Laughter and tears, joy and sorrow, defeat and victory, and even one step higher—life and death—cannot be interpreted unless we understand their origins and the sources from which these concepts spring. There exists laughter that is hollow and destructive to
Every year, many Muslims around the world commemorate the great sacrifice of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him), the hero of the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. However, at the same time, it must be acknowledged that a
On the morning of Ashura, Sayyid al-Shuhada (Imam Hussein, peace be upon him) organized his companions, who were thirty-two cavalry and forty foot soldiers. He appointed Zohayr to lead the right wing of the army, Habib to lead the left
Seyyed Morteza, in his book Ayoun al-Mu’jizat, narrates from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (peace be upon him), who said: The people of Kufa came to the presence of Amir al-Mu’minin, Imam Ali (peace be upon him), and complained about the lack
One of the important matters regarding the movement of Imam Hussain (PBUH) which has been discussed over and over among the intellectuals as well as ordinary people is the question that “Was Imam Hussain (PBUH) defeated or did he
And then Hussain (PBUH) called upon the enemies to fight him and said, ” Martyrdom is better than getting humiliated, and humiliation is better than entering the Hellfire. One of the narrators says,” I had
A narrator narrates that, “I went to Imam Kadhim (PBUH) and said to him, “My wife and Ibn Marid’s wife go out to attend mourning ceremonies, and I forbid them from doing so. But my
Five decades after Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH&HP) demise, Muslims living in birthplaces of Islam, Mecca and Medina, or those who lived in the capitals of government such as Damascus or Kufa(1) (1. Kufa: Near current Baghdad; Shaam: current Damascus) ,
It was the last days of the life of Mu’awiyah. With his vicious plots, he chose his corrupt son Yazid as his heir (1), (1. According to the peace treaty between Imam Hassan (PBUH) and Mu’awiyah, Mu’awiyah did
My son! Convey my greetings to my followers and tell them that: my father passed away while he was lonely, so weep on him; and that he was martyred, so shed tears over him …” (Imam Hussain
Most of the uprisings are comprised of two components: combat and message. Combat refers to the struggle and sacrifice made in the way of a holy goal, whereas the message component deals with announcing the purpose of the uprising
The more ambitious a person is in achieving his clear and cut goal, the less obstacles and difficulties are able to discourage him from reaching his goal. Such person is not a quitter, and will go to extreme lengths
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) has said, “Whoever witnesses an oppressor ruler declare lawful what Allah (SWT) has forbidden, break the promise of Allah (SWT), object the tradition of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP), and act among the people with injustice
Who is more dear to you, your Caliph or a God sent representative?”(1) This question was asked by the bloodthirsty governor of Kufa, Hajjaj, who governed the city of Kufa during the reign of the fifth Umayyad Caliph, Abd
Having a firm and powerful support in difficulties and problems is a means for standing firm and not fearing the enemies. Tawakkul (reliance on God) is relying on the power of Allah (SWT) and His assistance and help. The
“When I left my house, I heard the voice of a herald calling me three times, saying, ‘You are promised paradise!’ I said to myself, ‘May your mother mourn for you! You are going to fight the son of the
Bravery has a unique place in our daily life. It has a holy definition and becomes meaningful with danger. Perhaps the highest level of bravery occurs when one’s life is in danger. Nonetheless, there is a higher
In political revolutions, the leaders often resort to bribery, threats, gathering forces and weapons, and various inhuman actions to overcome their enemies. However, those who wish to act honorably in their revolution make the necessary preparations and strive to gather
On the day of Ashura, Hussain ibn Ali (PBUH) found the enemies all set for combat to the extent that they banned water from his camp and children, and were awaiting any signal to commence the battle. Despite this situation,
There are some people who view the incident of Ashura with wonder and amazement, and cannot grasp its meaning; thus, they think to themselves, “What does it mean? How could some of the nobles and intellectuals rise, take their
