Husain Takes Charge Of The Imamat

Husain takes charge of the Imamat

BEFORE BREATHING HIS last, Hasan handed the charge of the Imamat to his brother Husain. Husain was now the Third Imam, the Vicegerent of God on earth, in the place of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

The world was now without the Apostle of God. Fatema the Holy Lady of Light had been martyred. Ali and Hasan had also left the world. Husain V as left alone in an atmosphere totally

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hostile, for Ma'aviah had successfully purchased the public support to execute his plan of placing Yazid on the throne of the Kalifate, to perpetuate the rule of the Muslim Empire in his family and thus to start the Omayyid dynasty of the Kalifs. All possible efforts to bring the people and keep them under the complete control of the throne, were employed. Corruption and godlessness ruled the destiny of the people.

As Ali had done during the reigns of the first three Kalifs, and Hasan after Ma'aviah's usurping the paramount power, Husain also following the footsteps of his father and brother, had retired into seclusion in Madina. Husain's main concern was supplication to the Lord and acting as the heavenly torch of the Divine Light of guidance towards God and godliness.

Husain was now the godly commissioned guardian of the Holy Qur'an, its teachings and its correct practice. He was the Vicegerent of the Lord holding the Kingdom of God on earth. It is surely ridiculous even to imagine Husain's ever thinking of, or aspiring for, any temporal power or authority, when he already held the Imamat divinely assigned to the House of the Holy Prophet and as such was God's Deputy on earth. He had nothing to do with the politics of the state or the political affairs of the people.

Husain had already been informed of every detail of the divine assignment to him and he knew every step of the march of his life up to its end. The Holy Prophet had already informed Husain of all that was in store for him to meet, and when and where each event will take place. It was only with the knowledge of the lot to befall Husain, his father Ali had desired to have a son like Abbas. It was only in view of the great task of re-establishing Islam by Husain with the great sacrifice, i.e., the Vibhe Azeene, the Holy Prophet had said: 'Husain is of me and I am of Husain.' Now Husain was acting like Jesus, resigned to the will of the Lord and waiting for the hour to fulfil his covenant with the Lord to save His religion Islam and to secure His Final Word to man, the Holy Qur'an, for ever.

Husain passed a quiet life of supplication, discharging the duties of the Imam in the place of his Grandfather the Holy Prophet.

The Ruling Power and the Ahlul-Bait

THERE IS ONE thing about the holy members of the House of the

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Holy Prophet which needs mention here, that no ruling power or any monarchical pomp, power or glory could ever create the least impression on the godly minds of these holy ones. No threat or terror, could ever create the least awe in them to subjugate their godly inclinations and their attitude to this life. Neither Ali could be subjected by the first three Kalifs nor was Hasan in the least impressed by the awe-striking threats or the pomp, power and the monarchical glory of Ma'aviah. Husain, in this regard was bolder still, for whenever Ma'aviah's atrocities affected the human rights or the interest of the safety and the security of life and the integrity of the people, Husain never in the least hesitated in reprimanding Ma'aviah. Whenever Husain heard of any godly soul particularly of the devotees of the House of the Holy Prophet, suffering any unprovoked aggression, he was moved to tears for the helpless souls, and when Hair bin Adi-e-Kandi was mercilessly killed, I lusain did not spare admonishing and condemning Ma'aviah through open, written communications from him, warning him against the wrath, of God.

A Wonderful Act of Pure Godliness

MA'AVIAH, GOVERNOR OF Iraq, Ahdullah's wife Zainab was a pious lady of noted beauty. The exaggerated accounts of the beauty of the good lady had reached even Damascus. Yazid the son of Ma'aviah heard it and at once his voluptuous mind naturalised in licentiousness determined to somehow own the wife of Abdullah for his own. All possible ways and means of deceit and temptations to induce Abdullah to divorce his w ife went in vain. Ma'aviah to please his son, thought of a very crafty device. Ahdullah was at once summoned to the capital. When Abdullah came to Damascus, he was received with unusual and extraordinary honours and regards and was housed in a palatial abode luxuriously furnished particularly for him. On the third day of his arrival, Abdullah was offered to wed Ma'aviah's daughter, to which Abdullah resented, hut the offer was also with the threat of losing his position as well as his life against any refusal. Poor Abdullah was forced to accept the offer. The next day of his acceptance, Abdullah was asked to divorce Zainab, saying that the daughter of the Ruler, a princess, could not have any rival to her bed. Abdullah was forced to write a letter of divorce to Zainab. When Abdullah had executed the divorce, the very next day after it, he was not given even an interview wit's.

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Ma'aviah, saying that the offer to wed his daughter was only an offer and had been withdrawn.

The letter of divorce was sent to Zainab through a special messenger with Yazid's oiler to wed her, Zainab was then at Madina when Abu Darda the messenger from Ma'aviah arrived there.

God is always there to protect the interest of the righteous ones when they are unjustly aggressed by any tyrant. Abu Darda before going to Zainab, went first to pay his regard to Husain the Holy Imam and intimated to him the object of his visit to Madina. Husain hearing the painful story, told Abu Darda to convey his own (Husain's) offer to Zainab along with that of Yazid's. Zainab receiving the letter of her divorce, began to sob. When the offers of Yazid and Husain were conveyed to her she readily preferred the Holy Imam, and got herself wedded to him.

When the disappointing story was conveyed to Ma'aviah and Yazid, it enraged both the father and the son. Abdullah was dismissed from the governorship, and all his property in Iraq and elsewhere was confiscated and he was rendered a destitute. Poor Abdullah having lost his wife, his post, and all his properties, did not know what to do, and at last he walked all the way from Iraq to Madina to recover from Zainab the money he had left with her. Reaching Madina he went to the residence of the Holy Imam. Now Zainab could talk to Abdullah only from behind the screen; neither he could see her nor she could look at him. Both stood quietly shedding tears, when Huvin suddenly appeared and removed the screen from between them saying:-

Both, Abdullah and Zainab were stunned with tears of joy in their eyes and returned home praising the Holy Imam and cursing those who had wickedly devised to separate them.

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The situation that demanded another 'Muhammad' to rescue the Correct Faith

IT WAS THE Seventh Century A.D., Europe was still a wilderness. Rome and Greece were still pagan, the christian creed emanated from the welding of the monastic christianity with the pagan cult of Rome, effected by King Constantine of Rome, after about 300 years after the departure of Jesus was still ignorant of the elementary knowledge about the world. Its knowledge even about the earth was childish for even centuries later it had yet to pelt stones on Columbus when he told them that the earth was round. This was the state of Europe when Islam had already preached the truth about the Universe as a whole; the truth which even to this day is the highest and the modern scientists with all their claims of wonderful advancement and amazing discoveries, have yet to arrive at the Islamic disclosures already made through the Holy Qur'an.

America was yet to be discovered and it was the part of the earth unknown to man.

Africa was called the Dark Continent. Man there had yet to learn the necessity to cover its body and was a nude.

India was a country with petty princes ruling small states drowned in idolatry and rituals extending to human sacrifice.

China was led by the impracticable and emotional creed of Buddhism; of the total renunciation of the earthly life which even the people claiming to be Buddhist by creed, could not as a whole practise.

The only hope lay in the most practicable and the most reasonable Faith, Islam, and its practice, but, with the alienation of the Ahlul-Bait from the paramount authority over the affairs of the people, started the corruption in the faith and with the Omayyids on the throne, began the ever progressive adulteration of the Faith and the unwanted innovations in its practice.

The only hope of the world getting on the right track was in Islam, but with Yazid on the throne declaring disbelief in the bona-fide of the apostleship of the Holy Prophet and the Holy Qur'an being the revealed Word of God, all hopes of the redemption of humanity from the abvss of material degradation and the lack of the truth about the real Creator of the Universe and the position and the commitment of man in it, were at stake.

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In short, the same atmosphere of darkness was once again, impending to shroud the world which prevailed half a century ago and which had demanded the advent of the Holy Prophet. But no apostle was yet to come, for the final code of the necessary knowledge and discipline for man on earth had been given in the Holy Qur'an. However, the situation demanded one like Muhammad to brave the forces of falsehood and re-establish the Truth once again so that never may it again he shaken or disturbed.

When no apostle was to come, the only one to play the role of an apostle was Husain, the Imam of the age, who was in the place of the Apostle, the Vicegerent of God on earth. Only in view of the unique position of his grandson Husain, and the duty identical with his own, which Husain was destined to discharge, that the Holy Prophet had said :

It is for this occasion of the imperative demand for the rescue of the True Faith that the All-Knowing Lord had reserved the Zibhe Azeem.'

Letters inviting Husain to handle the situation, began to pour in from all parts of the country, particularly from Kufa, imploring Husain to proceed to guide the people. There were promises from the people, saying that strong armies were waiting to act under his command. But the invitations contained the taint of political aim and territorial ambition and Husain was not for it at all. He knew the Hour was getting nigh and waited for a call pure and plain exclusively for God and godliness.

Husain was fully conscious of the heavenly object of his very advent in the world being nothing but to meet this situation and to rescue Islam, God's revealed faith, to elevate mankind to the glorious heights of the heavenly bliss. Husain knew the godly task of the divine assignment to him. He lived all these days in waiting for the hour to act as per his commitment to the Lord. He also knew when to respond to the call from the people.

If Husain had any desire to gain any temporal power, the hundreds, rather thousands, of the letters with the strongest promises and assurances from the people to march under his command, were more than sufficient to stimulate an ambitious mind. Like

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his father he hated the world as a rotten bone of a leper's corpse in the mouth of a dog.

If Husain had taken any initiative to act of his own accord at the invitations from the people, with the assurance of the armies ready to act under his command, the sincerity or the purity of his purpose would have been marred by his intention of getting misunderstood by the world and doubted by the general public attributing to it selfishness and ambition to gain the political power for himself. He waited for a call from the situation purely in the name of God for the godly cause of saving the faith one day which he knew, was sure to come from the people.

Husain prophesies His Son's Martyrdom

HUSAIN'S SECOND SON Ali (who after the tragedy of Karbala became known as Ali-e-Akbar) resembled the Holy Prophet Muhammad so much in all his physical features that people from distant places, desirous of having again a view of the departed Apostle of God, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, visited Madina to have a look at Ali-e-Akbar. It is reported that once a party of such visitors had come to Madina from Egypt and having seen Ali-e-Akbar were amazed at the wonderful beauty of the young Ali and his remarkable resemblance to the Holy Prophet. Husain, the Holy Imam, asked them as to how much they would like to have a son like his Ali, they submitted: "0' son of the Holy Prophet, we as the humble beings and sinners to have such a great blessing from God?" Husain asked as to how much they would value it if they were blessed by God with such a handsome son.

They submitted: "0' son of the Holy Prophet, if we get such a gift from God, we will not allow the child to walk on the ground. We would prefer a lance piercing our eyes instead of any thorn pricking his foot." Husain said:

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The people could not control shedding tears.
The Call from the Governor

In 60 A.H., it was night when the news of the death of Ma'aviah was conveyed to Valid the Governor of Madina on behalf of Yazid the son of Ma'aviah who had succeeded as the Kalif at Damascus. Besides the intimation about the death of Ma'aviah, the letter contained orders to Valid to demand Baith, i.e., allegiance particularly from Husain and if Husain refuses to pay it, to cut off his head and send it to Yazid, at Damascus. On receipt of the letter from Yazid, Valid immediately called his servant and sent word inviting Husain, the Holy Imam, to visit him. It was night and Husain was in the Mosque when Valid's servant came to him with the message inviting Husain to the Government House. The moment Husain heard of the call from the Governor, he suddenly exclaimed that Ma'aviah had died.

In reply to the call Husain sent word to the Governor Valid saying, it was too late and he was in the Mosque and he will visit him the next morning.

Husain returned home with the news to his family about the invitation he had from the Governor. The first to get worried were his sisters Zainab and Omme Kulthoom. Zainab extremely worried immediately asked Husain:-

"What has the Governor to do with us, Brother?" Husain replied:

The next day when Husain prepared to go to the Governor, the Hashimites youth and particularly Abbas, submitted to the Holy Imam saying:-

Husain said :-

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The most worried sister of Husain, Zainab implored saying:

Husain at last agreed but reaching the entrance of the Governor's house, he told the Hashimites to stay at the door watchful and if they hear Husain talking unusually aloud they may get in to him.

As Husain entered the court, it was customary in those days that when a dignitary visited another dignitary, a slave of his visitor always accompanied him. After entering the court, Husain remembered that he had not brought any one with him, turned round and found Abbas standing behind him with folded hands, like a slave. Husain said, Abbas! I had told thee to be out. Abbas immediately replied: 'Master! Leave thou, thy shoes, Abbas will take them and depart and return when thou needest them. Valid stood erect in regard for the Holy Imam and with all respect and regard offered him the seat besides him and read out the letter he had received from Yazid and when he reached the matter asking him to send the severed head of Husain, if Husain refuses to pay allegiance, Valid gave the letter Husain to himself read the passage. Husain read it and smiled and said:

Valid readily accepted' the Holy Imam's reply but Marwan the old enemy of Islam who was expelled by the Holy Prophet out of Madina, seated there, addressing Valid said:

When Marwan uttered the above insulting words Husain stood up to depart from the Governor and hearing the insulting words

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of Marwan, Husain the son of Ali the Lion of God put his hand on his sword and exclaimed aloud :-

Marwan immediately got up and ran away and the Hashimite youths who stood restless and anxious, hearing the voice of the Holy Imam, rushed into the court with drawn swords and the first of them all was Abbas. Husain immediately commanded restraint and had not Husain controlled the situation, the matter would have been settled then and there, which knew no bounds, and brought all of the Hashimites back home.