| Benefiting from Ashura |
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| Tuesday, 15 February 2005 | |
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Page 6 of 6 1. The establishment of an organisation and expanding it to encompass all the lands of Islam so that communication may take place amongst the various wings, on the condition that this organisation includes free and fair elections held for example every two years. 2. The founding of a supreme council for all Islamic organisations to discuss affairs and confirm activities by majority opinion. For Allah has said: {]And your affairs are settled by mutual consultation]} and Amir al-Mu'minin ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (a) has said: ‘I adjure you by Allah to organise your affairs'. 3. Creating complete awareness by alerting the nation to its points of weakness and strength so that the former may be eliminated and the latter may be benefited from. This calls for millions of books. The Imam (a) said: ‘He who has knowledge of his times cannot be taken unawares.' 4. The adoption of fine morals as in Allah's words: {]You were the best nation brought out for the people, enjoining the good]} like adopting reason and critical examination, flexibility, and affability, co-operation, sincerity, consultation, and mutual respect and the like, and {]and forbidding the evil]} like weakness, cruelty, despotism, sectarianism, hatred and feuding. 5. The organisation should maintain links with the populace and not become isolated from it as can be seen today in some Islamic organisations where pride, conceit and snobbery are present as well as the adoption of innovations and other things that will distance them from the people and will prevent them from being able to attract the people and will lead in the end to their failure. Imam ‘Ali (a) said: ‘He who acts despotically on his own opinion will perish.' Imam Hussein (a) said: ‘You should know that the needs that the people have of you are among the blessings of Allah upon you.' 6. The following of jurists (fuquha) and authorities (maraji'). Imam Hussein (a) said: ‘The running of affairs and rulings are in the hands of the scholars of Allah who are certain of that which Allah has made lawful or unlawful.' If the organisation distances itself from the religious authorities, which have been chosen by the nation, it will fail even if the organisation creates an authority for itself upon whatever pretext or excuse. The nation should follow the true authorities and should not be fooled by falsities. 7. The recruiting of Islamic talent such as scholars, preachers and thinkers, teachers, and staff as well as infrastructure such as publishing houses, libraries, printing presses and schools. All these talents are important in ensuring the arrival at the desired goal, for the seas are made of raindrops and the deserts from grains of sand! If we make the gatherings in remembrance of Imam Hussein (a) a starting point for building an authentic and true Islamic nation, distinguished by the consultation of the religious scholars and the following of their rulings, and party pluralism, and the just rule of Islamic laws, then we will have conveyed a great deal to Imam Hussein (a) who sacrificed himself, his family and his companions for nothing less than implementing Islam and rescuing the people. In the ziyarat of Imam Hussein (a) are the words of the Imam (a) addressing Allah: ‘ . . . to rescue Your servants from ignorance and the confusion of losing the way.' Then the despotic organisations in all their forms will vanish, and power will be distributed amongst all the classes and groups whether that be power of governing or arms or knowledge or wealth. Capabilities will appear and bear fruit and the realities of knowledge in the fields of agriculture, manufacture, trade, education, and in the military will be become manifest. The lands snatched from Islam will be returned and their people will be rescued from the claws of colonisers. All this however requires an increase in sincerity of purpose combined with piety in the issues of Imam Hussein (a). For Allah accepts the works of the pious as he has said: {]Indeed Allah accepts from the pious]}. If we do all this, we will have participated in explaining the goal of Imam Hussein (a) and in continuing on the path he took. ----------------------------------------------- [1] This is the translation of an article that appeared in the Arabic Kuweiti periodical ‘al-Menbar', issue 11 (2nd Year), April 2001, p.18. Translated by Ali Adam, London. [2] A researcher in the Centre for Islamic Education, London. [3] The name Karbala is a contraction of karbun wa bala', an Arabic compound name literally meaning tragedy and affliction. [4] Imam Rida (a) (d. 818 C.E.) is the eighth Imam of Ahl-ul-Bayt. [5] (a) is an abbreviation of ‘aleihi as-salaam' meaning upon whom be peace, which is used as a term of respect after the mention of the names of the Imams. Similarly, (s) is an abbreviation of ‘salla llahu ‘aleihi wa aalihi wa sallam' meaning may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him and his family, which is used after the mention of the name of the Prophet Muhammad for the same reason. [6] Ashura is the tenth day of the month of Muharram, the day on which the slaughter took place. [7] Al-Taff is another name for Karbala. [8] Not to be confused with the founder of the Baha'i religion. |