Empire after Ashura

It was a day of carnage with no precedents before or after the massacre in Karbala almost 1400 years ago, on the 10th day of 'Muharram' – the Islamic month. Imam Hussain (AS) and all other men accompanying him except one were brutally slaughtered, for their refusal to pledge allegiance to Yazid ibn Muawiya, the caliph at the time.

The women, children and a lone surviving adult male, Imam Zainul Abideen (AS), a son of Imam Hussain (AS) who was too frail to go in to battle, were all taken captive.

The brutality during and after that clash was so severe that its continuing remembrance after repeated attempts to distort the truth is nothing short of a miracle. 

In the history of Islam, this serves an enduring lesson for Muslims struggling worldwide today. Its notable impact ranges from Gaza where more than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, to the struggle for independence in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir where thousands of Muslims have been killed.

Altogether, in Karbala there were at least 72 martyrs led by Imam Hussain (AS) in the worst killings ever witnessed on a single day. The victims ranged from the elderly to a six month old infant, Hazrat Ali Asghar (AS), the youngest child of Imam Hussain (AS). 

Their bodies were mutilated and decapitated and their heads mounted on spears to be paraded alongside the prisoners of Karbala. The journey of the prisoners first took them to Kufa in Iraq and then to Damascus where Yazid ruled over his visibly powerful empire.

But the miraculous memory of events at Karbala frequently includes remembrance of the martyrs. In sharp contrast, Yazid and his followers are remembered with unending scorn.

The battle of Karbala which appeared to have been won by Yazid on that terrible day, lives on as a victory for Imam Hussain (AS) and his cause. In worldly terms, the odds were heavily stacked against Imam Hussain (AS).

His small group of loyalists who fought for his cause, were overwhelmed numerically by Yazid’s army swelling in to the many thousands. The odds against Imam Hussain (AS) and his followers were further amplified as they fought the battle after remaining deprived of water for three days in the scorching heat of Karbala.

It is an account which gets remembered day after day with the Israeli attacks on unarmed Palestinians in Gaza. The resolve of the Palestinians remains unbroken, in part inspired by the example drawn from Imam Hussain (AS). 

But a number of events after the clash led to the eventual destruction of Yazid’s empire. His clan known as ‘Banu Ummaya’ eventually lost their ability to rebuild a similar empire. To this day, the rise and fall of ‘Banu Ummaya’ has left an enduring lesson for brutal empires for all times to come.

Historical accounts suggest that Yazid lived for less than years after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS) and his followers. Throughout this period, Yazid first ordered his army to attack Madinah, the city of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Each home there was ransacked where the casualties ranged in the thousands.

Just before his death, Yazid’s forces according to historical accounts, were ordered to attack the holy city of Mecca, where eyewitnesses reported fireballs hurled at the holy ‘Kaaba’ – the centre piece of Islam. 

Yet, following his sudden death after excessive consumption of alcohol, Yazid’s son Muawiya ibn Yazid ascended to his throne for a brief rule. Known in Damascus as ‘Muawiya Sagheer’ or the younger Muawiya, the new caliph abdicated after refusing to preside over an empire whose foundations were built upon the blood of the clan of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

A central role, according to historians, in provoking the backlash after the martyrdoms on 10th of Muharram, was led by Bibi Zainab (AS), the younger sister of Imam Hussain (AS). She is famously remembered for her sermons, well preserved in history that publicly mocked Yazid in his open court, ignoring the consequences for herself and/or other captives of Karbala, including Imam Zainul Abideen (AS) and the widows of the martyrs alongside their orphaned children.

In a widely quoted text, ‘Half of my Heart: The narratives of Zaynab, Daughter of [Imam] Ali’, Roman Catholic missionary Christopher Paul Clohessy famously wrote; “In her (Bibi Zainab) decisive role as spokesperson for her brother’s cause, she became the first to drive the adversity of Karbala in to perpetuity by moving her brother’s creed and conviction, from the battlefield to the palaces of Kufa and Damascus, not only completing al-Husayn’s [Imam Hussain] ‘jihad’ (holy war) but becoming the agent through whom Karbala would become undying”.

In Pakistan, the memorable work by Syed Mohammad Taqi – the widely respected philosopher and former editor of 'Jang' – 'The Future of Civilization- Exploring the Profound Impact of Sacrifice in Building a Noble and Humanitarian Society' translated in English by Sumera Naqvi, deserves special recognition.

In his detailed analysis of the historical role of Imam Hussain (AS), Syed Mohammad Taqi wrote: “Tears shed for Imam Hussain are due to his unwavering commitment to high moral values and principles, which evoke a deep emotional response and love for these values…Every person is born in to the physical and temporal confines of the universe and Imam Hussain was no exception. However he transcends these limitations to embody the highest ideals of human civilisation”.

Any honest assessment of events at Karbala and its aftermath, must conclude its everlasting impact on human evolution for all times to come. The eventual crash of the empire of Yazid ibn Muawiya serves to bring back two key messages.

On the one hand, the use of brute force may take an immediate toll on the targeted individuals and communities of human beings. But on the other hand, the destruction of individuals and communities will not necessarily defeat their determination to eventually beat the odds. 

In any clash between the values of Yazid versus those of Imam Hussain (AS), the latter will eventually emerge victorious.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer's own and don't necessarily reflect Geo.tv's editorial policy.

The writer is an Islamabad-based journalist who writes on political and economic affairs. He can be reached at: [email protected]

Originally published in The News