Imam Husain’s uprising – manifestation of the Holy Qur’an (8)

Welcome to the 8th episode of “Imam Husain’s uprising – manifestation of the Holy Qur’an”.

Today on the 8^th of Muharram, thirst became acute, especially among the children and womenfolk of the besieged camp of Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala, following the Omayyad forces’ cutting of all access to the River Euphrates the day before and exhaustion of the stored water procured through the valiant efforts of the Imam’s valiant brother Hazrat Abbas (AS) overnight by virtue of a daring raid on the heavily guarded river.

The besieged grandson of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny) ordered the digging of a well some 19 steps from the encampment, and out gushed sweet water from the ground which enabled all to quench their thirst and store some water before the well ran dry.

On hearing this news in Kufa, Obaidullah ibn Ziyad, the tyrannical governor of Iraq who was an avowed enemy of the Prophet’s Blessed Household, wrote to the commander of his forces, Omar ibn Sa’d, to make sure that Imam Husain (AS) should not have access to any source of water and should be reduced to acute thirst, until he acknowledges the illegal rule of the libertine Yazid over the Muslim Ummah.

Imam Husain (AS), as the 3^rd Divinely-Designated Heir of the Prophet, was made of sterner stuff. How could God’s representative upon Earth give his hand in allegiance to a Godless tyrant? 

The enemy prepared for war while the Imam, ready to face martyrdom, busied himself in worship of God and admonitions. The few faithful followers with Imam Husain (AS), were as fearless as their master, and were not afraid of anything since their faith was based on certitude and confident of the immortality of their uprising they were looking forward to the eternal bliss of paradise, in accordance with the teachings of the holy Qur’an. To them Imam Husain (AS) was the Living Qur’an or the Qur’an in action through his words and deeds.

He was the model-par-excellence of virtue, and not just taught how to live the life of uprightness and contentment, but showed the path to death in glory for generations to come, as per the commandments of God Almighty in the holy Qur’an. The Imam was truth personified while his enemies were embodiment of falsehood, corruption and oppression.

In this regard, in ayah 17 of Surah Ra’d, God likens righteousness to water and falsehood to scum:

“He sends down water from the sky whereat the valleys are flooded to [the extent of] their capacity, and the flood carries along a swelling scum. And from what they smelt in the fire for the purpose of [making] ornaments or wares, [there arises] a similar scum. That is how Allah compares the truth and falsehood. As for the scum, it leaves as dross, and that which profits the people remains in the earth. That is how Allah draws comparisons.”

Imam Husain (AS) launched his uprising on the firm basis of God’s commandment in the holy Qur’an for the sake of social justice by stressing enjoinment of good and forbidding of evil. This was an anathema for the tyrants and the evildoers.

Omar ibn Sa’d, the commander of the evil Omayyad forces, was blind to the truth and despite the advice and admonitions of the Imam failed to realize that he was in total error. For the love of the transient wealth and pleasures of the mortal world, he had sold his soul to death by obeying the orders of Yazid and Obaidollah ibn Ziyad to kill the Imam of the Age, on the false promise of governorship of Rayy in Iran.

The great scholar Shaikh Mofid, who flourished a thousand years ago, writes in his famous book “al-Irshad” by quoting a person named Zahhak ibn Abdullah that when the army of ibn Sa’d arrived in Karbala and surrounded the camp of the Prophet’s Household, Imam Husain (AS) recited ayahs 178 and 179 of Surah Aal-e Imran, in which God Almighty says:

“Let the faithless not suppose that the respite that We grant them is good for their souls: We give them respite only that they may increase in sin, and there is a humiliating punishment for them.”

“Allah will not leave the faithful in your present state, until He has separated the bad ones from the good.”

After the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) when his sister Hazrat Zainab (peace be upon her), was taken to the Omayyad capital Damascus in Syria as captive, along with the womenfolk and children of the Prophet’s Household, she boldly confronted the tyrant Yazid and recited these same ayahs 178 and 179 of Aal-e Imran, and said: You rejoice today, and you think by killing the Imam you have become victorious and mighty, but in fact, you have committed a cardinal sin whose burden weighs heavily on your soul. Be assured a terrible punishment awaits you. Do you ignore the Word of God in the Qur’an which reads:

“Let the faithless not suppose that the respite that We grant them is good for their souls: We give them respite only that they may increase in sin, and there is a humiliating punishment for them.”

AS/ME