Holy Ashura

The month of Muharram reminds us of the epical saga of sacrifice made by the Holy Prophet's (Peace Be Upon Him) grandson Imam Hussein (RA) along with his near and dear ones against the vicious machinations of Yazid. It was on this day, Ashura, falling on the 10th of Muharram that he together with his family and companions spearheaded a righteous fight in the battlefield of Karbala against Yazid, a ruler of sinister intent who till this day represents cruelty, greed and injustice. Hussein (RA) thus showed that it is nobler to die courageously in defense of one's faith and conviction than to yield to the nefarious, selfish design of a pretender.
Yazid proved victorious only in material terms and in the sense that with this victory he and his marauding forces could pursue all their sinister motives unchallenged for a while. Imam Hussein (RA) and his companions, on the other hand, fought till their death with their courage unshaken and their faith unfaltering to score a moral victory over the forces of evil.
Today, as the Muslims all over the world mourn the supreme sacrifice of Imam Hussein (RA), we would like to focus on the message this day imparts to the followers of Islam and the mankind in general. It has a transcendental significance in that the world has not ceased to be a place without conflict, often violent between the forces of justice and fair play and those of injustice and expropriation. The event is a glorious historical reference point but more than that it has a moral import as far as the perpetual fight between the good and bad and the ultimate triumph of the former against the latter are concerned. Also, Ashura demonstrates that even though the evil may have an upper hand over good for a time, it can only be hollow and ephemeral. In other words, the holy occasion is a beacon of inspiration for holding on to what is right, just and true and also to live and die for it.