(1) The Scene Prior to Islam
It was a desolate land: sandy, barren, and unfriendly The home of the Arabs; wild ferocious and manly They worshipped the idols; they loved to fight Life to them was wine, women and might The number of wives, the cattle they owned, The number of slaves, one's house adorned, Was a sign of rank in wealth and might; It was a society, where Might was Right. Two qualities they had, which were good The guests they honored, with best of food Poetry to them, was an art supremely sublime They were literary geniuses of their time.
They killed female babes, they buried them alive They married the widows, their father's wives Vengeance was a passion, cruel the strife These sons of desert, such was their life. Morals they had none; wild was their lust Women were cattle, treated like dust Enjoyment of life was their sole goal. Woman, they believed, had no soul. They had no belief in the life Hereafter Life to them was all fun and laughter Prophets had come and prophets had gone Still, this land was of truth shorn. Judaism was dead; Christianity was in name Sickly and forlorn, the world remained Vengeance, to them, was an article of faith Blindly, they relished their creed of hate.
The priests were interpreters of heavenly laws. They commanded respect and were held in awe. Things that were unlawful, to them were allowed. A privileged class; they were haughty and proud. In span of four thousand and odd years Innumerable religions had been reared With passage of time, they were polluted Beyond recognition, each got diluted. The true religions were only in name It was virtually a devils reign. Truth was at a discount; honesty had fled Virtue was scoffed at; goodness was dead. This land was thus chosen for God's last message It was the crossroad of international passage The last of message was thus destined, To stay forever and cover all mankind.
(2) Birth of Islam
God chose the Hashemites, a tribe of Quraish. They were among men, the noblest of race. He raised among them, a self-literate boy. To deliver His message; to bring them joy. Muhammad was his name, whom God had chose Al-Amin (the truthful) called him his foes The keeper of KAABA, was his grand sire A rank than which, there was none higher. Adam, Nooh, Ibrahim, Ismail, Moosa, Daa-ood, Eesa and other Prophets of Allah Testified that, from time immemorial, Muhammad Mustafa, Had been proclaimed the seal of Prophets of Allah He lost his sire, ere he was born Five years later, his mother was gone Abd-al-Motalib was his grand sire, Two years later, he too expired. The orphan boy was now his uncle's charge Abu Talib was glad, this responsibility, to discharge He looked after the boy as his own son So long he lived, dared touch him none. He was of a reserved bent of mind With burning desire, solace he tried to find In the marvels of nature and forms diverse He tried to fathom the mysteries of universe.
At twenty-five, he married a noble widow; Khadija had watched him by a cloud over-shadow Though forty, she remained in her lifetime, his only wife Twenty-five years long was their married life.
One daughter they had, named Lady Fatima Through her were born guardians of KALIMA She was married to Ali, Abu Talib's son He was renowned in courage like a lion.
In the House of God was Ali born It's walls the idols then adorned They were a hapless witness to his birth A man who would soon smash them to earth.
These gods of Arabs could find no way Powerless were they, while Ali in cradle lay This mortal foe of theirs, was something divine His luster made their eyes turn blind.
On Muhammad, he first cast his eyes He was destined with him all his ties He sucked his tongue, in solemn gait In one mould they were cast by fate. Ali grew in the Prophet's care His joys and sorrows, he shared He imbibed qualities that are rare With him, he made a heavenly pair. Thus Imamat was born as adjunct to Nubuwat Beyond scope of political intrigues and Satan Twelve successors were named, by Divine Grace To guide, for all times, the human race.
(3) Preachings and Initial Struggle
He preached Islam, as ordained by God Pure and simple is the MESSAGE of Lord "There is no God but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of Lord!" A most practical religion of selfless love is Islam To develop body and soul, without causing anyone harm Most rational and logical in concept Viewed from every angle, even in depth. Five fundamental principles he, steadfastly proclaimed Ten holy commandments he, unambiguously, named Monotheism, Divine Justice, Prophethood, Imamat And the day of Resurrection, were the five pillars of Islam's Hut Five times Namaz, one must pray A month's fasting, during the day Zakat, Khums, Pilgrimage, for them, he ordained, Who fulfilled the conditions, he proclaimed. Defend the honor of Islam and self, he commanded Disassociate yourself from its enemies, he demanded Pursuit of missionary activities, out of love and not hate Love and loyalty, he sought, for his "Ahle-bait". He taught them the 'Unity of God' And the diverse attributes of the Lord He was the giver of daily bread On the Judgement Day, He would raise all dead. God is the focal point of all life Through Him flows peace, driving out strife If man joyfully submits himself to Him, This life, and hereafter, he would win. God created human beings, out of His Grace Best of creation was the human race He endowed it with such guiding light, To discern the wrong from the right. A heavenly reward for the doer of good And for those, who for truth stood A blazing hell for the doer of evil Who shall dwell with the king of the devils. He cultivated the values of life Equal partners were man and wife A man was brother, one to another Respect they should, their father and mother.
Those who look after the needy orphans, The anger of God would be softened Those who care for the uncared widows, Can aspire for heaven's meadows. And those who treat their slaves well, Shall not normally taste the fire of hell Those who free them from bondage, Shall generally be immune from hell's rage. Truth was the base of all his teachings Unity of God, a constant theme of his preaching Charity, love and faith were to him most sublime Brotherhood, was his solution for the ills of mankind His offer was not of sensual heaven, As alleged by biased heathens But a bliss of highest spiritual essence Of enjoying the radiance of Divine presence. Live in this world and yet be out of it Self discipline; not celibacy is the holy writ Physical body is, indeed, perishable but not the soul Service before self should be life's goal. He first invited his near if kin And declared to them his mission He asked whether he had ever told a lie "No never"! In one voice, was their reply.
He invited them to the path of 'truth' A path which in heaven had its roots Blessed would they be, in this world and the next Most fortunate possessors of the Divine text.
"Who, among you, will be my brother and heir And with me God's mission share."
They exchanged glances; they ridiculed and scorned Only Ali stood by him, alone and forlorn. Thrice did he repeat his request Each time only Ali rose to his behest Holding him by his hand, he declared, "Behold, he is my brother and heir!" In public he now started to preach But soon a stage was reached When like a fugitive he was stoned And place to place, forced to roam. For years was thus his plight Only Ali aided him in his fight Far and few were the conversions So fierce was the persecution. In burning sand, with stones on his chest, A new convert stood his gallant test; "Ahadun! Ahadun!" (One God) Bilal cried, But refused his faith to be decried. Such were the tortures they had to face, For believing in God and the new faith Handful were they, old men, mostly slaves With courage, all difficulties they braved.
A day soon came, when it was declared That those who could, to Abysinia, should migrate Few persons made up the small group Ja'far, Ali's brother, commanded this troop. The Quraish were furious; they sent their envoys They requested the king to return the exiles The king was just; he rejected their plea He sheltered the poor Muslim refugees. The wrath of Quraish reached the boiling point To murder Muhammad, they planned conjoint They chose a person, one from each tribe So that no vengeance could take the Hashemites.
The plans to Muhammad, God soon revealed And desired, that he should ward the evil And leave for Medina, the same very night Letting Ali sleep in his bed and aid his flight. Soon was the house surrounded by those, Armed cap-a-pie were each of the foes With handful of dust, Muhammad blew his fist And calmly walked through their midst.
They raided his house, ere it was morn Surprised to see Ali, the bed adorn; "Where is Muhammad?" they demanded, "where is he?" "Did you entrust him to me, that you ask of me?" Foiled in their attempt, they started a search "Dead or alive, capture him", they urged Thus started a hunt, for three days long They searched all over, including caves. The Prophet's companion became scared As enemies' shouts increasingly filled the air "We are lost, we two", helplessly, he cried "No! We are three, for God is with us". Muhammad replied. Tired and forlorn, he slept under a tree When rushed a foe: " who will now save thee?" "God", was the reply; it thunder struck the foe, Trembling, he dropped his sword and bowed.
"Who will now save thee?" Muhammad cried "Alas, none!" the foe imploringly replied "Learn from me to be merciful" he said As was his want, he pardoned him instead.
He reached Medina, a poor fugitive Except a new way of life, he had nothing to give Yet, he was welcomed with open arms This was a turning point for Islam He paired them, one with the other And showed the brotherhood, how to further Himself with Ali, he lovingly paired Because the same heavenly light, they shared.
(4) The Origins of Karbala's Tragedy
Life is an eternal conflict of truth and evil God having granted power to the devil To rule the hearts of those who love this world And care not the banner of truth to unfurl. The forces of darkness were perturbed For soon their kingdom would be disturbed At first, they ridiculed and scoffed To their dismay, they found themselves dwarfed.
They fumed and fret; threatened and cajoled They offered Muhammad a chief's role They asked him to stop preaching Islam Or else they would cause him bodily harm. Abu Sufyan was their chief - a mortal foe The grandson of Ommaya, the lowest of low The progeny of Abd Shams, the brother of Hashim They were steeped in enmity, which was ever lasting.
Envious were they, of the position of Hashim Whom God had honored with things everlasting Muhammad was thus their bitter foe Whom they longed to see cast low. Karun, Firaun, Namarood and Suddad The four aces of arch-devil Iblis' cards Were the brains behind the notorious Abu Sufyan To destroy Islam and cause Muhammad harm. Harut and Marut, the two fallen angels, were glad The four Aces had mastered everything evil and bad Abu Sufyan became their living agent To them his services he joyfullylent. They issued the call, they summoned aid Each helper, they said, would be well paid Thus started persecution of the new faith, With all means that symbolized envy and hate. They thought to themselves, the easiest way, We are Muslims why not say? Hit from within the Hashemites That would throttle Islam, without a fight.
The decree of God none can stop It flows like a river, with a drop to start None can withhold its onward march Be they friends or foes at large. And so was the case with Islam's flow Many became Muslims, just for show Pagans at heart, they hid their line To wreck vengeance, in course of time. They behaved as friends; they cloaked their pretense For Muslims in name, were they from hence They spread their tentacles, in many homes They tightened their grip over Islam's dome. Ali, they knew, was the seedling's strength To guard it, he would go to any length He would with pleasure sacrifice his rights Rather than see Islam hurt in a fight.
They knew, that Ali was just a lad When his mission, the Prophet declared He was among the first to profess Islam And stand by the Prophet through storm and calm. When others ridiculed and threatened He stood, by him alone, and unfrightened He declared him his brother and heir Destined to serve and his mission share. They had heard Muhammad at Khybar declare "This Alam is for one whose qualities are rare He is the beloved of Muhammad and his God Ever victorious is he, in the cause of Lord." They had had also heard the sermon at Ghadir-e-khum It left, for doubt, hardly any room Ali was Muhammad's heir, by God's decree Assigned to keep Islam pure and free. They had watched him even before How Ali in stature grew more and more He slept in Prophet's bed in the midst of strife While hundreds lay in ambush, each with a knife. The Prophet's end was drawing near The dissension started, as he had feared He ordered the dissenter's to go to war But they guessed what the order was for.
Death of the Prophet was a grievous blow Old enmities erupted like a volcano Busy with the funeral were the Hashemites, Unheedful of the maneuverings and internal strife. Abu Bakr was declared Caliph in the interim He soon nominated Omar, to succeed him The Caliphate became, thereafter, Othman's turn Before the mantle, despite opposition, on Ali dawned. Ali, with his characteristic zeal, lost no time He acted sternly, to save Islam from further decline Firmly entrenched in power by now, the Ommayad's frowned And dared the simple and straightforward Ali for a showdown.
The hero of Islam knew neither malice nor fear Renowned warriors had fled before him from the rear He defeated the crafty Moawiyah, time and again But alas! Treachery and trickery ultimately gained. The internal rot had spread too deep, alas! Corruption and nepotism was practiced en-masse Ali, had soon to pay with his dear and precious life Engrossed in prayers, he was struck with a knife. And so was the case with his eldest son, Most generous of all men was Hassan He was fond of recluse and quietude He was the symbol of patience and fortitude. The roots of seedling were still shallow A little shake up would render the ground fallow Muhammad's labor would thus be wasted Before the world its fruit had tasted.
And thus the treaty with Moawiyah Hassan chose Rather than fight him like an open foe The time was not ripe for the showdown A lot remained for preparing the ground. This he knew would fall to Husayn's lot To put his foot down and stop the rot It would cost his life there was no doubt But it had to be timed the tyranny to oust.
