Birthday of Hazrat Ali Akbar & meaning of the great sacrifice
Apr 28, 2018 05:05 UTC
Heartiest congratulations to you all on a very auspicious day. Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is celebrating the “Day of the Youth” to mark the blessed birthday of a very virtuous youth, whose exuberance in defending faith and humanitarian values, even if it means sacrificing one’s life, has earned him immortality.
He was none other than Hazrat Ali Akbar (PBUH), the son of the Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (PBUH).
Before we present you an exclusive programme in this regard, we invite you to listen to God Almighty’s Words in ayahs 104 to 107 of Surah as-Saffaat of the holy Qur’an:
“We called out to him, ‘O Abraham!
“You have indeed fulfilled the vision! Thus indeed do We reward the virtuous!
“This was indeed a manifest test (readiness to sacrifice the youth Ishmael).
“Then We ransomed him with a Great Sacrifice (Zibhin Azeem).”
As all believers know, these words of the Most Merciful Lord are testimony to the firm and unflinching faith of Prophet Abraham and his youthful firstborn son, Prophet Ishmael, to fulfill a Divine Commandment that at the last moment before the knife of the father could touch the throat of the son, granted them reprieve after having tested the sincerity of their intention, by substituting a ram for the sacrifice.
Praised be the All-Wise Creator Who decrees all affairs and from whom nothing is hidden, including every minute occurrence of the future!
Divine Providence had decreed Ishmael to be the progenitor of the Last and Greatest of Messengers with the universal creed of Islam, and thus he was saved. Abraham was also saved from the heartrending sight of his son dying in a pool of blood.
But do the Divine Words “Zibhin Azeem” (Great Sacrifice) really refer to the heavenly-sent ram of antiquity in remote Mecca where no one else was present except father and son, or are these words a reference to some Great Sacrifice in the distant future in the full limelight of history that God deemed as fitting ransom for two of his great prophets?
A good question indeed and worth pondering upon, especially since today happens to be the 11th of the month of Sha’ban, the blessed birthday of a God-fearing gallant youth, who was not just a direct descendant of Abraham and Ishmael but the great-grandson of the Seal of Messengers.
Named Ali, in honour of his grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), on whose authority he had the honour of narrating several hadith and thus be called “Muhaddith”, in appearance the handsome youth was the carbon copy of Prophet Muhammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).
No wonder, his father Imam Husain (AS) used to say: Mirror of the Messenger of Mercy.
Being the eldest among his brothers, who were also named Ali by his father, he earned the title of “al-Akbar” that speaks of his greatness and gallantry, and persists till this day.
As the personification of faith, virtue, courage, and humbleness before God Almighty of Whose Ubiquitous Presence he was always cognizant, he feared no one else, including death, as is evident by his famous reply to Imam Husain (AS) while on the way to Karbala, the rendezvous of martyrdom: “O father! While we are on the right (course), I do not fear death.”
In Karbala, it was the melodious voice of Ali Akbar that used to reverberate all around the wilderness when he recited the “Azaan” (call to the ritual prayer) which piercing with precision even the rows of the cowardly Omayyad troops that had been dispatched by the usurper Yazid to either force Imam Husain (AS) the Prophet’s younger grandson and 3rd Infallible Heir to give pledge of allegiance to his ungodly rule or be killed.
Now we understand the meaning of “Zibhin Azeem” (or the Great Sacrifice) through which the All-Knowing Allah ransomed Abraham and Ishmael in antiquity and which now began to unfold in the full limelight of history and historical events in Karbala in the year 61 AH in order to salvage monotheism and all humanitarian values.
With the arrival of the fateful day of Ashura (10th of Muharram), the besieged Imam having given his final refusal to acknowledge Yazid as caliph, prepared for death.
In the face of unsheathed swords, drawn daggers and showering arrows, the faithful marched towards martyrdom, and the first among the Bani Hashem was Ali Akbar, who was sent by his father to the battlefield with the following phrase in the Divine Court:
“O Allah! Be witness that I am offering my son in Your path who resembles Your Prophet in appearance; whenever we loved to see Your Prophet, we used to look at him.”
Ali Akbar gave a grand display of swordsmanship by overpowering reputable warriors and scattering the Omayyad soldiers, despite the thirst and hunger he had patiently endured for the past three days.
The enemy commander, Omar ibn Sa'd, now ordered his soldiers to surround the Prophet’s great-grandson from all sides and to attack him mercilessly, saying if Ali Akbar is killed, Imam Husain will not want to live anymore!
The wretch Murrah ibn Munqadh crept from behind and hurled a spear that pierced Ali Akbar's chest. As the hero fell from his horse, the assassin pounced upon him and broke the wooden part of the spear by leaving the blade inside the noble youth’s chest, to cause maximum pain.
Imam Husain (AS), who was undoubtedly the Abraham of his time, darted forth scattering the enemy hordes only to see his blood-soaked Ishmael in the throes of death. Ali Akbar said: “O Father, my last salaam to you! I am beholding my grandfather, approaching me with a bowl of water.”
No wonder, the Islamic Republic of Iran celebrates the birthday of Hazrat Ali Akbar (AS) every years as “Day of the Youth” in order to instill Islamic values in the youths of our time.
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