if it was not then we would never stand up for the same values as Imam Husayn [as] did.

The advent of Karbala has 3 parts to it. The first part was leading uptil the martyrdom of Imam Al Husayn [as]. The second part was from his martyrdom till the return of his household to Medina and the third part is what continues till this day and will do so until the advent of Imam Al Hujja [ajtf]. The third part of the advent of Karbala revolves around the followers of Imam Al Husayn [as]. Our duty is to carry the message of Karbala and propogate the principles for which Imam Al Husayn [as] stood for however it is not just simply propogating it one has to first apply those principles to themselves otherwise preaching what is not followed is the greatest form of ignorance.

When one studies and observes the steadfastness and unflinching support of the companions of Imam Al Husayn [as]; the unselfishness on the part of Abbas [as], the brother and the 'backbone' of the Imam's contingent; the understanding of death by Qasim, the Imam's young nephew; the repentence of Hurr and the desire to die an honourable and dignified death than to live a humiliating life demonstrated by Imam Al-Husayn [as] and his followers. That is another prespective which many of us have to work towards and reach and that is the micro level effect which gives light to that statement.

The messages we take from Al-Husayn [as] life and physical death are items to learn from even today: the bravery, the compassion, the acknowledgement of free will and personal choice, and the embracement of Truth. Like a human example of a compass, individuals of any school of thought or faith may grasp the core elements during their short time on this planet and attempt to reach for similar expressions.

And when we remember Imam Al-Husayn [as] and the history of his life and how he lived it, we undoubtedly are faced with the various aspects of the story and our reactions to it. Whether the lessons learned about fear, balance, anger, or sorrow, they all tie in with one another when introduced with a larger scope of why it becomes so important to us, that possibility being love.

Ahlul Bayt [as] are the manifestations of the virtues of Allah, the Creator, whose description is all the attributes combined (tawheed) and is the root of the attributes. Allah is profoundly loving one, or Al-Wadud. There is nothing in this creation, nothing in our empirical knowledge that can fully grasp the superlative nature of this love. With that in mind, our love for Al-Husayn [as] who manifested the attributes of Allah both in his character and acts is actually due to our inherent love for the virtues, which is actually love for Allah. Imam Husayn [as] and his companions at Karbala translated these supreme attributes in the form of actions, in life and death. Every action of the Imam [as] was the reflection of Allah's will.

Why do we feel anger when reminded of the events of Karbala? Why the sorrow? How does fear relate to these incidents and the individuals involved on both sides of the slaughter in Karbala? It is because we love God, and because Al-Husayn [as] did, too. Imam Al-Husayn [as] existed in our reality of creation as a righteous life and death, something we all hope for on some level with ourselves. How can one not love a prime example of what we attempt to become? With the clear, balanced life one comes closer to Allah. From the temperance of managing one’s fear and distractions of nafs-inspired desires comes the better ability to nurture our own love for Allah. As it is something we aspire to, and something that Hussain achieved, how can we not love him as well?

And so, in each tear shed, or in each shock felt at this unfathomable tragedy, we at the same time find the inspiration of purity of spirit, and the inevitable, underlying causation of it all: that of love.

As the Quran states in Surah Baqarah verse 52: 'You remember me and I will remember you. .' A perfect example of that verse we find in Imam Al Husayn [as]. He sacrificed everything he had on the plains of Karbala. He left Medina, the city of his Grandfather, he abandoned Mecca for the sake of Allah. Gave his Asgher to the treacherous arrows, gave the chest of his son Ali Akbar to the dagger, the arms of his Abbas [as] to the Euphrates and the veil of his sister Zainab [sa] to Shmir [la]. And Allah has kept his promise and the remembrance of Imam Al Husayn [as] carries on till the day of Judgemennt through us, his Shias. He has given us this great honour to remember the beloved of Fatima [sa], and to mourn the grandson of the Prophet [pbuh] and with His will to serve in the army of Al Mahdi [ajtf].

O the one who cries blood on the plains of Ashura, I pray to Allah for your reappearance for the chest of Al Husayn [as] will attain peace with your zuhoor O mawla!

Assalaam Alyka Ya Aba Abdillah Al Husayn. . .
 
posted by Ya_Baqiyatullah
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Monday, January 01, 2007,5:47 pm
Eid al Adha. . .

Eid Mubarak to all

May Allah swt make this Eid and New Year a time for Peace, Prosperity and Tranqility for all Muslims

قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاَتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Say: Surely My Prayer and My Sacrifice and My Life and My Death are all for Allah [swt] - The Lord of the Worlds [6:162]

Inshallah in the coming year may Allah give us the ability to elevate ourselves to such great level that all our actions are in accordance to the Laws of Allah and for Allah alone. May the Blessings and Bounties of the Almighty shower upon us throughout the new year Inshallah!
 
posted by Ya_Baqiyatullah
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