Lessons of Karbala, and how Muharram is more than just blood and mourning

Muharram is much more than just mourning. The yearly ritual of remembrance acts as a reset button for many of us - an annual reminder for drilling into young minds the importance of standing up for what is right and for raising your voice against oppression, no matter who the oppressed or the oppressor is.

You just need to close your eyes, put yourself in their place and imagine. Tears will start flowing automatically. Be it how Hussain allowed his beloved 18-year-old son to go for battle, but followed him on foot even after bidding him goodbye, or how Hussain's four-year-old daughter was tortured after his death with her earrings jerked off from her ears.

Hussain could have easily saved himself and his family from all this torture - if only he had been selfish. Since Hussain was the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), his oath of allegiance mattered to the ISIS of those times, the so-called Caliph of the Islamic State, Yazeed.

Hussain’s refusal resulted in the massacre at Karbala, where 72 people faced-off against the army of Yazeed.

There are many lessons to be learnt from Karbala.

1) Be righteous, even if you are alone. Standing up for what is right is important, even if you have to face death with certainty. It is important for the greater good. This is the only way to defeat injustice.

2) Be just. Don't be selective when speaking up against tyranny. It does not matter if the oppressed person is not related to you. Similarly, it doesn't matter if the oppressor is related to you. You have to stand up for what is right.

3) Be kind, even to your enemies. Hur was the General of the enemy army. He and his group of soldiers had run out of water while on their way to intercept Hussain. Hussain served them with water despite his limited stock.

4) Be patient. The overall goal is more important than your personal feelings. Abbas, the brave son of Ali and the younger brother of Hussain, was a famous warrior of his time. He drove fear into the very souls of his enemies. Yet, he kept quiet in the face of many provocations as commanded by his elder brother, Hussain.

5) Be brave even when you have lost everything. Zainab, the brave daughter of Ali and the sister of Hussain, was taken as prisoner after seeing her family being massacred - her loving brothers, her nephews, and her own two sons. All were killed in one day, yet, she didn't lose focus of the goal of her brother. Tied up in ropes, she fearlessly spoke against the tyrant ruler right in his durbar/courtyard.

All these events took place 14 centuries ago, but the lessons are still relevant today. These sacrifices were not just for one particular sect of Islam, but for humanity as a whole; hence, their relevance stands today as well. Muharram is much more than the blood-letting rituals shown to people.

To my brothers who take part in blood-letting rituals, I salute your bravery. It is not easy to cut yourself with blades and swords, year after year. It takes courage. Be it harsh summers or freezing winters, you do not stop.

Azadaari, the processions that we do - the beating of chests - is not only a demonstration of mourning, but also a message that needs to be relayed by telling the world about their story - the story of Karbala and how Hussain was killed for standing up for what is right.

Unfortunately, today Muharram is being projected as only a blood-letting ritual by the media. Not many know why and for what we do that.

There are two major reasons for this.

1) It has a dramatic effect on the viewer. Shock sells.

2)  A sustained and paid campaign is underway that is creating propaganda obscuring the main message.

What is the impact of this campaign?

1) People who are neutral and unaware connect Muharram with blood-letting only. When Amitabh Bachchan posted on Muharram last year, it was a simple post with a silhouette of people beating themselves with chains and “Muharram” written in plain text. No Karbala, no Hussain, nothing!

2) Any normal human being will be offended at the sight of blood. They create an image of the followers of Hussain which is immensely negative. In retrospect, the message of Karbala is lost. 

What can we do about it?

1) Act smart. Forget the debate of right or wrong. If something is harming the bigger objective, stop it.

2) Be the true ambassadors of Karbala. Be a Hussaini. Hussain treated everyone kindly and with love. Be like him.

Do the right thing. Don't follow the herd. Hussain never followed one. 

Remember, #ItStartsWithYou. Always.

Also read: Why we need to embrace all: A lesson in Islam