So why is it a day of sadness? Ashura is a day of sadness as over 1400 years ago, a man of nobility and honour stood up against the tyrant of his time in a foreign land and in the process, he lost everything. So the question is, who was this hero? How is he remembered to this day? His name is Hussain the son of Ali the son of Abu Talib and he is the grandson of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him).

The tyrant wanted Hussain to give up on the core principles of Islam and pay allegiance to him as the so called head of the Islamic empire, despite the tyranical rulers many practices that go against the faith. Thus while he employed fear to gather the masses to battle in a foreign land known as Karbala which is situated in Modern day Iraq, Hussain employed the use of hope and courage and pure love on his journey from Medina to Karbala, accompanied by a small group of his companions, his family members including women and children. 

In Karbala, the enemy troops were determined to get the righteous to surrender in any way possible so they cut off their access to the river Euphrates and thus there was no water for 3 days in the blistering dessert sun. On Ashura day, Hussain's 72 soldiers followed by his small group of male family members including his 18 brothers, his sons, his nephews, his baby boy, killed with a 3 prong arrow,  faced enemy soldiers in their thousands and one by one lost their lives for the sake of protecting the truth and in the end, Hussain himself joined them. After this, the tents were set alight, women and children were taken as captives, their belongings looted, their human dignity disregarded as they were forced to unveil (according to some narrations)

Briefly I'd like to mention the most notable of Hussain's companions who provide lessons that we may be able to apply in our daily lives, irrespective of our belief system. The first is Habib; Habib was the childhood best friend of Hussain and by the time of the Battle of Karbala was quite elderly and frail. Yet when he received the letter to his home in Kufa from Hussain, asking for his help and support, Habib rushed to his aid, which ilustrates to us the importance of helping our friends no matter the outcome. 

Another companion who supported Hussain from the beginning was Hussain's servant by the name of John. John was a black man who had been gifted to Hussain by a companion of his fathers and has been granted his freedom yet he chose to stay in Hussain's employment. On the night before the battle John was told by Hussain that he is free to leave, to which John replied that he has enjoyed the company of the Ahlulbayt for so long and now that he may get the chance of pleaasing God through protecting the religion, he was being turned away or denied such an opportunity. The morning of battle came and John begged for permission from Hussain to go fight to which Hussain informed hum that as he is elderly, it is not necessary for him to fight and he would say: "Do you not wish for the blood of a black slave to mix with your pure blood" Hearing these words, Hussain replied in the negative and gave him permission to fight, highlighting that racism and colourism or even patriarchal pride has no place in Islam. 

Furthermore, a young Christian man by the name of Wahab was passing through Karbala with his new bride and his mother and heard the cries of the thristy children, which broke his heart. After meeting with Hussain, he decided to fight for the cause of the goodness of humanity alongside him, leaving new family behind. The last companion worth mentioning is Hurr; he was the one responsible for stopping Hussain and his group in Karbala and for cutting off the water supply. The night before the battle, he heard the cries of the thirsty children and decided to switch sides, support Hussain and give his life for Islam.

The faithful who were martyred in the land of Karbala are buried there and people flock in their droves to pay homage to the memory of Hussain and his companions,  To this day they serve as s a constant reminder of how one must turn to God in the face of life's many hardships, how love and hope can transcend faiths and it is never too late to seek forgiveness if we have wronged anyone. Most importantly, Hussain's stance reminds us to stand against the oppressor and support the oppressed. 

If you'd like to learn more please go to: https://whoishussain.org