**The Martyr Of Karbala: His Goals and Message, Our Responsibilities
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Human history may be regarded as a series of crises and revolutions, its most important stages written with the blood of martyrs. In the history of Islam, al Husain ibn 'Ali, the martyr of Karbala, wrote one of the most brilliant chapters; a chapter which still and after more than thir¬teen centuries, echoes in the minds and hearts of Muslims everywhere
The martyrdom of Husain(AS) is of great significance in Islamic history. This is because of the man himself; his character, piety, valour, magnanimity, patience, his lofty goals and message for all of us, and his relation¬ship to the Prophet Muhammad(SAW), and the latter’s love for him. It is further¬more of great significance because of what this martyrdom itself meant for the religion of Islam in exposing the wrong and upholding the right through the sharp contrast between him and his followers on the one hand and his antagonists on the other. He rejected the rule of a man who was generally agreed not to have been fit to rule. In this sense he was one of the greatest revolutionaries of all times.
The purpose of this brief write up is to discuss the lofty goals and aims of Imam Husain(AS)’s martyrdom in Karbala and his message for all of us. We intend to discuss questions like : was his great sacrifice necessary in the wake of circumstances and conditions prevalent in the contemporary Islamic world? What were the goals and aims of his martyrdom? Is the significance of his martyrdom confined to the times when it occurred or its significance is for all the times to come? What is message of his martyrdom for us in this age? And most importantly what are our responsibilities with regard to his lofty goals and martyrdom? Have we to be just passive mourners and lamenters? Or we have some higher responsibilities in this wake?
The martyrdom of Imam Husain ibn ‘Ali (AS) and his companions in Karbala’ proved to be the beginning of the downfall of the Banu Umayyads dynasty which had usurped the Islamic khilafah by deceit, repression, and corruption of the Muslim community. Though the Imam (AS) was martyred with his family and companions, and apparently his murderers seemed to emerge winners from the conflict, it was the martyr of Karbala’ who was the real victor. The mourning ceremonies that have been held through the last hundreds of years to commemorate this most significant event in the history of Islam generally known as Muharram ceremonies, held during the month of Muharram in remembrance of the ‘Ashura’ movement, are a witness that Yazid(L) with all his worldly might has disgrace and failure as his destiny and Imam Husain ibn Ali(AS) emerged a true victor who faced intimidation, brutalities and sufferings but could not bowed down and showed the utmost steadfastness in Allah’s way. This incident has its background whose elaborate details have been given by Muslim historians. Briefly, it may be said that Imam Husain’s revolt, staged against the tyranny, injustice, and repression of the regime and torture and execution of pious Muslims, which violated the Islamic concept of a just Islamic polity and society, was to uphold the ideals and values of Islam propounded in the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet (S), to rescue the higher human values, moral, social, political and spiritual, and to preserve the true spirit of Islam. It was basically aimed by the martyred Imam (AS)to rescue Islam as the message of the last Prophet, a message that had to endure, not only in the hearts and spirits of saints but on the plane of society, and he achieved his purpose most completely. The episode of Karbala’ became the everlasting stage on which, more than anything else, the great spirit of an Imam of the Ahl al-Bayt was put for eternal display, not in mere words or traditions recorded in books, but against the background of the greatest tragedy in human history and scenes of love and loyalty, bravery and sacrifice, nobility and high spirituality, blood and battle, and also those of treachery and betrayal, human abasement and wretchedness, perversity and depravity. Due to his refusal to compromise with godlessness and tyranny, the Imam has been remembered as the very embodiment of tawhid, of la ilaha illallah, by all great Islamic mystics, thinkers, writers and poets.
The statement of Imam(AS) delineates his purpose for refusing the allegiance to Yazid(L):
“Indeed, I have not risen up to do mischief, neither as an adventurer, nor to cause corruption and tyranny. I have risen up solely to seek the reform of the Ummah of my grandfather (S). I want to command what is good and stop what is wrong, and (in this) I follow the conduct of my grandfather and my father, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib.”