THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Then, Imam Hussain (AS), preparing himself for the fateful encounter, dressed himself in the cloak of the Prophet, perfumed himself with musk, and rode on horseback with the Holy Qur’an raised in his hand. Addressing his enemies and invoking God in a long and beautiful sermon, he said:
“O God, you are my only Trust in every calamity; you are my only hope in every hardship; you are the only promise in the anxiety and distress in which hearts become weak and human action becomes slight, in which one is deserted and forsaken by his own friends, and in which the enemies take malicious pleasure and rejoice at his misfortunes. O God, I submit myself to you; my complaint is to you alone against my enemies, and to you alone is my desire and request. Who else other than you can relieve me from grief. You alone are the custodian of every blessing and the Master of every excellence and the last resort for every desire”.
[Tabari II-P.329; Al Bidaya Wal Nihaya VIII-P.179; Irshad II-P.100]Imam Hussain’s numerous speeches and repeated appeals in the name of the Prophet to his enemies’ religious sentiments, which he made throughout the day and after each loss of life among his supporters, were all in vain. The only reply he received was that he must submit himself to yazid or be killed. To this demand Hussain’s reply:
“By God I will never give you a humiliated hand, nor will I take a slave’s decision”
In another tragic and heart stricken emotional scene ,Qurra Ibn Qays Attamimi, a member of the misguided Umayyad army, is reported by Abu Mikhnaf as saying that he could never forget the scene when Imam Hussain’s sister Zaynab (Peace be upon her) passed by the mutilated body of her brother; she cried in hysterical fits, saying:
“O Mohamed! O Mohamed! The angels of Heaven send blessings upon you, but this is your Hussain so humiliated and disgraced, covered with blood and cut into pieces; and, O, Mohamed, your daughters are made captives, and your butchered family is left for the east wind to cover with dust?”. [Tabari, II p.370; Bidaya, VIII, p.193].
After reaching Kufa the captives and the heads of the victims were presented to ibn ziyad, and the head of Imam Hussain was placed in a tray in front of him in a court of ceremony crowded with nobles and spectators,ibn ziyad, having a cane in his hand, struck the lips of Imam Hussain again and again.Zayd Ibn Al Arqam an old Companion of the Prophet Mohamed present in the court, not aware of what had happened, recognized Hussain ‘s brightening face, was stricken by shock and grief, and shouted to ibn ziyad:
“Remove your cane from these lips! By God, on these lips I have seen the lips of the Prophet of God Mohamed (PBUH) kissing and sucking them”.
[Tabari; II, p.371; Dinawari, pp.259 f.; Bidaya, VIII, p.1903].
He left the court weeping, outside, people heard him saying: “O people of the Arabs, after this day you have made yourselves home-born slaves and cattle. You have killed the son of Fatima and made your ruler Ibn Marjana who will now keep on killing your best men and force you to do the most hateful things. You must now be ready for the utmost disgrace”.
Umm Luqman, the daughter of Aqil Ibn Abi Taleb (May God have mercy on them), came out crying when she heard the news of the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain (Peace be upon him), with her were her sisters Umm Hani, Ramla and Zaynab, daughters of Aqil Ibn Abi Taleb, Imam Hussain’s Uncle, she wept for her slain Relatives on the bank and she recited:
“What would you say if the Prophet asked you: What have you, the last of the
Communities, done with my offspring and my family after my departure from them? They are prisoners and slain and have been stained with their own blood. What sort of reward is this for my advice to you, that you should oppose me by doing evil to my blood relations?”.
Statements of Historians and World Figures:
*Charles Dickens:
“If Hussain had fought to quench his worldly desires, as alleged by certain Christian critics, then I do not understand why his sister, wife, and children accompanied him. It stands to reason therefore, that he sacrificed purely for Islam.”.
*Dr.K.Sheldrake:
“This unique historical sacrifice of Imam Hussain and his small band of 71male supporters has caught the attention of historians, scholars, and writers throughout the world, in all periods of history. Some of the more notable quotes and insights are given below:
“Of that gallant band, male and female knew that the enemy forces around were implacable, and were not only ready to fight, but to kill. Denied even water for the children, they remained parched under the burning sun and scorching sands, yet not one faltered for a moment. Hussain marched with his little company, not to glory, not to power of wealth, but to a supreme sacrifice, and every member bravely faced the greatest odds without flinching”.
*Thomas Carlyle:
“The best lesson which we get from the tragedy of Karbala is that Hussain and his companions were rigid believers in God. They illustrated that the numerical superiority does not count when it comes to the truth and the falsehood. The victory of Hussain, despite his minority, marvels me!”.
*Edward Gibbon:
“In a distant age and climate, the tragic scene of the death of Hussain will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.”
*Mahatma Ghandi:
“I have learnt from the tragedy of Hussain how to be an oppressed Man but be victorious at the end”.
*William Muir:
“The tragedy of Karbala decided not only the fate of the Caliphate, but also of Mohammadan kingdoms long after the Caliphate had waned and disappeared.”
*Allama Mohamed Iqbal:
“Imam Hussain uprooted despotism forever, till the day of Resurrection. He watered the dry gardens of freedom with a surging wave of his blood, and indeed he awakened the sleeping Muslim nation. If Imam Hussain had aimed at acquiring the worldly empire, he would not have travelled the way he did. Hussain weltered in blood and dust for the sake of truth. Verily,
Therefore, he becomes the foundation of the Muslim creed “ La Ilaha Il-lallah ” (there is no deity but Allah).
It goes without saying that the commemoration of this event does not follow the Gregorian or western calendar, but the Islamic one, therefore, in the Islamic world; the date of the 10th of October 680 has no relevance in this circumstance except to my Historic diary previously set on the Gregorian calendar basis.
But surely through this heroic and unprecedented Martyrdom as emphasized by Muslims and non –Muslims alike , it is crystal clear that, not only Imam Hussain is a Genuine “Common Heritage” to all Muslims from their different schools of thought but to Humanity at large ,undoubtedly it is him who laid the solid foundations of “the School of Martyrdom” whose Graduates from all Generations would not be intimidated by death , only these People are the ones capable of Reshaping the world and securing the continuity and progress of this Great Faith.
As such History never deceives nor forgets, for Imam Hussain Ibn Abi Taleb (Alaihi Assalam),by the Huge sacrifice he made through his ever Lasting Martyrdom , has definitely left behind an immortal legacy which has since continued to inspire Humanity towards the lofty goals of justice in society , this great Imam might have paid a very heavy price for such unparalleled commitments of fighting injustice and despotism , but it is surely because of this that he is still well remembered and much loved in the hearts of all Muslims and Humanity despite the 1375 elapsed years!!!