Muslims observe the month of Muharram to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). The tenth of Muharram is indeed a very tragic day, yet at the same time the tragedy of Karbala has many lessons for Muslims all over the world.

As a famous adage goes, “The tyrant dies and his rule ends, the martyr dies and his rule begins.” Hazart Imam Hussain (RA) embraced martyrdom fighting a tyrannical rule. Thus Karbala was a battle of truth against falsehood, humanity against transgression, righteousness against evil, justice against injustice.

The aim of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) behind such a fight, as he declared it, was “to reform the nation of my Grandfather (PBUH).”
In trying to reform the Prophet’s (PBUH) ummah, Hazrat Hussain (RA) not only sacrificed his own life, but also that of his entire family.
The battle of Karbala shows us how Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) stood up bravely and courageously for honesty, integrity and vision. Karbala shows that even if your enemy is mightier than you but if you stand for the truth, the real winner will be truth. Mahatma Gandhi summed up Hazart Hussain’s (RA) battle quite aptly when he said, “I learned from Hussain (RA) how to be wronged and be a winner.” The whole battle was for upholding truth and righteousness. It was a battle for justice, equality, and peace. It was a battle of good versus evil.

Islam is a progressive religion and a voice against everything unjust. It is these qualities that are missing in today’s Muslims. Islam places a maximum premium on humanitarian issues and defends the rights of the poor, women and minorities. Alas, the principles of justice, equality and truth have been put aside, while corruption, dishonesty, injustice, falsehood and inequality continue to plague the Muslims. Islam is a religion for all, yet today we see the Muslims practicing the exact opposite of what Islam preaches.

The Muslims of today follow the rule that ‘might is right’, whereas the sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) shows how might cannot always be right. The Muslims keep crying of how they are being targeted by the imperialist nations of the world, but if looked at closely, it is because we have left our just values behind that have led us to this unfortunate juncture in history.

A sad aspect of Muharram is how this sacred month has witnessed sectarian violence, especially in Pakistan. The religio-political factions use sectarian violence to achieve their own nefarious goals. It only takes a handful of dedicated extremists to wreak wide-scale carnage and destruction. Bellowing fatwas left, right, and centre, has done no good to Islam. They have only brought shame to the religion. Statistics show that from 1989 till March 2006, 1,880 people were killed and more than 4,100 people injured due to sectarian violence in 1,842 incidents in Pakistan. It is upsetting that many sectarian organisations are spreading sectarian violence without any major hurdles. Not only have these hatemongering organisations used this menace, but also have begun to exploit people for their own nefarious designs. It is hoped that there will not be any untoward incidents this Muharram along the lines of the recent suicide bombing at an imam bargah in Peshawar.

By rejecting sectarian violence, the peace-loving Muslims must show the world that Islam’s message of peace is much louder than the extremists’ call for violence.