Message from A Sunni Scholar : Shaykh Al- Ninowy
The following article is a message
from Sayyidi Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Husayni Al- Ninowy (may Allah
preserve and elevate him) written last year on the advent of Muharram.
Since we have just entered the month of Muharram 1430, it would be
appropriate to share this wonderful message on Muharram and the
sacrifice of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him):
“Among the believers are Men, who delivered their promise to Allah” (Ayah 23/Surat Al-Ahzab)
If history has taught us anything, it has certainly delivered a message
with unequivocal resonance; Haqq and freedom are not something that is
given. Haqq and Freedom are things people take, and people are as free
and on the Haqq as they want to be.
Virtues of Muharram And The Sacrifice Of Imam Husayn (RAA)
Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim
“Among the believers are Men, who delivered their promise to Allah” (Ayah 23/Surat Al-Ahzab)
If history has taught us anything, it has certainly delivered a message
with unequivocal resonance; Haqq and freedom are not something that is
given. Haqq and Freedom are things people take, and people are as free
and on the Haqq as they want to be.
Islam, the religion of
Haqq, justice and freedom came ito a place and time where oppression was
the rule, slavery was a tool to humiliate the weak, killings a way to
solve problems. A society fueled by feuds, raging by violence, and
merely being born in the wrong family could mean eternal slavery,
oppression, and stripping of any and all rights.
The Beloved
Holy Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, emerged as the
voice denouncing those ways while striving to ensure justice and
equality.
By endangering himself, he -sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa
sallam, gave us one of the most precious monotheistic gifts, namely the
collective duty of self criticism.
Speak the truth though
against yourself. Support the Haqq, denounce the Batel. Stand with the
Haqq, abdondon the Batel.Stand up to oppressors and tyrants, no matter
of the price.The Seerah of the Beloved Holy Prophet, sallallahu alayhi
wa aalihi wa sallam, taken as a whole, may be summarized as a succession
of victories of Haqq over Batel, of Justice over Tyranny, of Freedom
over Slavery.
If the Beloved Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa
aalihi wa sallam, has taught us anything, then among the many, he taught
us an important lesson.
One that the Qur’an amplified numerously:
It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather a profoundly
faithful few, who are keen to uphold the truth and sacrifice for it.To
be the example of a candle that burns itself illuminating the way for
others, to give the ultimate sacrifice to enlighten the path of the
truth, as the truth and only the truth shall set you free.
In a
very famous Hadith, the Beloved Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa
sallam, says: “Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn”. The meaning
entailed by this Hadith is not that I am Husayn’s grandfather, as this
is an obvious fact. The meaning sheds light that Husayn is like me,
Husayn’s line is similar to my line, Husayn’s message is my message,
Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn.
The Ayahs and Ahadith about Ahl ul Bayt al-Athar including their Master Al-Imam Al-Husayn are numerous, that most of you know.
We are already in Muharram, and in a few days, the day of Ashura comes.
A day where the Beloved of the Beloved demonstrated the highest of
nobility, and offered the ultimate of sacrifices. It is no wonder,
knowing that he is the grandsone of our Beloved Holy Prophet, the son of
Amirul-Muminin Ali, brother of Al-Imam Al-Hasan, and a beloved son to
Master, the Lady of Ahl ul Jannah Sayyidatina wa Mawlatuna
Fatimah-Azzahra, sallallahu ala sayyidina Muhammad wa aalihi wa sallam.
There was a noble reason that demanded the martyrdom of Imam Husayn.
The simple and obvious reason is simply to preserve Islam. Islam, Haqq,
Truth, Justice, Equality, Freedom and Liberty are all precious values
that demanded precious sacrifice. That, to my mind, is the supreme
significance of martyrdom. But the highest honour must still lie with
the symbol, who faced fearful odds and refused to surrender to evil.
Rather than allow a stigma to attach to sacred things, they paid with
their own lives the penalty of honour and Haqq. The begining of the
batter offered by our beloved Imam Husayn was when he went from city to
city, hunted about from place to place, but making no compromise with
evil. Then was offered the choice of an effectual but dangerous attempt
at clearing the house of God, or living at ease for himself while
closing an eye on the ongoing destruction of Islam and its values. He
chose the path of danger and hardships with duty and honour, and never
swerved from it giving up his life freely in the absolute bravest of
ways ever known to Mankind.
That briefly is the story. What is
the lesson? There is ofcourse the physical suffering in martyrdom, and
all sorrow and suffering claim our sympathy, —- the dearest, nearest,
purest, closest to our hearts, souls and minds. The one who the Beloved
Holy Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, himself used to
interrupt his speeches to pick him up, delay his prostration to honour
and not bother him, the one whose face not only is honourable, but it is
the face where The Holy Prophet’s honorable lips, face, and body
touched, loved, and valued. It is that very same honorable face, that
Yazid bin Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyaan al-Ummayadi humiliated, slaughtered,
put on the spears, and kicked…….. There are no words that can describe
the pain profoundly felt in every Free Human’s mind, soul, and heart.
But there is a greater suffering than physical suffering. That is when a
valiant soul seems to stand against the world; when the noblest motives
of Islam are reviled and mocked; when truth seems to suffer an eclipse.
It may even seem that the martyr has but to say a word of compliance,
do a little deed of non-resistance; and much sorrow and suffering would
be saved; and the insidious whisper comes:
“Truth after all will never die”
But the whole battle is for man’s keeping hold of Haqq and Freedom. And
that can only be done by the highest examples of man’s conduct -
spiritual striving and suffering enduring firmness of faith and purpose,
patience and courage where ordinary mortals would give in or be cowed
down, the sacrifice of ordinary motives to supreme truth in scorn of
consequence.
The martyr bears witness, and the witness redeems
what would otherwise be called failure. It so happened with Al-Imam
Al-Husayn, the Master of the youth of Ahlul Jannah. For all were touched
by the story of his martyrdom, and it gave the deathblow to the tyrant
politics of Yazid bin Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyaan al-Ummayadi and all the
oppression it stood for. And Imam Al-Husayn being alive, more alive than
ever, not only externally but living profoundly deep in our hearts, in
our souls, and in our minds, has still the power to ignite the light of
truth in the heart of all free, to send a message to the courageous not
to bow down to evil, and to teach people not to surrender to tyranny.
There are those who until today believe that forgeries, fancy words,
and booklets can mask the shining truth. Persistent attempts to distance
Al-Imam Al-Husayn and his Sirah away from Ahlus Sunnah are ongoing, and
more intense, and serious than ever. This Yazidi line, regardless of
what banner or name they choose to brand themselves with, can no longer
fool the intellectual Muslim. Their scare tactics, labeling, and
“intellectual terrorism” are weapons of the past, and no longer
effective for those who see. While we must pray for their guidance, we
shall never fall as victims to their misguidance.
In the upcoming very sad days in our lives, and the life of every free human being, I urge myself and you To:
1. Express sadness and show sorrow for the
massacre of the dearest and purest of the Family of the Beloved Prophet,
sallallahu alayhi wa aalih wa sallam. It is customary to many families
of Ahlul bayt to show sadness during this month.
2. Expressing
sorrow should be manifested by sincere intentions of repentance, and
believing that if you were with them, you would have been on the side of
Imam Husayn, even if it costs you any and everything.
3. Increasing
the recitation of Qur’an, and try to teach your fellow family, friends,
and non-Muslims about the revolution of Imam Husayn.
4. Increase your Istigfaar per day, and increase your Durud on the Beloved Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam.
5. Learn the Sirah of Imam Husayn, try to benefit from it, love it, live it.
6. Be generous to your family: bring them water ( and remember on this
day Yazid’s army prevented Imam Husayn from drinking water), bring them
food and remember the things that happened.
7. Be thankful to Allah,
and ask Him to gather you with the supporters of Imam Husayn in this
Dunya, and with his supporters and companions in the Akhira.
8. Be on the Haqq. Just, Freedom side,and check yourself.
9. Make the month of Muharram a month of Al-Husayn in your life, in a
step to eventually make every month a month of Al-Husayn, Grandfather of
Al-Husayn, Father of Al-Husayn, Mother of Al-Husayn, Brother of
Al-Husayn, and those who love and follow Al-Husayn.
10. This is your
chance to abandon the rest and follow the best. This is your chance to
connect with Al-Imam Al-Husayn. Take time, purify your heart and
connect.
His story purifies our emotions. We can best honour his memory by allowing it to teach us courage and constancy.
The sacrifice of Imam Husayn comes after the Sacrifice of his father,
Sayyiduna Amirul’Muminin wa Imam al-Mutaqqeen Ali bin Abi Taleb
al-Hashimi, and the sacrifice of Imam Hasan, and the line of sacrifice
and martyrs among Ahlul Bayt is still a line enlightening the way for
generations to come. They are like stars; you will not succeed in
reaching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert
of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will
reach your destiny.
Al-Imam Al-Husayn’s message was simple and
clear: Is life so dear or so sweet as to be purchased at the price of
chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty Allah! I know not what course
others may take, but as for me, give me Haqq, or give me death!
“It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees”
Wassalamu Alaykum,
Muhammad Bin Yahya Bin Muhammad Al-Ninowy
SOURCE: http://www.israinternational.com/knowledge/143-on-the-sacrifice-of-imam-husayn-raa.html
and Ahl al-Bayt, then he becomes the praiseworthy Reliable Narrator of their Ahadith.
