Adil Najam
I write these lines as midnight strikes in Pakistan on the night between 9th and 10th Moharram. I write these lines as the news on television flashes news about blasts and bombs all around. How much more poignant could the message of Ashura be than it is today? Each year, it seems, the message of Ashura becomes more poignant and more important than the year before. But each year, it also seems, that the message becomes less understood. Each of us has to understand what that message means to us. All I can do today is to repeat my own understanding, in the very same words I had used the last two years.
To me, Ashura 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 these 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, 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
Today, as I listen to him again, so many more layers of meaning unfold. So many deep wounds open up. So many new thoughts come flooding in. And, yet, I have nothing new to say. Maybe you can share what the message of Ashura means to you in a world that continues to be unjust and unjustly violent?
Nishapuri Mian: You’re sounding like a Shia “Zakir” and a conspiracy specialist like Zaid Hamid and Nadeem.F.Paracha
Tell me, are you going to say those who burnt all public properties after death of Benazir were actually “Sindhi” Talibans?
Are you going to say that Zulfiqar Mirza who openly admits that He wanted Pakistan to get collapsed is actully Taliban?
Who is responsible for the Karachi Ashura attack? Some reflections:
It is not a sectarian attack. It is not a Sunni versus Shia incident. The Sunni and Shia of Pakistan have traditionally lived in peace and harmony.
It is a terrorist attack by Taliban on the nation of Pakistan. It is an attack by the followers of Yazid on the followers of Imam Hussain.
Attackers are Taliban terrorists and their affiliate organisations including but not limited to Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jamaat-e-Islami and others.
Victims today happen to be Shia, but Taliban do not spare any one, be they Shia, Sunni, Muslim, Christian or Ahmadi, from their terrorist activities.
The attack on the Ashura procession today is yet another evidence of the failure of intelligence agencies (including ISI, MI, IB etc) which are only too busy in defaming politicians, derailing democracy and protecting their assets (good Taliban) in Afghanistan and FATA.
Instead of arresting foot-soldiers, i.e., the greedy Mullahs and the brainwashed youths, the State of Pakistan and the nation must take urgent legal and military action against all Taliban apologists and Taliban supporters, who we consider responsible for all terrorist activities in Pakistan including today’s tragic attack.
Thus, instead of tracing the address of the brainwashed suicide bomber (who will be most probably a teenager brainwashed by Taliban supporters and propagandists), we are interested in the arrest and punishment of all Taliban apologists including but not limited to Mullah Munawar Hassan, Qazi Hussain Ahemd, Imran Khan, Ansar Abbasi, Dr Shahid Masood, Irfan Siddiqui and Hamid Mir as well as ex- and serving-intelligence officers (e.g. General Hameed Gul, General Aslam Beg, General Asad Durrani etc) who created jihadi and sectarian organisations in Pakistan and are still protecting them.
Great post. And timely commentary.
The enemies of Islam have always denied the importance of Karbala. Let them. It is their fate to always loose.
Thew purveyors of sectarian hatred have never succeeded, no matter what they do.
Thank you for another thoughtful post.
Iqbal something said decades ago:
Ro’ain woh jo munkir hain Shahadat-e-Hussain (R.A) ke..
Hum Zinda-e-Javaid ka Matam nahi kia kerty
روئیں وہ جو منکر ہیں شہدات حسسیں کے
ہم زندہ و جاوید کا ماتم نہیں کیا کرتے