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.