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Karbala: A Timeless Event

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Karbala - timeless -- uplifting - an event like no other

After 1400 years the passion continues unabated

As soon as the moon of the month of Muharram is sighted, a deep transformation comes about in shias. A tinge of sadness is felt deep inside which intensifies with each day and pervades the entire being as the mourning climaxes on the day of Ashura on 10th of the month. Pre-occupation with mundane worldly matters has by now been subdued by a conscience that calls with intense passion towards spirituality and good deeds. Night after night, clad in black, all roads seem to lead to the mourning gatherings at Hussainyahs.  The trigger is the remembrance of severe atrocities against Imam Husain (a.s.) , the grandson of the Prophet (swt), and his family and companions for their refusal to allow the hijacking and distortion of Islam by the corrupt rulers.

Besides the mourning aspects, the majalis provide a unique opportunity to learn more about all aspects of Islam and the Holy Quran. Unlike obligatory rituals, these gatherings comprise passionate people who have come voluntarily and who are therefore very receptive and keen to learn. Thus, Imam Husain’s sacrifice also serves as a school that continues to help millions internalise the principles of Islam every year. It also fills our hearts with sympathy for the oppressed of our times, whoever and where ever they may be. And to the oppressors, including those who try to hijack our religion of peace and love and taint it with terrorism, it declares that, whatever the odds, truth always triumphs in the end.

For more information:

World - wide Open University of Imam Hussain (as)

Every year millions attend islamic lectures during the months of Muharram and Safar. Young and old, poor and rich, regardless of colour, race or gender, come in large numbers to attend the open, free of cost, classes at Husainiyas all over the world. They acquire knowledge that makes life meaningful. Quran, the last book of divine revelation, comes alive as they learn its true meaning from the school of the Prophet and his pure household. Lessons about how to worship Allah swt and surrender to His Will are taught on the basis of real life examples of the best role models the world has seen. See what others say about Imam Hussain’s supreme sacrifice in the section below.

These jewels are freely available on the internet. People of all religious faiths as well as atheists can now partake of this treasure from their computers and smartphones. A small selection of quality resources can be found in this website. For additional resources including free ebooks and multimedia, please refer to:  www.al-islam.org  A few examples are shown here and in the section below on Singapore Lectures:

English lectures by Br Khalil Jaffer. Insightful and absorbing intellectually, they also present key concepts and practical tools for the journey away from ego and evil towards Allah and enligtenment….

Click here to watch on Youtube :

Freeing the Butterfly Within
Obstacles to Knowing God
In Search of a Weeping Heart
The Coming of the Mahdi (a.j)
The Art of Yearning for God
The End of Negative Suffering

Urdu lectures that exude powerful intellect and logic as well as beautiful words and wit:

What Others Say about Imam Hussain's Mission

Dr. Rajendra Prasad: “The sacrifice of Imam Hussain (A.S.) is not limited to one country, or nation, but it is the hereditary state of the brotherhood of all mankind.

Mahatma Gandhi: “My faith is that the progress of Islam does not depend on the use of sword by its believers, but the result of the supreme sacrifice of Hussain (A.S.), the great saint”

Dr. Radha Krishnan: “Though Imam Hussain (A.S.) gave his life almost 1300 years ago, but his indestructible soul rules the hearts of people even today.”

Charles Dickens: (English novelist): “If Husain had fought to quench his worldly desires…then I do not understand why his sister, wife, and children accompanied him. It stands to reason therefore, that he sacrificed purely for Islam.”

Ignaz Goldziher: (Hungarian orientalist): “…Weeping and lamentation over the evils and persecutions suffered by the ‘Alid family, and mourning for its martyrs: these are things from which loyal supporters of the cause cannot cease. ‘More touching than the tears of the Shi’is’ has even become an Arabic proverb.” (Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law, Princeton, 1981, p.179)

Edward Gibbon: (English historian and member of parliament): “In a distant age and climate, the tragic scene of the death of Hosein will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.” (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, London, 1911, volume 5, p. 391-392)

Mrs. Sarojini Naidu: “I congratulate Muslims that from among them, Hussain (A.S.), a great human being was born, who is revered and honored totally by all communities.”

Sir William Muir: (Scottish orientalist): “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.” (Annals of the Early Caliphate, London, 1883, p.441-442)

Rabindranath Tagore: “In order to keep alive justice and truth, instead of an army or weapons, success can be achieved by sacrificing lives, exactly what Imam Hussain (A.S.) did”

Swami Shankaracharya: “It is Hussain’s (A.S.) sacrifice that has kept Islam alive or else in this world there would be no one left to take Islam’s name.”

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru: “Imam Hussain’s (A.S.) sacrifice is for all groups and communities, an example of the path of righteousness.”

Thomas Carlyle: (Scottish historian and essayist): “The best lesson which we get from the tragedy of Cerebella is that Husain 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 Husain, despite his minority, marvels me!”

Antoine Bara: (Lebanese writer): “No battle in the modern and past history of mankind has earned more sympathy and admiration as well as provided more lessons than the martyrdom of Husayn in the battle of Karbala.” (Husayn in Christian Ideology)

Dr. K. Sheldrake: “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. Husain 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.”

Edward G. Brown: (Professor at the University of Cambridge): “…a reminder of that blood-stained field of Karbala, where the grandson of the Apostle of God fell, at length, tortured by thirst, and surround by the bodies of his murdered kinsmen, has been at anytime since then, sufficient to evoke, even in the most lukewarm and the heedless, the deepest emotion, the most frantic grief, and an exaltation of spirit before which pain, danger, and death shrink to unconsidered trifles.” (A Literary History of Persia, London, 1919, p.227)