Ashura: The Day That Changed the Face of Islam - Coursework Example

Ashura: The day that changed the face of Islam Name Title of course Instructor’s name Date Introduction The day of Ashura is a very important day in the life of Shi’a Muslims. It is commonly commemorated by mourning the martyrdom of Husayn Ibn Ali, a grandson of Muhammad who was killed at the Battle of Karbala during the 10 Muharam. The day is also celebrated by the Sunni Muslims who regard the day as the Day of Atonement. The Sunni likens the day to freedom of Israelites from the hands of Egyptians. The topic is important because it led to change of the modern day Islam. Because of the day, many celebrations emerged in Islam as a great lesson that had been passed down for many generations. Thesis statement Ashura is the day linked with great significance to Muslim faithful. It is commonly associated with the sacrifice of Imam Husayn, who was a grandson of Prophet Mohammed. Numerous events led to occurrence of Ashura, leading to great lessons, which are remembered in Islam up to date. Questions to be answered by the paper What are the events that led to Martyrdom of Husayn? What transpired between his father Ali and brother Hassan? What is the significance of the day to Islam? Why did Husayn chose to lead his army into a suicide mission? What was the link between the Battle of Karbala to Islam? Main body After the death of Prophet Mohammad in 632, there was a disagreement among the followers on who should be appointed as the successor. Because of the disagreement, Muslims split into two groups. One group supported Ali, Mohammad’s cousin and son-in law, while the other supported Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr ended up being the first Caliph and his followers came to be known as the Sunni Muslims. On the other hand, the followers of Ali came to be known as the Shia Muslims. Abu Bakr is said to have led for only two years before choosing Umar as his successor in 634. For the next ten years, Umar served as the caliph and was associated with rapid spread of Islam via territorial gains and military conquests. When he died in 644, a council of Islamic leaders installed a new Caliph. His name was Uthman ibn Affan, from the family of Umayyad. His reign encountered problems in 656, after supporters of Ali assaulted him and chose Ali as the fourth Caliph. Supporters of Ali believed that only descendants of Prophet Mohammad were supposed to lead the Muslim community. After Uthman had been assassinated, Ali continued to rule over Muslim community1. History reveals that Ali’s leadership was characterized by violent struggles between his supporters and those of Muawiyah I. Muawiyah I was a governor of Syria and a close relative of Uthman. The struggles led to the murder of Ali 661. Ali was regarded as the first martyr of the Shia following. Ali had two sons known as Husayn and Hasan ibn Ali. After the death of their father, the two sons continued to advance their struggle in various ways. Hasan compromised with mu’awiya and gave up his right as the Caliphate. The Shia believed that it was a rational decision because he was constraint by various issues during the time. Husayn continued his quest for restoration of Caliphate to the family of Ali through military means. His struggle increased in 680 when Muawiyah died and his son Yazid took over power as the Caliphate. It is said that before his death, Muawiyah had warned his son that he should not mistreat Hussein ibn Ali, because he was the grandson of Prophet Mohammad. His final warning to Yazid was that he should be careful that he should not kill the innocent and join those who had perished because they failed to heed instructions. Yazid never heeded his father’s warning. The appointment of Yazid to the Caliphate was an unpopular decision, which was met with vast disapproval. After Yazid rose to power, he ordered that all governors must take an oath of allegiance to him. The oath was secured from all corners of the country because Yazid was a man who had great thirst for power. Abdullah ibn Zubaryr the grandson of Abu Bakr and Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Mohammad refused to swear allegiance to Yazid. Their refusal prompted Yazid to send soldiers to assist in finding Abdullah and Husayn to force their declaration of allegiance. Yazid’s selection as the caliphate was against Islamic customs because his father, had summoned the Islamic council or shura to give an oath of allegiance in support of Yazid. Many people had disagreed with the move because it was unreligious and against Islamic tradition2. Thus, when Yazid rose to power, he was determined to pursue those who had refused to agree with his father’s demand that they should take an oath of allegiance. Yazid was highly disapproved because he cared much about power and worldly things. When he assumed power in Damascus, he blatantly showed that he cared nothing in connection with sacred ideals of the people that he was tasked to lead. In fact, he was not interested in traditional business affairs linked with his administration. Yazid’s passion was hunting, and he searched for power and self-gratification. During his reign, many fundamentals of Islam were divorced from power. For instance, freedom and sense of social equality, earnest endeavor and strong faith were disregarded. Instead of holding his leadership as a spiritual office, he turned it into a worldly throne driven by ideas of selfishness and family aggrandizement. Because of his poor leadership, moral decadence rapidly spread among his people. Throughout his kingdom, only one man could stop his tide. The man was Imam Husayn, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad. Imam Husayn was known to be foreign to his nature, and could speak out without fear. However, his irreproachable and blameless life was in itself a reproof to those of contrary opinion. Thus, they sought to silence him, but his fearless nature made it almost impossible to silence him. They used numerous ways in a bit to silence him including, getting him into power and using bribes. All their attempts miserably failed because Husayn was steadfast in his faith and could not be swayed. Medina was the center of Husayn’s teachings and so they decided to drive him. Followers of Yazid were afraid that his teachings could awaken the conscience of the people who could easily realize the degree of their selfishness and interest with power. Husayn was a holy man who preferred to die rather than surrender the religious principles that he dearly held. The local leaders, who had shown allegiance to Yazid, made Medina impossible for Yazid so that they could stop him from teaching. Husayn then left for Mecca, hoping that they would leave him alone. However, they also followed him to Mecca. When Husayn moved to Mecca, the Syrians invaded the city. However, the people of Mecca repelled their invasion. Husayn, though he was the bravest, had no army or any worldly weapons3. His existence was deemed as offensive in the eyes of his enemies, because he boldly spoke and encouraged people to adhere to Islamic religious customs. The invasion made him realize that his life was in danger. Husayn had friends everywhere, but they were all afraid to speak out. In Kufa, a group of people emerged who claimed to be disgusted by what had befallen to the Muslim community. They called upon Imam Husayn to live among them and be their honored teacher and guide. In Kufa, his father’s memory was held in reverence. Unlike other governors, who had shown allegiance to Yazid, the governor of Kufa appeared to be a friendly man who was eager to welcome religious people. The governor of Kufa presented himself as a genuine man who wanted to receive religious teachings. However, his intentions were different. He lacked courage and constancy. The governor was closely working with Yazid’s men in a bid to capture Husayn. Kufa was situated approximately 40 miles from Karbala. After the invitation to Kufa, Husayn carefully considered it, weighed all the possibilities and talked with his friends on the matter. He then sent his cousin to study the area and bring back a report to him. His cousin brought a favorable report, and so Imam Husayn decided to move to Kufa. Nevertheless, he had a strong feeling of danger because many of his friends in Mecca had advised him not to go4. He wanted to leave his family and close dependents in Mecca, but they would hear none of his proposal. His family was strongly united, with pre-eminent purity of life, domestic affections and domestic virtues. The family knew that the Imam was not going on a ceremonial visit. He had a responsibility to perform, and thereby, if there was danger in the mission, then they had to share it. The Imam journeyed through the desert with his family. Later they received discouraging news from Kufa. A ruthless governor, who was determined to execute orders from Yazid, had replaced the friendly governor. When they came to the edge of the desert, they heard of horrible news, including what had happened to his cousin, who had been set to survey the area before his coming. It is said that there was a poet who persuaded the Imam not to go further. A messenger was sent to inform the Imam to surrender or die. The Imam clearly stated that he only came to defend his people, and that he wanted no revenge or political power. The Imam gave them three options, all of which were rejected. They wanted to destroy his life, because he was against their views. The Imam refused to surrender to the very forces that he had been resisting. According to Husayn, the leadership of Yazid had defied the law of God and man, in the process, bringing shame and disgrace to Islam. Because he could not surrender and had no armies, he could not continue to fight against authorities at Kufa. He had many friends from all over. However, there was no time to gather them to rally behind him in case a fight broke out. Husayn chose to turn left and camped in the plain of Karbala. What followed after his settlement was a 10-day exchange of messages between Kufa and Karbala. The authorities at Kufa, who had sworn allegiance to Yazid, wanted to force him to surrender and recognize Yazid. The Imam could not agree with them. All alternatives that Imam Husayn gave to the Kufa authorities were rejected. Under instructions from Yazid, who was in Damascus, the authorities at Kufa decided to launch an attack on the Imam. The fateful ten days were the first of the month of Muharram, the year 61 of the Hijra. The first seven days was characterized by various kinds of pressure to force the Imam to yield to Yazid. However, the faithful Imam was inflexible. The final day, known as the Ashura day, was the day of crisis. Husayn had offered to surrender his people, so that he alone could be killed. However, his people, who were approximately 72, refused to leave him. They were not cowards, and chose to fight until the end. The soldiers who were against them were approximately 4,000. On the Ashura day, Imam Husayn and his people were surrounded. What followed was a terrible massacre that left the Imam with 45 wounds of swords and javelin. It is also said that 35 arrows pierced his body5. While he was praying, his head was cut off, and a mad orgy of victory was celebrated over his body. The only survivor was his son Ali. Ali lived into retirement, and he committed his life to studying, teaching and interpreting his father’s spiritual principals. Conclusion The Ashura day is still regarded as a fundamental day in life of Islam and is celebrated in many parts of the world. The day is particularly important to the Shia Muslims who believed that Husayn was the rightful successor of Mohammad. The day is associated with numerous lessons to modern day Muslims because of the brutality that met a righteous man. It teaches Muslims to avoid selfish interests and care for what God desires. Imam Husayn set a good example that all Muslims should follows in everyday life. As for Yazid, his selection to lead the people had not adhered to Islamic customs and religious teachings. That is the reason why his reign was associated with numerous mistakes that brought disgrace to Islam. Husayn is normally regarded as a leader of martyrs because he became a victim of an ambitious leader who did not care about sacred role that he was ordained to perform. Bibliography Ayoub, Mahmoud. Redemptive suffering in Islām: a study of the devotional aspects of ʻĀshūrāʼ in twelver Shīʻism. The Hague: Mouton, 19786. Husain, Ya.. Imam Husayn: live like Muhammad (saw) die like Husayn (as). Cape Town: Silk Road International, 1993. Lewis, Bernard. The Cambridge history of Islam;. Cambridge [Eng.: University Press, 1970. Saunders, J. J.. A history of Medieval Islam. Taylor & Francis e-Library ed. London: Routledge, 2002. Soltanian, Hamed. Imam Husayn ibn 'Ali: (the master of martyrs). Auckland, N.Z.: Fadak Publications, 2008. Read More

Muawiyah I was a governor of Syria and a close relative of Uthman. The struggles led to the murder of Ali 661. Ali was regarded as the first martyr of the Shia following. Ali had two sons known as Husayn and Hasan ibn Ali. After the death of their father, the two sons continued to advance their struggle in various ways. Hasan compromised with mu’awiya and gave up his right as the Caliphate. The Shia believed that it was a rational decision because he was constraint by various issues during the time.

Husayn continued his quest for restoration of Caliphate to the family of Ali through military means. His struggle increased in 680 when Muawiyah died and his son Yazid took over power as the Caliphate. It is said that before his death, Muawiyah had warned his son that he should not mistreat Hussein ibn Ali, because he was the grandson of Prophet Mohammad. His final warning to Yazid was that he should be careful that he should not kill the innocent and join those who had perished because they failed to heed instructions.

Yazid never heeded his father’s warning. The appointment of Yazid to the Caliphate was an unpopular decision, which was met with vast disapproval. After Yazid rose to power, he ordered that all governors must take an oath of allegiance to him. The oath was secured from all corners of the country because Yazid was a man who had great thirst for power. Abdullah ibn Zubaryr the grandson of Abu Bakr and Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Mohammad refused to swear allegiance to Yazid. Their refusal prompted Yazid to send soldiers to assist in finding Abdullah and Husayn to force their declaration of allegiance.

Yazid’s selection as the caliphate was against Islamic customs because his father, had summoned the Islamic council or shura to give an oath of allegiance in support of Yazid. Many people had disagreed with the move because it was unreligious and against Islamic tradition2. Thus, when Yazid rose to power, he was determined to pursue those who had refused to agree with his father’s demand that they should take an oath of allegiance. Yazid was highly disapproved because he cared much about power and worldly things.

When he assumed power in Damascus, he blatantly showed that he cared nothing in connection with sacred ideals of the people that he was tasked to lead. In fact, he was not interested in traditional business affairs linked with his administration. Yazid’s passion was hunting, and he searched for power and self-gratification. During his reign, many fundamentals of Islam were divorced from power. For instance, freedom and sense of social equality, earnest endeavor and strong faith were disregarded.

Instead of holding his leadership as a spiritual office, he turned it into a worldly throne driven by ideas of selfishness and family aggrandizement. Because of his poor leadership, moral decadence rapidly spread among his people. Throughout his kingdom, only one man could stop his tide. The man was Imam Husayn, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad. Imam Husayn was known to be foreign to his nature, and could speak out without fear. However, his irreproachable and blameless life was in itself a reproof to those of contrary opinion.

Thus, they sought to silence him, but his fearless nature made it almost impossible to silence him. They used numerous ways in a bit to silence him including, getting him into power and using bribes. All their attempts miserably failed because Husayn was steadfast in his faith and could not be swayed. Medina was the center of Husayn’s teachings and so they decided to drive him. Followers of Yazid were afraid that his teachings could awaken the conscience of the people who could easily realize the degree of their selfishness and interest with power.

Husayn was a holy man who preferred to die rather than surrender the religious principles that he dearly held. The local leaders, who had shown allegiance to Yazid, made Medina impossible for Yazid so that they could stop him from teaching.

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