Imam Husain (PBUH) was a man of faith and action. During nights, he worshipped Allah in privacy while during the day, he worked hard and guided the people. He was constantly mindful of the poor and the needy, and he used to visit them and cheer them up. He used to tell his followers “Be always in touch with the needy, for Allah does not love the arrogant”.
Imam Husain (PBUH) always helped the poor as much as he could. At night, he would carry sacks of food to the houses of the poor and leave them near the doors. He worked hard to eradicate poverty, establish justice, and acquaint the people with Allah.
During the time of Imam Husain (PBUH), a tyrant called Yazid became the ruler. Yazid called himself the successor of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) but this was a lie. He used to spend the income of the Islamic realm on drinking, gambling and wild parties. Public wealth wasted for supporting his regime and the rights of the poor trampled upon. In this way, he totally scorned the instructions of Islam.
When Yazid became ruler of the Muslims he immediately demanded Imam Husain (PBUH) to recognize him as the ruler and accept his leadership; but al-Imam Husain (PBUH) was the true successor of Prophet the Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) and could not accept and endorse the leadership of an oppressor. He began to enlighten and awaken the people about Yazid and exhorted them to dissociate from him. He would tell them:
“Do not you see that the truth is being trampled upon and the falsehood and oppression are prevailing? In such conditions, a Muslim must be ready for martyrdom in defense of the right. Martyrdom and self-sacrifice for the sake of truth is victory and success, while life with the oppressors is no more than shame and disgrace.”
At that time, the people of Kufa (Iraq) were loving followers of Imam Ali (PBUH) who had been suffering at the hands of Mu’awiyah. They invited Imam Husain (PBUH) to Kufa to lead them against Yazid and his wicked rule. Imam Husain (PBUH) had indeed decided to rise up and fight, and so he accepted the invitation and set off for Kufa.
When the Imam (PBUH) and his followers were near Kufa, they were met by Yazid’s troops. The troops wanted to arrest Imam Hussein (PBUH) and his followers and take them to Yazid. The Imam (PBUH) told them:
“Never will I accept disgrace and surrender to Yazid, Death for me is superior to disgrace and I am ready to defend Islam and the Muslims until I am martyred.”
At a place called Karbala Imam Hussein (PBUH), his family and helpers were surrounded by Yazid’s troops. The Imam (PBUH) and his followers stood firm as they fought against the thousands of troops of Yazid. Finally, on 10th Muharram, 61 AH (the day we call Ashura) they were martyred.
Imam Husain (PBUH) and his followers were martyred, but they did not submit to injustice and oppression. They defended Islam and the Muslims. With their blood, they saved Islam and the Quran from the danger of annihilation at the hands of Yazid. Imam Husain (PBUH) fought against oppression and defended the religion of Islam, and by doing so, he taught the world the greatest lesson on freedom and righteousness.
For this reason, we call Imam Husain (PBUH) “Sayyid al-Shuhada” which means lord of the martyrs. Now the turn has come for us to safeguard and defend Islam. We must shoulder this magnificent responsibility.
The purposes of Imam Husain to fight against Yazid
Imam Hussein (PBUH) did not possess the necessary force that would enable him to win; he did not even rely on those who wrote to him from Kufa. For he declared his revolution before he received their letters and delegates.
The peple of the Hijaz too did not give him enough support to be able to stand against the Umayyads. Therefore, he decided to leave Hijaz to Iraq for the sole reason of preventing any blood shedding in the Holy City of Mecca.
Moreover, he knew that he was destined to die, yet he went on. Why then did he insist; and why did he declare his revolution?
To answer this question, one should be aware of the following facts:
First: Yazid represented a real danger to the Islamic nation, for he was not a true and real Muslim. He was not properly educated with the teachings of Islam. In addition, he used to drink alcohol, gamble, and commit all other sins according to historic sources. He said: Banu-Hashim staged a play to obtain the Kingdom. Actually, there was neither any news (from Allah) nor any revelation. Such a man could not be entrusted with the affairs of the nation.
Nevertheless, the faithful forces, with Imam Husain (PBUH) as their leader, had benefited a lot from these points of weakness in the personality of such an evil ruler.
In these circumstances, it might not be strange to see many Muslim dignitaries trying to convince Imam Husain (PBUH) to avoid the confrontation with Yazid, although they bore witness to the corruption of the Umayyads, and they realized that it was the Imam’s duty and right to face it…. He was thus approached by Abdallah bin Umar and Abdallah bin Al-Zubair, as well as some of his family members.
These are some of the manifestations of the absence of the militant spirit among most Muslim leaders. As for the common people, this negative spirit spread among them to a terrifying extent. The people of Kufa, for example, broke all their pledges promises and oaths, once they were subjected to the wave of terror led by Ibn Ziyad, as well as cheating them with promises of wealth and power.
These factors were among the main reasons that led to the announcement of the revolution. The Imam wanted to shake the dead consciences because he knew that there was no reason what speeches and talks to galvanize and mobilize the people and solidify their morals.
Second: The general level of the nation as a whole was below the required to stand up to the current of sweeping deviation. A tendency to treasure the pleasures of this world began to be visible in all sections of the nation, as a substitute to the spirit of sacrifice for the cause of Allah. This enabled the opportunistic current to win and hold the positions of ruling and guidance.
Third: It was necessary that the nation should learn about the true Islamic conception of the Imamate; it’s true role and its dimensions. The dangerous effects of undermining the Islamic conceptions which was played by the Umayyad rule was never emerging from the grass root level, but rather from the high levels of leadership that monopolized all means of guidance.
Therefore, in accordance with the demands of the Islamic message, and the qualities that have to be available in a Muslim ruler, Imam Husain (PBUH) had to explain these issues to the Muslim masses in every speech he made or any other opportunity he had:
“O people you have to be pious believers, and know the right. That is better for you. We the members of the family of the Prophet Muhammad (Ahl ul-Bayt) (PBUTH) are more entitled to be the rulers than those who claim what is not rightfully theirs; those oppressors and tyrants”.
With such roaring words the Imam Husain (PBUH) revealed that the Umayyads who have deviated from the right Islamic path are not fit to be rulers, and explained to the nation the foundations of the course an Islamic traits that are embodied in the embodied in the Imam himself that qualify him to be Imam of the nation.
Thus, underlining the Islamic conception of the Imamate and revealing the falsehood of the Umayyad claims were among the fundamental reasons that made the Imam declare his revolution.
Fourth: The Islamic message offers no justification for the Muslim to relief him from performing his duties as a man who has obligations towards the message he believes in. Man in the Islamic society is not an independent individual but rather a person who is integrated in his society and who should perform his duties towards the Islamic message.
However, to fulfill his commitments towards Allah’s Shariah (Islamic law) in enjoining the good and forbidding the evil meant that he had to follow the path of the revolution. Because it was the only way that provided any hope for reform in his grandfather’s (PBUHH) nation.
These are the main reasons that gave Imam Husain (PBUH) and his companions the right to declare the victorious revolution that immortalized Islam and inspired the coming generations to defend it and to hold fast in the Holy Wars of Jihad.
