The messages & Achievements of the Ashura Movement

The messages & Achievements of the Ashura Movement

Muhammad Muhammadi Eshtehardi

One of the important aspects of the culture of Ashura, which is one of the constructive aspects of this culture, is the attention paid to the messages and achievements of the movement of Ashura, which has inspired anti-arrogance (anti-Taghuti) movements throughout centuries. It has also inspired many movements striving to gain certain rights, or movements directed toward achieving reforms in the history of Islam as well as in the contemporary world.
The culture of Ashura, has been a powerful source of inspiration and a valuable locus of all hopes. It has been the source of the most elevated and the most constructive inspirations and committed movements. This aspect of the culture of Ashura has yielded its fruits, the very spiritual fruits, which have immensely benefited human beings. In order to further discuss this issue, I will focus on the following:
• Some Messages from the Movement of Ashura,
•The Achievements of the Movement of Ashura,
•The Freedom Movements or Reform Movements Inspired by the Movement of Ashura in the Islamic History
•The Freedom Movements, Inspired by the Movement of Ashura, in the Present World.

The relation between Ashura and the bi'that

Maqsud Ferasatkhwah

In the beginning of the seventh century, with the beginning of Prophet Muhammad's mission (bi'that) and the emergence of Islam, there emerged a fully serious religious reform movement, which aimed to transform the then culture and other social relations of Mecca. This movement invited the people to undertake a deep revision of their religion, to revise their perceptions, to reconsider their conduct and their degenerate and harmful social relations. This movement was critical of the practice of worshipping idols. With its emphasis on morality, spirituality and humanity, the movement proposed that there was a purpose to man's life on earth. The movement also supported rationality and justice and endorsed the positive customs, traditions and rules.
In the development of this religious reformatory movement, like any other social movement, there were dangers and threats lurking in the background. These threats became serious after the departure of the Prophet Muhammad (S) and finally led to the metamorphosis of the idealistic and monotheistic movement into the system of Caliphate and the "Islamic Empire". During this metamorphosis, little by little, a "new class" emerged whose greed had gained a psychotic proportion. This overly materialistic and ambitious new class was after a monopolistic control of the wealth of the wealth and, by extension, the political power. The main cause for the emergence of these inequalities were the privileges bestowed by the Second Caliph on those who had a revo1utionary background (such as migration from Mecca to Medinah, participation in battles, etc.). These privileges began to grow in a cancerous manner during the time of the Third Caliph and led to concentration of incredible amounts of wealth in the hands of the few. This process went on until it led to the establishment of the rule of the House of Umayyads. As usual, a conspiracy of silence prevailed over all of these wrongdoings.
Two years before the death of Mu'awiyeh, Husayn Ibn Ali (A) talks to the Islamic personalities in Mina. He says, "I am afraid, with the state of affairs as they are, the Truth may become completely outdated and might be altogether forgotten." At this time, the revolution's first generation, except for a few, had fallen into the trap of mercantile pursuits and the second generation had no first hand experience. They lacked a historical memory and were, mainly, disenchanted and disheartened.
In such a situation, the intensive activity of the regime to eliminate Husayn Ibn Ali (A) begins.
On the whole, we see the Umayyad regime as one that is religious but is not elected by the people. It is an autocratic and dictatorial regime, devoid of justice and intolerant toward the opposition. On the other hand, we are witnessing a human being who wants to break down the conspiracy of silence, to cast his "no" vote for the ruling tyrant. He has revolted for the sake of reform, not for ambition. He is a freedom fighter, and rejects the idea of a life in disgrace. He suffers in order to defend the truth and bring about a structural change in the society, and he allows his companions and friends to freely choose their own path.
That is why we believe that the culture of Ashura shines like a jewel on the history of Islam and humanity and that Husayn is the great and sincere teacher of all humanity.

Khomeini Politics, Husayni Politics

Mahdi Hadavi

The movement of Abu 'Abd Allah (A), in comparison with other uprisings such as that of Abdullah ibn Zubayr, was distinct in three areas: means and methods, ideals and goals, and achievements and results.
Imam Husayn (A) chooses ways that ordinary people cannot fathom because they do not consider his ways compatible with politics and cleverness. His conducts in the first meeting with the ruler of Medinah, in his exit out Medinah and in Mecca all highlight this difference. The Master of Martyrs (A) in his encounter with the enemies constantly invited them to truth and strove to revive their dead conscience. Even when he realizes that they do not have any faith in religion, he tries to arouse their sense of humanity by invoking honor and conscience and even Arab nationalism.
Imam Husayn (A) was martyred on Ashura but the Ashura of the year 61 was immortalized and the barren land of Karbala became the archetypal land: "All days are Ashura and all lands are Karbala". Imam Husayn (A) became the source of inspiration for all the struggles for truth and justice, which occurred after him in the history of Islam. "God's pulsating blood" entered the body of Islamic Ummah.
In all phases of his movement from the Provincial Association affair, and the White Revolution, to the Khordad 15, and the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Imam Khomeini remained a true pupil of the school of Master of Martyrs (A). His movement was permeated with Husayni politics, the politics of dignity and Sincerity.
Husayni politics have special features that make it distinct from other politics: striving in the path of Allah, putting trust in God, fulfilling the duty, staying on the right course and never deviating, guiding those who are lost, straightforwardness and preparedness to die.

The Everlasting Uprising

Muhammad Reza Hakimi

On of the basic characteritistics of great messages is their quality of separating the right from the wrong in all their different manifestations. When truth is eclipsed as a result of prevailing circumstances and causes, when things are performed by using the name of truth, and when some persons exploit this word, the forces of truth are continuously marginalized and wrong proliferates. And if truth is dethroned from its great and luminous citadel and falsehood takes control, what value remains left for mankind?
Here it is that the great messengers and the illuminators of centuries and ages do not sit idle. They rise for removing the blackness of falsehood so that the brightness of truth may spread again and shin upon all the quarters of human life and brighten the intellects, resuscitate the souls and convert the low animal life into sublime human life.
From the beginning of the Umayyad rule in Damascus, all the necessary steps had been taken apart from all that which the Umayyads had done during the past and which is well known in history - so that truth may fall from its high citadel, its splendor may be destroyed, and eventually falsehood may hold sway and bring back with it the culture of Jahiliyyah, thus ushering the victory of the Umayyah clique. Yazid's usurpation of the Khilafat Which was achieved through plotting, threats and money of the Umayyad court at Damascus and by massacring great Islamic personalities and possibly with the involvement of the Byzantine whose rulers were sworn enemies of Islam and Qur'an - this was the major reason for the occurrence of this great tragedy i.e. bringing down truth and replacing it with falsehood, and obliterating Qur'anic Islam and bringing back the pagan Sufyani Jahiliyyah...
A tragedy of this proportion has not taken place in the history of mankind wherein we find a person like Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah sitting in the place of the Last Messenger Hadrat Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (S) to whom the Holy Qur'an was revealed, and ruling over them as the Khalifah of the Prophet of God (S) with the claim of representing the Qur'anic government and executing the Qur'anic rules, and determining, in the process, the fate of Islam and the Muslims. A lowly inconsequential creature was taking the place of the perfect human being of all times; a Satan was sitting in the place of the reciter of Qur'anic verses and the proclaimer of monotheism, justice and goodness; an abject and degenerated black spot was taking the place of the sun illuminating the horizons of transcendence and awareness; an admixture of pagan misguidance replacing the pure rays of guidance... And it is obvious what the consequences of this great degradation would be: The destruction of all the traces of Qur'anic upbringing and the prevalence of the base customs of the Jahiliyyah.
In such times - times in which values were declining and the achievements of jihad and martyrdom were diminishing - where was the point in living and keeping quiet in that destructive Yazidi rule and in that atmosphere of immorality, degradation and elitist deception of the polytheist of pagan times... who shouted into the ears that

(The Hashemites toyed with the government)? And who was it to be who was to raise the flag of the bright sun and flood the high peaks of the Qur'anic skies with light? Should Husain (A) be alive while Islam is dying? Should the son of Ali (A) and Fatimah (A) retain his life while the Qur'an is divested of its spirit? How could this be possible? The Egyptian scholar Shaykh Muhammad Muhammad Madani rightly observes that a voice from within continuously kept calling Husain (A) that: 0 son of the Prophet, you are the combatant of this combat! And the Imam of martyrs himself said.

He (A) also observed: o God, you know that our purpose is not to vie for power or to acquire the transient things of the world. Instead we desire to show (the people) the contours of your religion, to introduce reform in your country so that your oppressed servants may feel safe....
Therefore the task of sifting truth from falsehood, and just from unjust, for the sake of establishing truth and justice and annihilating falsehood and injustice, is surely a great task, and the great event of Ashura is a superlative manifestation of the performance of this task. The extent to which Yazid's occupying the place of the Prophet (S) was a great tragedy, which resulted in the spread of darkness and revival of the jahiliyyah, to that same extent was the resuscitative movement of Ashura great. Ashura is a hand coming out from the horizon of the martyrdom of Karbala and rising to the heights of the sun and the Qur'an the blackness of the reborn jahiliyyah, which was accompanied by apostasy, injustice, licentiousness, perversity and ignorance. Ashura is a cry, which has permanently robbed the oppressive leaders of their sleep. Ashura has for all times Separated the truth from falsehood so that the Yazids of different ages may not be able to - in the guise of Islam - revive jahiliyyah, he it the Jahiliyyah) of yore or the modern jahiliyyah.

The Movement of Ashura From the View point of