4. Objection four
He says: Husain committed a great mistake in rising up against Yazid,
because he created disunity and groupism among people. He made the foundation
of unity weak to this day. Many people have written books on this subject, whose
aim is only to create mischief and disunity. And the gist of the discussion is that
he was in pursuit of something, whose background was not available and humans
did not have capacity for that. And that is why between him and his desires there
was a wide chasm; and that is why he was killed. And before him, his father was
also killed, but writers and those, who say that his killing was bad and instigate
enmity, do not achieve anything.
Now they have gone and are present before their Lord himself would take
their account and history gains lesson from this and it is that one, who has lofty
aims, should not step forward without sufficient preparations and possibilities. He
should also keep the welfare of society in mind so that people do not have to bear
untold difficulties. But when Husain rose in opposition to Yazid, people had
pledged allegiance to Yazid and at that time no injustice and oppression was
apparent from him.1
By these statements, Khizri wants to absolve Yazid from injustice and
oppression and he imagines that Yazid brought Husain near to himself and
accorded respect to him.
Reply to objection four
Alas, if he had written these things, after awareness of special qualities and
conditions of Islamic caliphate, and conditions necessary for caliph, like
experience, administration, purity of nature, unblemished character to be a role
model for the people. But regretfully he is unaware of all this and he has written
these points.
Neither has he recognized the tyrant Yazid, so that he may understand that
Islamic caliphate is not allowed for Yazid and his like. Nor Husain’s leadership
and nobility, so that he may know that a personality of this lofty nature can never
submit to the shameless, sinful and infidel Yazid.
Yes, the beloved one of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) did not stage an
uprising to create discord in the community, because every true follower of Islam
believes it to be his primary duty that in order to defend religion from someone,
who played with sanctities of religion and who created mischief in religion and
distorted religious teachings, suspended divine laws.
Yazid, the transgressor was the clearest implication of these things and from
the time of his father, Muawiyah, he was ill famed for injustice and oppression
and all sorts of unlawful acts; just as our master, Imam Husain (a.s.) said to
Muawiyah when he wanted to take allegiance for Yazid:
“Do you want to deceive people regarding Yazid and speak of him as if you
are talking of an unknown man. Whereas you are aware of such facts about
Yazid, which others don’t know, whereas Yazid himself is more aware of himself
than others, and he has expressed his views. For knowing Yazid it is sufficient
that he plays with dogs, pigeons and enjoys songs, music and dance. O
Muawiyah, leave your demands; O Muawiyah, are all these injustices, which you
wrought, not sufficient for you and you want to meet Allah with more?”2
He also said to Muawiyah: “It is sufficient for your unawareness that you
preferred the world over the hereafter.”
Muawiyah replied: “As for your claim that you are better than Yazid; by
God, Yazid is better than you for the Ummah of Muhammad.”
Imam Husain (a.s.) said: “This is a lie, is Yazid, the drunkard and profligate
better than me?”
The letter of Motazid, the Abbaside, which was read out in public, said:
“Among the crimes of Muawiyah is that he sacrificed the religion of God for
himself and called people to Yazid, the arrogant and wine imbiber, who passed
his time with monkeys, dogs and leopards and took allegiance of influentia people through force and threats; although they were aware of Yazid’s traits.
When he occupied the throne, he began to take revenge for killings of polytheist
of his clan and finally and committed the infamy of attacking Medina. Thus, he
satisfied the fire of hatred by taking revenge from divine saints. Then divulged
his disbelief in the following verses:
1. Alas, if my ancestors from Battle of Badr had been present to see and
heard the screams of Khazraj at the strikes we delivered upon them. 2. And had
seen how we slain their stalwarts and revenged the Battle of Badr fully. 3. They
would have been pleased at this act and remarked: O Yazid, may your hands
never perish. 4. If I don’t take revenge from descendants of Ahmad, I am not the
son of Khandaf. 5. As there was neither any divine revelation nor prophethood. It
was only a drama enacted by Bani Hashim to establish a kingdom.
Yes, these statements are clear indication of apostasy and disbelief and they
show that the man neither believed in God, His religion, His Book or his Prophet.
He did not have any faith in the message of Prophet and his commands.
In addition to this, his worst crime was shedding the blood of Husain bin
Ali, son of Fatima, daughter of Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.). A personality
whose rank in view of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) was lofty and whose position in
religion was supreme. According to the Prophet he and his brother was the chief
of youths of Paradise. All are aware of this.
And the cause of committing such a crime was not, but audacity before God
and denial of His religion, enmity to Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), confrontation
with his progeny and trespassing on their sanctity. In such a way that he martyred
him and his family like Turk and Dailamite infidels are killed.
Neither did he fear divine retribution nor feared divine anger and Almighty
Allah also did not leave him to his devices, on the contrary He made him die
young and made his progeny extinct; and prepared for him a painful
chastisement.3
Whoever criticizes the allegiance of Yazid has the following statement in
view and from this aspect caliphate of such a person with such views is a great
danger for religion.
The rising of Husain was a sacrifice and it was not pursuit of power that it
should have required preparations and provisions as Khizri says with confidence:
Husain did not achieve his aims, he was killed for that…on the contrary the aim
of this great warrior was only to sacrifice his life on the path of religion and that’s
all. So that people become aware of corruption of Bani Umayyah and their
hidden disbelief.
In the same way, the religion community knows that they neither respected
elders nor had mercy on the young; neither had mercy on infants or respect to
ladies. On the contrary, all know that they martyred all noble personalities and no one remained; and those noble souls did not hesitate in laying down their lives in
the path of religion.
“Ask from your Kerbala and the dear ones of Muhammad, whether their
hands were full or they were cut off. Full moons of 14th eve, which the debased
fellows hid, and who slain the noble souls.”
Husain is not such that the passage of time should obliterate his memory,
because he has a lofty rank, prominent position, unlimited wisdom, deep rooted
opinion, clear justice and piety. He was the beloved grandson of Prophet, whose
fame is known to one and all. No one can be found among Muslims, who can
deny these merits, even though he might not agree to his caliphate. That is why
the Ummah has not uttered anything against him, and except for Khizri, no one
has said that Imam Husain (a.s.) did not achieve his aim.
ۚوَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَقُولُونَ مُنكَرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْقَوْلِ وَزُورًۭا
“And most surely they utter a hateful word and a falsehood.”4
Thus, (as opposed to what Khizri thinks) the lesson we derive from the
example of Imam Husain (a.s.) is that: It is obligatory to stage an uprising against
every falsehood and in defense of religion and to spread religious morals.
Yes, this teaches us that death is better than a life of degradation. It also
impels us to sacrifice our lives in defense of the upright religion.
These are some of the immortal teachings, which Imam Husain (a.s.) taught
to the Ummah of his grandfather and his aim was not as Khizri mentioned:
History gains a lesson from this…
يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَا يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ وَهُوَ مَعَهُمْ إِذْ يُبَيِّتُونَ مَا لَا يَرْضَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْلِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطًا (١٠٨)
“They hide themselves from men and do not hide themselves from Allah, and He is with them when they meditate by night words which please Him not, and Allah encompasses what they do.”5