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Friday 29th of March 2024
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from me and I am from Husayn.

from me and I am from Husayn.

from me and I am from Husayn."

Chroniclers and historians have individually remarked that Imam Husayn

was the manifestation of the best examples of noble manners and conduct,

as well as his vast knowledge, which he inherited from the Messenger of

Allah salla-llahu-alayhi-wa-aalih. His actions spoke before his words.

Imam Husayn alayhis-salam was humbly gracious and generous to the

poor and those in need. He used to support what is right and fight what

was wrong. People always noticed such attributes in his conduct and

behaviour as perseverance, forbearance, and magnanimity. He was the

most pious and God-fearing of all people of his time.

In his book Master of the People of Paradise Dr Ahmad Ashur says:

“If you browse through the pages of the Sihaah books you could not fail to

come across many tens of hadith about the merit and superiority of Imam

Husayn alayhis-salam and the love of the Messenger of Allah salla-llahualayhi-

wa-aalih for him.”

In his book al-Fusul al-Muhimmah Ibn al-Sabbagh al-Maliki, quotes Anas

ibn Malik who said, “I was with al-Husayn alayhis-salam when a servant

entered and in her hand a bouquet of basil. She saluted al-Husayn and gave

him the bouquet. Al-Husayn alayhis-salam said to her ‘You are free for

the sake of Allah.’ I said to al-Husayn ‘She gives you a bouquet of basil

and salute you and you set her free?’ He said ‘This is how Allah has

taught us! Almighty He says: “If you are saluted, salute back in a better

way or return the same salute” and the better way is to set her free.”10

10 At the time of the prophet salla-llahu-alayhi-wa-aalih and the Imams alayhum-as-salam

slavery was common in the society. One of the most important values in Islam is freedom

and therefore it always aimed to gradually eliminate slavery from society. Therefore Islam

encouraged people to set their slaves free, and many rewards are prescribed for setting a slave

free. The Prophet and the Imams lead the way in this process in two ways. One was to set

examples for the Muslims by buying salves and setting them free at the first possible

opportunity. The second policy of the Imams was to buy as many salves as they could,

educate them and then free them into society as free, well mannered, and responsible adults.

In this way, this policy gave a good chance to a slave to attain his/her freedom, set an

example for other Muslims to practice, and give less chance to those who wanted to see

slavery ripe in society.

Husayn – The sacrifice for mankind

4

In his Chronicles, Ibn Asaakir reports that Imam Husayn alayhis-salam

used to receive money (Khums and Zakat) from Basra and other

destinations and he used to distribute the money between the poor and the

needy there and then.

Imam Husayn alayhis-salam is best known for his revolt against the status

quo. By that time the socio-political situation had deteriorated to an

extreme and intolerable state, fundamental measures needed to be taken.

The main aim and objectives of Imam Husayn’s revolt, which are in fact

the aim and objectives of Islam at any time and in any place, may be

summarised as follows:

• To bring about a responsible community in order to

implement and convey the message and teachings of Islam.

• To build an Islamic society which takes Islam as its sole

source of reference.

• To rescue the Islamic civilisation from deviation.

This is because the Islamic Ummah (Community) suffered from various

diseases in different domains:

• In the social domain it suffered widely from corruption,

bribery, cheating, oppression, favouritism and nepotism.

• From the law and order point of view, the criminal was not

being prosecuted, and therefore crime was ripe.

• From the ethical viewpoint, they had turned the moral values

upside down.

• From the economic viewpoint, the ruling elite and their

cronies monopolised the wealth of the nation.

For such reasons, and for the fact that the Muslims had remained

indifferent to these issues to the extent that these had become the norm,

that Imam Husayn rose against the injustice and corruption that was being

conducted in the name of Islam.

In the course of his jihad in the cause of Allah, Imam Husayn was brutally

beheaded and his body mutilated, alongside his sons, relatives, and some

seventy of his followers. Furthermore the women and children, who were

subsequently captured, including Imam Husayn’s sisters Zaynab alayhassalam

and Umm Kolthoum alayhas-salam as well as Zayn-al-Abidin

Imam Husayn – a brief biography

5

alayhis-salam, were taken as prisoners and paraded in towns and villages

as villains.

And since then the movement of Imam Husayn alayhis-salam inspired the

reform movements against despot rulers all over the world and the

Muslims continue to reap the fruit of the event of Karbala and every year

during the month of Muharram the memory of Ashura is commemorated

with vigour by hundreds of millions of Muslims all over the world.

As it was mentioned earlier, Imam Husayn alayhis-salam was the third of

twelve Imams who succeeded the holy prophet Muhammad salla-llahualayhi-

wa-aalih. On instructions from Allah Almighty, prophet

Muhammad salla-llahu-alayhi-wa-aalih announced the twelve Imams who

would succeed him in leading the Muslim Ommah (nation). Although at

the time of the prophet Muhammad, only the first three Imams were alive,

however, the prophet salla-llahu-alayhi-wa-aalih named all twelve Imams

who have been appointed as the Ma’soom Imams or leaders11. The first

caliph (successor) of the prophet Muhammad salla-llahu-alayhi-wa-aalih

whom he appointed to lead the Ommah after him was Imam Ali alayhissalam.

The prophet appointed Imam Ali alayhis-salam immediately after

his last pilgrimage, in Ghadir Khum, and instructed the Muslims to pay

homage of allegiance (Bay‘ah) to Imam Ali alayhis-salam as the Imam

and the leader of the Muslims, and commander of the faithful, Amir-ul-

Mu’minin, which they dutifully did. Given the number of people present

at the time, some reports put the figure at more than one-hundred-andtwenty-

thousands12; it took more than three days for them to pay the

homage of allegiance to Imam Ali alayhis-salam.

The names and titles of the twelve Ma‘soom13 Imams are as follows (year

of birth given in brackets):

11 for example see “Yanabi‘ al-Mawaddah”, p 529 by al-Qandozi al-Hanafi;

“Fara’ed al-Semtayn”, vol. p 132; “Ghayat al-Maram”, p 743; Masnad Ahmad, hadith #

19944, 20000, 19875, 19884, 19887, 19892, 199101, 19914, 19925, 19944; Sahih Muslim,

hadith # 3394, 3395, 3396, 3397; Sahih Bukhari, vol. 8, p 104 (al-Ahkam); al-Tirmidhi, vol.

2, p 35; Kanz al-Ommal, vol. 6, p 201; Mustadrak al-Sahihain, vol. 4, p 501

12 See for example: “Tathkirat al-Khawas”, by al-Sibt ibn al-Jwazi al-Hanafi, p 30;

“al-Sirah al-Halabeyyah”, vol. 3, p 257; al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah” by Zeyn Dahlan.

13 Ma‘soom (plural, Ma‘soomeen) is an individual who has attained a state of perfection and

self-discipline such that they are in total harmony with the will of Allah, and as such they are,

for example, able to refrain from the slightest error or overlook the smallest matter. In Islam

the Ma‘soom individuals are fourteen; they are Rasulollah, his daughter Fatima al-Zahra’,

and the twelve Imams alayhum-as-salam. The 14 Ma‘soomeen are also referred to as the

Husayn – The sacrifice for mankind

6

1. Imam Ali, Amir-ul-Mu’minin alayhis-salam, (10 BH, 600 CE)

2. Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba alayhis-salam, (2 H, 623 CE)

3. Imam Husayn al-Shahid alayhis-salam, (3 H, 624 CE)

4. Imam Ali ibn Husayn, al-Sajjad / Zayn-al-Abidin alayhis-salam,

(28 H, 649 CE)

5. Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir alayhis-salam, (57 H, 676

CE)

6. Imam Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq alayhis-salam, (83 H, 702

CE)

7. Imam Mosa ibn Ja‘far al-Kadhem alayhis-salam, (128 H, 745

CE)

8. Imam Ali ibn Mosa al-Ridha alayhis-salam, (148 H, 765 CE)

9. Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad alayhis-salam, (195 H, 810

CE)

10. Imam Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi alayhis-salam, (212 H, 827

CE)

11. Imam Hasan ibn Ali al-Askari alayhis-salam, (232 H, 846 CE)

12. Imam Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Mahdi / al-Hujjah / Sahib al-

Zaman alayhis-salam and may Allah hasten his reappearance.

The twelfth Imam, Imam Mahdi alayhis-salam is alive but ‘hidden’ from

the views of the general public, and by the will of Allah he will reappear to

fill the world with justice, after it has been overwhelmed by tyranny and

injustice. Imam Mahdi was born in 255 Hijra, 868 CE, and he went into

occultation when his father, Imam Hasan al-Askari was killed by the

Abbasid ruler in 260 Hijra, 873 CE.

Ahl-ul-Bayt, meaning members of the house, as in the Qur’anic verse Allah only wishes to

remove all abomination from you, and thoroughly purify you, O Ahl-ul-Bayt (Members of

the House). [33: 33].

The Roles of Imams Hasan and Husayn

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