Ziyarat Arbaeen part 5

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Learning life lessons from the Leader of the Martyrs

أَشْهَدُ اَنَّكَ اَمِينُ اللهِ وَابْنُ اَمِينِهِ،

I bear witness that Allah put faith in you like He had full confidence in your father,

عِشْتَ سَعِيداً وَمَضَيْتَ حَمِيداً وَمُتَّ فَقِيداً مَظْلُوماً شَهِيداً

and that you always looked for and collected good and virtue, lived a highly praiseworthy life, and departed from this world a martyr, forsaken and abused;

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ اللهِ مُنْجِزٌ مَا وَعَدَكَ، وَمُهْلِكٌ مَنْ خَذَلَكَ، وَمُعَذِّبٌ مَنْ قَتَلَكَ

And I bear witness that Allah will promptly fulfill the promise He made to you, and destroy those who left you helpless and punish those who killed you;

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ وَفَيْتَ بِعَهْدِ اللهِ وَجَاهَدْتَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ حَتَّى أَتَاكَ الْيَقِينُ، فَلَعَنَ اللهُ مَنْ قَتَلَكَ، وَلَعَنَ اللهُ مَنْ ظَلَمَكَ، وَلَعَنَ اللهُ اُمَّةً سَمِعَتْ بِذَلِكَ فَرَضِيَتْ بِهِ

And I bear witness that you kept your promise made with Allah, and strived in His way until what was certain came upon you, so curse of Allah be on those who killed you, and curse of Allah be on those who oppressed you, and curse of Allah be on the people who came to know of it and approved (of all of it).

Explanation

The movement of Imam al-Husayn, peace be upon him, has taught us many lessons – both on an individual and personal level and also on a societal level – some of which include:

1. Personal and individual:

    i. Spirit of monotheism (Tawheed) and the spirit of connection to Allah;

    ii. Servitude to Allah;

    iii. Turning away from personal desires and the allures of this world;

    iv. Submission to the will and pleasure of Allah;

    v. Requirement of studying and knowing all of the Divinely taught values and worth of the human being;

    vi. Bravery and chivalry;

    vii. Standing firm in the face of difficulties and tribulations;

    viii. The spiritual worth of the human being;

    ix. Forgiveness and clemency;

    x. Not being afraid of death or martyrdom – rather, to accept these wholeheartedly;

2. Communal and societal:

    i. Self-sacrifice and thinking of others before oneself;

    ii. Loyalty;

    iii. Equality of humanity and removal of all forms of discrimination;

    iv. Importance of being political aware and active;

    v. Enjoining the good and forbidding the evil;

    vi. Realizing that the truth does not lie in ‘numbers’;

    vii. Standing up to oppression and tyranny and not following the wicked;

    viii. Understanding that “politics” is not separate from “religion,” and that “social struggle” and “spiritual action” are one and the same.

These lessons mentioned above are but a drop in the unlimited ocean of the noble Divine teachings which were embodied in the message of the Prophets and their safeguarding at the hands of all of the Imams – specifically Imam al-Husayn, peace be upon all of them.

Arbaeen of Imam Husayn(Shaykh Saleem Bhimji)