Adil Najam
Today is the 10th of Muharram. Ashura.
It commemorates a struggle that is steeped in deep spiritual meaning, not only for Islamic history but for all humanity. It is a struggle between good and evil, between just and unjust, between weak and powerful, between immediate and the eternal, between principle and ambition. The power of Ashura is not only in the epic events that it commemorates, it is in the narrative of those events, in the symbolisms that we construct. Ultimately, it is in the meanings that we derive from those events.
Muharram is, of course, of special significance to Shias. But the events and meaning of Ashura is of significance and relevance to all Muslims, and I would suggest, to all humans everywhere.
Like so many others growing up in a Sunni household I grew up observing ehteram-i-Muharram and am always drawn in the days leading up to Ashura towards thinking about the meaning of religion and of faith. To me these have always been days of deep spiritual reflection; especially of intellectual enquiry into the meaning of justice (the concept of ‘adl’ holds a deep significance to me given the name I was given at birth and therefore I have always interpreted Ashura particularly as a time to reflect on what justice is).
Growing up in Pakistan, the night of Ashura was always defined for me by the Majlis i Shaam i Gharibaan (often by Allama Naseer ul Ijtihaadi) on PTV on the night of dasveen Muharram, which was followed immediately - and at right about midnight - by Syed Nasir Jahan’s soulful recitation of Salam-i-Akhir.
Bachay to aglay baras hum hain aur yeh gham phir hai
Jo chal basay tou yeh appna salam-i-akhir hai
His soulful voice, so pregnant with a deep and heartfelt pain, always echoes in my head when I read of continuing sectarian violence and the instigation of sectarian hatred.
Also echoing in my head are memories of the eloquent narratives of those PTV Shaam i Gharibaan’s. What I took from my yearly ritual of sitting glued to the screen was that the message of Ashura, of Karbala, is a universal and humanist messages. Justice is a universal message. Courage is a universal message. Conviction is a universal message. Sacrifice is a universal message.
It is the universality of the messages of Ashura that I hope we will all reflect upon. Every one of these messages is literally torn asunder each Muharram when the merchants of sectarianism highjack these commemorations with their vitriolic politics of fear, of difference, of hatred.
While these are universal messages, they are also - as they must be - messages of Pakistaniat. Yasser Hamdani sent me this quote from Mohammad Ali Jinnah published in a souvenir commemorating the 1300th anniversay of Imam Hussain’s shahadat.
There cannot be a better and more illustrious example than that of Husein who was the greatest embodiment of courage, conviction and sacrifice and every Mussalman in particular should take the great example of his life and service and follow it.
Jinnah was right. He would probably be pained to see how not only his own message, but that of Imam Hussain’s life -and death - have been so very lost on so many of his countrymen today.
O MY DEAR BROTHERS and sisters in Islam, I seek your attention. :)
I am a Sunni but don’t know what is my sub-sect or movement, I prefer to be known as a plain Muslim.
Just narrating an incident: Maulana Kandhalvi (Tablighi Markaz) once reached a far-flung area in Rajasthan where he heard some Muslims were living.
They had Hindu names and were fast on way towards ‘irtidaad’ due to Shuddhi movement of Hindu organisations. Their only link to Islam was in the form of a big platform in the midst of the hamlet.
Once a year, during Ashura, they organised a programme and held some sort of a ceremony that resembled Azadari. Maulana praised them and said that they were doing great work and should organise the programme with ‘dhoom dhaam’ and asked them to get some Maulana for majlis there. When surprised companions asked him, he said that it is their sole link with Islam and if it is severed they would leave all association. Somehow if they continue these practices, there is scope of their getting more Islamic knowledge in future.
My aim with this single reference is that nothing should be outrightly rejected or termed as ‘bidah’. In villages in tribal areas where ten families live amid a lakh non-Muslims, it is practically impossible to remain Muslim for ages where no radio, rail link exist, this was understood by Sufis who blended these rituals with culture to also bring other communities along. It is getting long, so I would take a pause. There are so many eye-opening things but living in cities in comfort we often easily call a person as ‘jaahil’ but the depth of his devotion should not be gauged by us.
Allah knows Best.
Agree with Pakistanian and Umer. We should bring out that which unites us such as Mr. Rehan’s description of his experience above. Sects should not be a life and death thing. After all is said and done, we all believe in one Allah, one Nabi and one Qur’an.
There will always be a difference in interpretations but why can’t we look at it and take pride in the diversity we have rather than massage our egos and say my belief kicks your belief’s butt? Religious arguments for the most part ever bear fruit and the end result is more antagonism. To you your own belief and to me my own. In the US there is this bumper sticker that says “God Bless the whole world no exceptions” in reply to “God Bless America” so in the same way Salaam on you all…no exceptions.
Dear Umer,
I couldn’t agree with you more. I am sure this is not the first time the real topic of discussion (especially when it involves even a hint of religion) has degenerated into a mud-slinging match between the folks who have a difference of opinion.
Whats bothersome is that I am sure this blog is frequented by the educated elite (myself excluded!), folks who have access to a computer and are considered to be from the an extremly paltry educated minority of Pakistan, and observing this kind of behaviour from them, I am sure you can imagine the kind of behaviour the uneducated ones display in such situations. Unfortunately we see that behaviour in the form of sectarian killings making headlines all over the world.
My apologies if you think I drew an extreme parallel here, I just want to urge everyone to respect everyones feelings, especially when it comes to religious feelings. Thanks
ylh, i also disagree with such comparion which is lame no doubt . my intention to give link of the article was something else which I mentioned above. my mistake that i was not clear in the orignal post.
Dear Adnan,
I had read the article much before it was quoted here. The problem with the comparison of taliban to Imam Hussain… a comparison I reject in toto.
Salamalikum,
I’m surprised the ATP administrators haven’t brought the hammer down yet for commets being not on topic now. May be they will do it soon. Since they haven’t, I’ll say a few things as well. The differences between Shia and Sunnis are not “little stuff”. Whoever calls Sahabahs names is doing a huge sin, and this is one of the things Shais do. Outside of Sayedna Ali (ra), Ammar (ra), Abu Zarr (ra) and a few more, Shias blame all the rest of the Sahaba including Sayedna Abu Bakr (ra), Umar (ra), Usman (ra) and rest of the ashara mubashara sahaba, outside of Ali, of course. As most know, even saying that Abu Bakr and Umar contrived to snatch the khilafah away from Ali and burned ahadeeth with Seyeda Ayesah (ra) which mentioned superiority of Ali and his right to khilafah.
To the people (sahaba) to whom Allah (swt) has said that He is raazi with them, it’s very wrong to call them names. There is a lot to say but since this is not exactly the right place, I’ll leave you guys with this: Here are two links on Youtube where Hasan Nasrallah, the “shinning star” of Shias today, is condemning the sahahbas, first Sayedna Abu Sufyan (ra) (father of Muawiyah) and then all the sahabas collectively. Look at his audacity. It’s in arabic, but in first he’s saying that Abu Sufyan has nifaaq and in the other alleging that the sahabas “abondoned” Hussain (ra). All these are lies if one looks at the history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy8oKEhPIPc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oetLTl5u2zQ
Also, some Sunnis even might think that Abu Sufyan became Muslim only during Fath-e-Makkah, but once he did, he was very pious and shameful and at his death bed said, as has been reported in a saheeh narration, that after becoming Muslim I have not done a single thing wrong, inshaAllah. Also, his wife, Hind, said to Rasoolullah (saw) that before we became Muslim, there was no house we hated more than Rasoolullah’s (saw) house; but, after becoming Muslim, there is nobody we love more than Rasoolullah (saw). To which Rasoolullah (saw) answered that just wait, your (and your family/rest of the people’s) love for me will keep increasing even more. Meaning, they will become like the rest of the Muslims who had converted before Fath-e-Makkah, the best of Muslims, with no trace of pagan beliefs, kufr, etc.
Listen to yourself guys. We are again being sucked away towards the ’small’ stuff…. Why do we have to have only ONE view of what a Muslim is supposed to be…. if you agree that first and foremost you are a Muslim, then be what you be - Shia, Sunni, Wahabi, whatever. As long as your being whatever you are does not require you to think LESS of others. What is wrong is the arrogance of looking down on others and thinking of yourself as superior, beyond that, lets leave God’s business to God and use the lessons of whatever you are for turnig ourselves into better human beings… isn’t that the ultimate purpose of all religion….
Sometimes, I wonder how Adil can stand this day in and day out… writing something noble and nice and then seeing it being torn and taken in directions that he probably never intended to go to!
Beware of Fasad, my friends. There is much more I am sure that we have in common than in difference.
[quote post="550"]subscribe so heavily to Wahabi philosophy.[/quote]
Eideee, what I feel that you are being defensive enough about your own sect that you are blaming other communities[wahabis here] to prove your point.
I see many people when find no sensible point to argue start blaming Wahabis. I ask what do you guys know about Wahabism? someone on KMB made a lame statment that wahabis are enemies of sunnis and shias and “Sipah Sahaba” was declared as Wahabiat precher. It’s pretty lame. Wahabism is not a sect like Shia or SUnni, it’s a movement against the lame thing which were later “injected” in Islam which are called Bidat which was highly cursed by the Prophet[saw] himself. As i mentioned the link here before in some other thread,i am pasting again so that you can learn a bit about Wahabism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabi#Beliefs
read all and tell what’s unislamic here? the points mentioned here are really unislamic and NONE of them was practised at the time of Prophet[saw] or His companions. People hate wahabism because it rejects the glamourized version of Islam which you people always want to practise. Partying in name of Milad,visiting shrines,birthday celebrations of Muhammad[saw] and others, these are not Islamic and this is what Wahabism preaches. Why do you care what arab says or not? Allah will not grant you access to Jannah because you follow Shiaism and ifollow sunnism or someone reject Wahabism. As long as you are following orignal belief, you re safe otherwise you are in trouble.
As far as 10th moharram paractise, yes u like itor not but for shias 10th moharram now is nothing but halla gulla, they gather,strike their chest for few time then forget everything. See the pics here they don’t look sad and all looks they are killing time. It sounds so illogical that we feel sad for Hussain[ra] just for a month and then forget his sacrifice. what kinda love it is for Hussain[ra]? I don’t understand it at all. If Shias spend moharram time by coming out on roads then sunnis are not saint either, most of them spend moharram’s leaves in watching movies as if Hussain[ra] has no relation with Sunnis.Pathetic!
@YLH:you missed the whole point dude and this is because you saw the keyword “TALIBAN”, The main idea of the entire article was cursing pakistan’s coward attitude to deal with a super power nothing else.