Understanding Karbala Author : Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizivi Translator's Foreword The Rise Of The Umayyads Beliefs and Acts Of Yazid The Great Sacrifice Communal Sacrifice References in New Testament Regarding The Martyrdom Of Hussain (A.S) Efects Of Hussain's Martyrdom On The Principle Of Caliphate Azadari Rituals Confrom To Divine Will What If Azadari Is An Innovation? Azadari Is Sunnah (C) It Is The Practice Of The Holy Imams 5. Nauha And Marsiya First Verse Yazid's Clan Uqbah Bin Abi Muit Who Were The Killers Of Imam Hussain(A.S)? Presented by http://www.alhassanain.com & http://www.islamicblessings.com Marwan Ibn Hakam A 'Revolutionary' Book: Caliphate Of Muayyiah and Yazid Martyrdom Of Imam Hussein (A.S) and The Muslim and Jewish Calenders The Illustrious Period Of The Imamate Of Imam Zainul Abidin (A.S) Translator's Foreword In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful Praise is due to Allah Whose worth cannot be described by speakers, whose bounties cannot be counted by calculators and whose claim (to obedience) cannot be satisfied by those who attempt to do so.1 By the Grace of the Almighty, the English translation of Karbala Shinasi is in your hands. The late author, Allamah Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi (q.s.) in yet another of his masterpieces has skillfully analyzed and explained the different aspects of the Karbala Tragedy. The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location. It is basically a collection of articles published in different periodicals over the years and a radio speech. But they were arranged by the author himself in this present book form and published in Urdu. It was much appreciated by the community in India and Pakistan and had been reprinted a number of times. We are all aware of the malicious propaganda of the enemies of Islam and humanity to target the Muharram ceremonies and the conspiracy to belittle the Great Sacrifice of Imam Husain (a.s). This book is a refutation of all objections raised in this connection. ________________________ 1 Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 1 The author, in his typical style has refuted all the allegations in a scholarly manner but at the same time made the text readable and interesting even for laymen. Translation of Urdu and Persian terms is given in brackets and frequently used terms are also defined in the "Glossary of Islamic Terms" at the end of the book for readers not familiar with Islamic terminology. Presented by http://www.alhassanain.com & http://www.islamicblessings.com Wassalaam PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION The first edition of this book was published in 1982. Since long all the copies are exhausted but there is still public demand for this book. Hence the second edition is being published in 1989 with further corrections and additions. An article titled, "Who were the killers of Imam Husain (a.s)" is added in this edition. It was first published in the Muharram issue of Sarfaraz Journal (Urdu) of 1954/1974. The typographical mistakes remaining in the first edition have been corrected. May Allah not allow more mistakes to remain in it. Although to remain free of errors is only for the infallibles. My first writing on "Karbala Shinasi" (Understanding Karbala) was a short article that I had written on the aim of Martyrdom and it was most probably published in the Muharram issue of Sarfaraz Journal of 1946. If before going to the press we are able to locate that article, it would also be included in this book. Otherwise, Insha Allah1 it would be reserved for the next edition. And there is no Tawfeeq2 except from Allah. Humble Servant: Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi 3 Rabi‐at‐Thani 1409 AH/14' November 1988 ________________________ 1 If Allah wills 2 Divine opportunity ( 12 ) PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. And blessings and salutations upon His best creature, Muhammad and his Purified Progeny. The present book is based on my articles on the various aspects of the Karbala Tragedy. Most of these articles were written by me before relocating to Africa, and were published in the periodicals of India and Pakistan. When the Bilal Muslim Mission was established in Africa, it became necessary to translate religious literature into English. An important link of this chain is the Bi‐monthly "The Light." I had also to write articles for the "As Serat" Journal of Muhammadi Trust, London, on occasions related to Imam Husain (a.s). Afterwards many of these articles were translated into Urdu and published in Urdu Magazines. These articles are also included in this collection. The most respected Hujjatul Islam Maulana Sayyid Ahmad Ali Abidi is among those contemporary scholars who, keeping in mind the needs of the present age, are performing unequalled services in the field of religious propagation. The respected friend is one of the founders of Noor‐e‐Islam Organization and the main driving force behind it. This organization publishes books on important religious subjects. It has also started correspondence course in Presented by http://www.alhassanain.com & http://www.islamicblessings.com Urdu in cooperation with Dar Rah Haqq, Qom and Usool‐e‐Deen Organization, Qom. This honorable friend had requested me to give a book of mine that can be published from Noor‐e‐Islam. This collection is being published as per this request. The articles are arranged in such a manner that continuity of topics is maintained. It is hoped that their study would illuminate the various historical, religious and philosophical aspects of the tragedy of Karbala, and the readers would be able to understand, to a great extent, this supreme sacrifice. I had no idea that collecting old articles is such a tedious job. I am thankful to the editors of Al‐ Jawwad (Benaras), AlWaez (Lucknow), Sarfaraz (Lucknow) and Razakar (Lahore) for providing me copies of the articles from their archives; otherwise this collection would have been incomplete. May Allah reward them with a good reward. If this collection is liked by the literate people, the future editions will also include articles on other topics, Insha Allah. HOW IMAM HASAN AND IMAM HUSAIN (A.S) SAVED ISLAM FROM DESTRUCTION Since the last 10 years, Maulana Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi is involved in religious propagation in East Africa. In that region writing in Urdu is of no avail. Due to this the respected Maulana has devoted all his attention to writing in English and Swahili languages. The English bi‐ monthly, "Light" and Swahili bi‐monthly "Sauti ya Bilal" have been published without a break since the last 10 years and the Maulana has written hardly anything in Urdu. The present article was also published in September 1966 issue of the Light Magazine. The relationship between religion and rulership is very delicate. Until the time rulers are content to follow the religion, it is all right. But when their aspirations exceed the limits and they aspire to also control religion and keep it under their subjugation, it is the beginning of strife and destruction. This is the time when the Genghis Khan gets the sword of religion in his hand. In such an event, it is only religion that has to bear the loss. For example the acceptance of Christian religion by Emperor Constantine was more harmful to Christianity than open opposition of the previous irreligious kings. IDEAL ISLAMIC STATE Islam did not remain heedless of this peril and it had provided the cure right from the beginning. No Muslim had the right to make any kind of changes or distortions in the Islamic law. In an Islamic government there is nothing as "Law‐making committee." The Almighty Allah, alone is the supreme authority and the sole lawmaker, Whose laws have been conveyed to us through Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). These laws are final and complete. They have solution of every imaginable problem and every possible condition. And if some problem requires elucidation or interpretation only those appointed for this by the Almighty are Presented by http://www.alhassanain.com & http://www.islamicblessings.com eligible to discharge this duty. These are the holy Imams, specified by Allah Almighty. They are infallible and they have been appointed by Allah through His Prophet. Because Islam continued to give a disciplined way of life and progressed during the lifetime of the Prophet and because all the departments of this Islamic state functioned under the divine guidance of the Holy Prophet, it was suitable, rather utmost necessary that after the passing away of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) the reins of the kingdom should remain in the hands of those impeccable Imams who were the divine representatives after the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w), and who were appointed by Almighty Allah. This method would have saved Islam from distortion and would have established it on a firm foundation forever. In this way Islam would have remained free from the claws of materialist proud rulers and it would have remained pure of the emotional ups and downs of the kings and Emirs and their unwarranted zeal and nuances. This was the reason that the Holy Messenger declared, on the basis of the specific directions of the Almighty, that after him there would be twelve Imams, and he also informed that, "Of whosoever I am the master, this Ali is also his master." This step was taken so that Islamic Shariah may not be sacrificed at the altar of political intrigues. However, some people, whose aspirations did not discriminate lawfulness and illegality, did not like this, and they deemed it such that rulership should not remain in the hands of Ali and his successors.