<p>Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. Its 10th day — known as ‘Yaum-e-Aashura’ — has been a day of immense blessings from time immemorial. Many important events took place on this day, the martyrdom of Hussain bin Ali (RA), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), being one of them.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Shia Muslims mourn from 1st day till 10th day of Muharram, reliving the martyrdom of the Prophet’s kin in the battle of Karbala, Iraq, in 680 CE. Sunni Muslims fast on this day, in accordance with a tradition of the Prophet (PBUH).<br /><br />During the first 10 days, the events of Karbala are narrated in minute details in mosques and at other public gatherings. There is no other event in the history of mankind for which so many tears have been shed.<br /><br />But the historical fact and the real purpose of the martyrdom have disappeared behind rituals like Matam (chest-beating), Panja or Tazia processions (symbolic flags depicting the martyrs).<br /><br />An effort must be made to understand the real cause and the great purpose for which Hussain bin Ali (RA) and his entire family laid down their lives. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) established a just society and true democracy in the Arabian Peninsula on the basis of the principles enunciated in the Qur’an.<br /><br />The Islamic form of participatory democracy lasted for about 30 years after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). His four successors — Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (RA) — kept the tradition alive. It was Amir Muawiyah who deviated from the practice of democratically electing the leader of the Ummah by anointing his son Yazid as his successor.<br /><br />This blatant violation of the Qur’an and its ramifications were immediately realised by Hussain bin Ali (RA). The basic tenet of the Islamic democracy is that Allah is the owner of this world, and only He has the power to legislate. The ruler is merely His vice-regent. He cannot rule out of his own volition. There is no room for monarchy in Islam.<br /><br />Hussain bin Ali vowed to resist this degeneration into monarchy. On the invitation of the people of Kufa, a city in Iraq, he set out from Medina. En route, the army of Yazid massacred him and his family.</p>
<p>Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. Its 10th day — known as ‘Yaum-e-Aashura’ — has been a day of immense blessings from time immemorial. Many important events took place on this day, the martyrdom of Hussain bin Ali (RA), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), being one of them.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Shia Muslims mourn from 1st day till 10th day of Muharram, reliving the martyrdom of the Prophet’s kin in the battle of Karbala, Iraq, in 680 CE. Sunni Muslims fast on this day, in accordance with a tradition of the Prophet (PBUH).<br /><br />During the first 10 days, the events of Karbala are narrated in minute details in mosques and at other public gatherings. There is no other event in the history of mankind for which so many tears have been shed.<br /><br />But the historical fact and the real purpose of the martyrdom have disappeared behind rituals like Matam (chest-beating), Panja or Tazia processions (symbolic flags depicting the martyrs).<br /><br />An effort must be made to understand the real cause and the great purpose for which Hussain bin Ali (RA) and his entire family laid down their lives. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) established a just society and true democracy in the Arabian Peninsula on the basis of the principles enunciated in the Qur’an.<br /><br />The Islamic form of participatory democracy lasted for about 30 years after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). His four successors — Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (RA) — kept the tradition alive. It was Amir Muawiyah who deviated from the practice of democratically electing the leader of the Ummah by anointing his son Yazid as his successor.<br /><br />This blatant violation of the Qur’an and its ramifications were immediately realised by Hussain bin Ali (RA). The basic tenet of the Islamic democracy is that Allah is the owner of this world, and only He has the power to legislate. The ruler is merely His vice-regent. He cannot rule out of his own volition. There is no room for monarchy in Islam.<br /><br />Hussain bin Ali vowed to resist this degeneration into monarchy. On the invitation of the people of Kufa, a city in Iraq, he set out from Medina. En route, the army of Yazid massacred him and his family.</p>
