The tragedy at Karbala in what is now called Iraq on the tenth day of Muharram in 61 Hijri calendar (in 680 AD) remains a great political event in the history of Islam with deeper religious significance. For the Sunni and Shia Muslims alike, the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in the hands of a large army of Umayyad caliph Yazid has no parallel in human history.
With a band of unarmed companions numbering about only 73, Imam Hussain (RA) stood against the Yazid’s powerful army of 4000 on the bank of the Furat River. For Hussain’s (RA), it was a battle for upholding truth and justice. Not only was the Prophet’s (PBUH) dear grandson brutally killed by the army of Yazid, his two little sons, Ali al-Akbar and Ali Al-Ashgar, were also cruelly murdered by the blood thirsty army of Yazid.
To save life cowardly was not the spirit of the day; on the contrary, the day was all about courage and steadfastness in the face of evil and for protection of what is legitimate and right. The battle of Karbala was, in fact, was a battle for Islam. That is why the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (RA) at Karbala has become a fountainhead of inspiration for the Muslims regarding performance of one’s ‘dween’. The event was acting out of the true message of Islam that urges Muslims to resist oppression and slavery.
At Karbala on the day Imam Hussain (RA) had two choices before him: 1. accepting allegiance to Yazid as the caliph that means, surrendering to what is wrong and unjust, and 2. standing valiantly against Yazid as caliph. He decided the latter in an attempt to please Allah.
Therefore, remembrance of the day can be best performed through solemnly observing the day by darud and dua mehfil and drawing inspiration from the message of the day. The day is not about beating drums or bewailing the death of Imam Hussain (RA) as Shia Muslims do. The Shia community observes the day in the capital through bringing out the Tajia procession from Imambara Hussaini Dallan in Old Dhaka.
As far as the observance of the day in Bangladesh is concerned, the law enforcers are particularly urged to remain watchful so that no untoward incident occurs. On several occasions in the past, the country witnessed incidents of violence and murder during the Ashura ritual.
