On Ashura
By Shakeel Syed
Los Angeles
“If you do not march forth, Allah will
chastise you grievously and will replace you by
another people, while you will in no way be able
to harm Him. Allah has power over everything”.
9:39
No people can live successfully, fruitfully and
triumphantly without a strong memory of their
past. The 10th of Moharram is one such occasion.
Muslims attempt to recall the tragic event around
the 60th year after Prophet Muhammad migrated
from Makkah to Madinah. This time it was his family
led by his noble grandson Imam Hussain (peace
and blessings be upon all of them).
Reciting divine words, reflecting on prophetic
advises and studying history enable us to crystallize
our insight. However, when we attempt to draw
the imagery of Karbala, no heart could be so hard
as not to be pierced with piteous feeling while
replaying the Day of Ashura. Words can simply
not do justice to the sacrifices made on that
day.
They kept their heads high, faces bathed in blood
and tears, looking one upon another. Others stood
in dolorous pain, looking up to the highest heavens,
fixing their eyes upon it, crying out, asking
help from the Only Helper, while still others
made lamentations in the manner of dirge. Today
we try to recall their pain, suffering and sacrifices,
as they happened, to inspire ourselves and to
understand the concept of sacrifice for a noble
cause.
Regrettably, sacrifice as is generally understood
today, is to give up something that should not
have been touched in the first place. Selfless
and unasked giving is a rarity and unheard of.
Giving one’s entire self and offspring for
His pleasure is unimaginable. Muslims must spiritually
survive from the unparalleled yesterdays of the
Prophet’s progeny.
We have been largely overwhelmed by a culture
that has emptied our memories, made us apologetic
for who we are, and stripped us along the way
of the sheerest hope of self-definition. We alone
are presumed past-less and are left to repair
our self-esteem. Imperative it is for us today
to define ourselves by our ongoing tribulations
and those who mete them out to us. Otherwise,
we cannot be collectively successful if we have
no idea or, worse, have the wrong idea of who
we were and who we are.
The intent of this writing is to stimulate, not
to sate -- to pose the question and to invite
reflection -- to cause ourselves to act for an
almost forgotten legacy of the sacrifices made
by our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) and his progeny.
O Allah! Bestow upon us the courage to enjoin,
proclaim and enforce Good and patience and perseverance
to forbid and stop Evil for and by all.
Shakeel Syed lives in Los Angeles and is a freelance
writer and can be reached at shakeel@islamicity.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
