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Spring of martyrdom

Influence of Hussein’s (a.s) uprising on contemporary reality

Goran Arsić

Gratitude and respect are foundation of life and most beautiful way of socializing,

knowing and existing.

That is why I am asking all of you present to accept my sincerest gratitude and

respect - I am, from the bottom of my heart grateful to host and organizers for inviting

me, for showing confidence and hospitality, and to you I am grateful for patience and

attention.

I don‟t speak as a proficient expert, I speak from my heart - as a sincere admirer, in

accordance with what is thus far given to me to learn.

It is possible to approach any given subject from many angles. It is possible to speak

with different intonations, take different views, color in different shades, understand to

different degrees - partially or in whole, completely. Why is this the case? Certainly

because reality itself, life itself aren‟t one sided or two sided, they are multidimensional

and diverse in this wonderful richness and multitude of God‟s perpetual creation and

maintaining of great secret of life, known in full only to Him.

The very title of this distinguished gathering - Spring of martyrdom - in itself and its

novelty, offers us all of the above as a possibility, with its symbolism as well as with

literal meaning of words in their authenticity. Since many people, due to general

superficiality, lightly disregard meaning of words, I would like to emphasize here the

crucial significance of primary meaning of words. Primary meaning refers to the source

of speech, understanding of it, as well as to the Source of secret of speech, knowledge,

meaning… Because: “And He taught Adam all the names” (El-Bekare, 31) - truth of

beings and reality. This should be the starting point in learning and understanding of the

world and existence, as was trough history confirmed, and is still being confirmed by

many a wise man in their discourse and/or teachings. In more than 300 places in Quran,

contemplation, understanding and knowledge is mentioned. God constantly invites

people to this.

The great imam Hussein (a.s.) himself testifies to the significance of words, which is

by no means coincidence! When before the battle he decided to stop, he did this to ask

for the name of the place. They told him the name if Tuff. It was as if something was

missing, he felt another name of deeper, broader meaning, so he insisted further, asking

if the place had another name. Then they told him the place is also called Karbala. We

will come back to this soon.

In the light of this, let‟s consider the title of this gathering. Two beautiful words are

offered to us - spring and shahada. In a way, they are as one word, as if denoting the

same thing. What do they invoke in us when heard? Do they imbue us to the core, are

we completely aware of their meaning and essence they point to?

Spring - awakening, renewal, opening, emersion and gathering of new forces of all

life, blooming, spreading, beginning and new life, freshness, even intoxication with

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scents, sights, sounds, feelings and happenings… All seasons show something different,

various levels and conditions, but spring makes everything sharper, more intense,

livelier, clearer, more obvious…

Shahada - testimony, view, knowledge, confidence, becoming role model or example

(shahid), acceptance, dedication, commitment…

At the level of language of symbols, we could say that spring is the beginning of

shahada, that is that shahada is the beginning of spring.

* * *

As I am not adequately acquainted with other topics, I couldn‟t address them, so I

would like to choose the topic somehow closest to me:

Influence of Hussein’s (a.s.) uprising on contemporary reality

When I first read it, it was as if something quivered inside me, as if it churned…

even, forgive me if this sounds arrogant: like many of the things this topic implies are

somehow already known to me.

Word influence denotes an act, action, activity, course, moving… and uprising

denotes rising, ascending, emerging…

Unfortunately, all of the words mentioned so far (spring, shahada, influence and

uprising) seem to be neutral in everyday language and their meaning is very easily

approximated or, which is even worse, turned into complete opposite of their primary

meaning, so, for example, sheitan (Devil) has his uprising, his influence and his

reversed shahada. It is very clear what kind of uprising and influence this is.

Imam Hussein (a.s.) had “contemporary reality” - reality of his time, his here and

now. We also have reality of our time, our here and now. Do then and now have

anything in common? If the answer is yes, what is it and what is it like? To which extent

and in what way it influences? What fruit does it bear? What was then offered as reality

and what is offered now? We have in mind here that the word reality denotes the truth,

something that is what it is, reality that is offered to us, reality that we ourselves to some

extent create and/or except and participate in it.

All times, all periods of courses of history have so much that is different, but also

something that is very similar or same. People are, after all, same in all times.

Contemplating Hussein (a.s.), his times, words, events… brings forth the question

what is it that people of different languages, races, religions and nationalities saw in

him?

It is possible to talk about an uprising in different contexts - historical, political,

social…

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There are, for example, several opinions about Yazid - that he is the one responsible,

that someone else and not him is responsible, that some love him, some hate him and

some neither love nor hate him.

Regardless of the way one speaks and understands, fact remains that the essence of

his uprising is in what all other dimensions and possibilities of interpreting stem from.

Hussein (a.s.) witnessed that what he learned with all his being.

That is why it is important that influence of his uprising to contemporary reality is in

connection with the whole of his being. Especially, however, his influence to reality of

young people.

Context of events

Historical testimonies of the general state of affairs in that part of the world speak of

presence of very strong ideology and propaganda. It‟s demonic, blasphemous,

materialistic and man centered point of view has been present since Egypt (in which a

pharaoh was considered a deity) and Hellenic culture (in which, let‟s not forget, Plato

had several failed attempts at Utopia and ideal state and government), in which

Aristotle‟s premise about natural state of slavery (some people are just born slaves,

Politics, I, 1254b, 13) was very well known, then carnage, pillage and conquests of the

East by Alexander - all of this bears Hellenistic and Byzantine ideas of a monarch as an

certified bearer of authority. So, Egypt, Hellenism and Byzantine Empire (let‟s at least

mention here three unusual men, like John Chrysostom, pope Martin and Maximus the

Confessor, all of whom were persecuted and tortured by Byzantine authorities and the

church) with their vast experience in the matter, influenced attempts of Umayyad, that

spanned over decades, to establish a monarchy, which was at the time considered a

novelty in Islam. “Yazid treated people as a pharaoh. Furthermore, conduct of a pharaoh

was better” (Mesudi). Such ideology meant colossal propaganda in various forms:

dumbening poetry (like panegyrics to Alexander, roman and byzantine emperors),

spreading fatalism (Jabriya sect which believed that everything, even an unbecoming

behavior of men is according to God‟s will and not to be acted against), spreading of

false hadiths…

Is contemporary reality different than reality then? By no means, far from it - in its

core it‟s the same, and seemingly different ideologies, systems, economy, so called

culture and civilization, media, movements… enslave man in the name of democracy

and progress, more and more, faster and faster, perfidiously and far reaching, and planet

perishes in demonism of this madness.

Slaves of This world

Having all this in mind, Imam Hussein (a.s.) emphasizes another very important

thing - even the believers are slaves to those forces: “These people are slaves to This

world. Their faith is in words only. They support and stand behind their religion as far

as they lead an easy life, but when tempted, not much of their belief is left.”

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If we take a look at today‟s supporters of various political parties and sport clubs,

viewers and listeners of television and radio stations, we see that this is a great number

of people.

Crowd, herd, ideologically indoctrinated mass committed one of most befuddling

and gory massacres in the history of mankind. In the name of faith and peace!

An image of events at Karbala springs in front of our eyes: on one side, or more

accurately - around, are thousands of soldiers ready to blindly follow orders and kill

Imam Hussein (a.s.) and all those around him, and on the other side - that is, in the

middle - are several dozen of people. Besides women and children, there are only

around 72 fighters.

Leader of young men in Paradise

Words of great God‟s men are fitting in all times, are directed at all people, so Imam

Hussein (a.s.) speaks to people of all ages and statuses, to ulama, soldiers and so called

ordinary people, among whom he is especially concerned for blind, infirm…

As “leader of young men in Paradise” (which is how, in accordance with hadith, his

grandfather called him), he was supposed to be presented to everyone, especially to

young people, so they would completely experience and understand everything he

stands for.

Imam Hussein (a.s.) is in himself, with all of his being: witness, invitation, sign,

warning, summon, role model!

People, be aware!

Hussein‟s (a.s.) here-now

These words are mentioned in many places in Quran. Both God‟s Prophet (s.a.w.a.)

and Ali (a.s.) speak to people in these words, and Imam Hussein (a.s.) also speaks them

to people before the battle.

“People, be aware!”

We should strive to see and understand every occurrence, every man, from as many

angled as possible. This especially goes for unusual people and Imam Hussein (a.s.)

particularly. He, for example, as an Arab, knew primary meaning of Arab words. As a

grandson of a God‟s Prophet (who, according to hadith was “City of Knowledge”), and

son of his daughter and son-in-law (who is, according to the same hadith, “Gate to the

City of Knowledge”), he had understanding, knowledge and courage, and as a true

believer - personal experience of many secrets to a pious life.

So, let‟s be aware that he watched everything in completeness, in whole, in an all-

encompassing way.

Let‟s be aware that a man aware sees that materialistic understanding and view of

words and their meaning says that spring is just a season, that view is what you see with

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eyes on your face, that hart is an organ that pumps blood, that spreading and expanding

are physical states, that conscience is elementary awareness in psychoanalytical sense,

that knowledge is a collection of information, that whole is a completeness and totality

of something, usually something material, that color is a visual perceptual property,

derived from spectrum of light…

Let‟s be aware that a man aware sees clearly an eternal problem of justice and

injustice, truth and lie, awareness and unawareness, color and colorlessness (that is

harmful radiation of bright and loud colors that causes physical pain in the eyes)…

Let‟s be aware that a man aware has taqwa and tawhid (awareness of unity and

oneness) against kafir and shirk (covering the truth and idolatry), awareness against

unawareness, knowledge against ignorance, dedication against egoism, tranquility

against anxiety, generosity against malevolence, wholeness against partiality, justice

against injustice, order against chaos, humane against inhumane, color against

colorlessness, light against dark…

Let‟s be aware that if we don‟t learn this duality, on which our existence relies, it is

not possible for us to find and transform them.

Who and what Hussein (a.s.) had risen against

I believe I will be understood correctly when I say that I feel that to me it seems

more important against what than against whom has Hussein (a.s.) risen against. The

thing he has risen against is represented by names of many people, manifested in many

ways and different times, but the essence of this thing is what remains.

In other words, animalistic property of egoism and “a soul prone to evil” (Yusuf, 53)

have always existed - trough various pharaohs, monarchs, tyrants, presidents,

totalitarians, absolutists, self proclaimed gods…

So what is behind or below events, as invisible level of the visible, as clear behind

unclear? What does primary and true meaning of certain key words tell us and to what

does it point to?

Taqwa or awareness of God‟s truth and grace that as sign and omen permeates the

world and is inside a man, “in vastness of universe and in themselves” (Fussilet, 53), in

its ancient, initial pureness and originality (fitret), in wholeness (al kull), in unity, in

oneness (ahadiyya).

How is this seen trough primary meaning of words

Seeing as God sent prophets to all peoples (124.000 of them is the most quoted

number), it is natural that words or their remains are preserved in those languages. This

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means that, in addition to the same ancient being that confirmed, accepted and

witnessed (“You are, we witness this!” El-Araf, 172), all men have something else in

common, something seen in deepest layers of various languages.

For example, arrogance is removal, so Quran says that Satan (Saytan) was in

“mercy”, but because he deceived the man, he is “removed” from God‟s mercy and

truth. Word Iblîs, for which some claim it is connected to Greek διάβολος (diavolos -

defamer, separator), Arabic lexicographers see as originating in trilateral b-l-s.

According to Ibn Mansur this word, as well as the word Saytan means “to be desperate,

lose hope in God‟s mercy”. According to so called high etymology, it is especially

interesting that words l-b-s and b-l-s have a common idea of concealing, withdrawing

inside oneself. In Quran, word Iblîs is used in such context that his transformation and

desperation that befell him with fall of man, are both visible.

Similarity in meaning, as well as in sound, for word saytan in Sanskrit:

śātá - sharpness, cleverness, cunning, dishonesty, cheating… deplorable, forlorn,

weakness, wasted.

I śātana - sharpening, peaking

śāta - discord, argument, tiff, falling out, incident, decline, decay, impoverishment,

extinction, withering, dry, go bad, damage, ruin

II çätana - to cause a fall, falling, descending, destruction.

So, saytan (devil) means getting away, being removed from God‟s truth and mercy,

running away, fear, withdrawing inside one self, desperation, concealing. From this

comes kafir: k-f-r, to cover - one that on deliberately, for one owns purpose ignores,

conceals the truth, deletes it, ingrate.

Removing oneself from the truth is sinful: f-s-q, to come out, fāsiq - sinful. Hart:

qаlb, from q-l-b, is the one that should change - taqallub, taqlīb (change), which is then

felt in r-w-ù,rīù - wind, rāha - relief, ‟arāùa - liberation and oneness (‟aùadiyya).

In the name of what he had risen

Imam Hussein (a.s.) is the witness of fitret, the wholeness, color of Allah…

Since all people have the same nature, general, universal, Morteza Motahari has this

to say about the word fitret: “There is no evidence of this expression before it ist used in

Quran, and in Quran it is first used about man. It‟s used only in one ayah… Fetrat

denotes particularity in the principle of mans creation… Fetr is identical to beginning

and invention… it means initial, primary, without predecessor.

Ar-Rum, 30: “Turn your face, as a true believer, to pure faith, to Allah‟s nature, after

which He created people!” “To Allah‟s nature” or, as another translation says: “act of

Allah”.

Why aren’t they thinking?

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Of importance of thinking and knowledge is spoken in more than 300 places in

Quran.

“And why aren‟t they thinking about Quran…” (En-Nisa, 82).

Quran uses the verb jetedebberune (think trough), whose infinitive is tadabbur,

derived from the root dubur, edbаr meaning backside, reverse side, back of something,

which, when in verb form tefe’ale means - think trough, think about something, read

carefully and study with the goal of discovering the background of something,

conditions and causes that led to something.

If this is the case with Quran, then it should be in life in general. When people and

events are concerned, one should always think about background.

Color of Allah

In the description of the Battle of Karbala, it is said that some of Hussein‟s (a.s.)

friends start to “change color and shiver”. However, Hussein (a.s.) and his closest

friends, unlike the group mentioned, as battle heated up and time of shahada

approached, became more flushed in the face and calmer. Some of them pointed to the

bright face of Hussein Ibn Ali (a.s.).

On the eighth day, the Imam says: “… your faces blackened because you are

arrogant, and scrape the bottom of the pit, most rotten groups that rejected Quran.”

Whatever the times, and in this our time especially, when dark colors, grayness and

morbid shades or artificial bright colors that hurt the eyes domineer a great part of

architecture, literature and so called, we remind you that God‟s creation is all in color,

in shades, and even more we realize what is the significance of God‟s color with which

are truth, beauty, justice, knowledge… life identify.

Sibgatellah, sigbat, sibgatun - color of Alah, coloring, shading, direction, disposition,

form, color, attribute…

“True color is the one Creator impressed in the soul of a man in the moment of

creation… true fetrat is a seal (or color) which Creator impressed on us in the act of

creating the human soul.” (M. Motahari)

It is said that words are joyful news (bušrā) and color of the face (bašara) of the same

origin.

“Cognition is water, and color of the water is like a color of the dish that contains it.

Water gets the color from the dish, so it can exist in the world of many colors”, as

Junayd and Hamadani spoke.

“God is beautiful and loves beauty.” (hadith)

Insan - he who forgets or the creature of love

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In 19. ayah of Surat Al-Hashr forgetting Allah is equaled with forgetting one self.

Even though there are five names for man in Quran, basic one is insan from verb

nassa/yansa (to forget). So, a man is a being that forgets: “And to Adam we ordered in

the beginning so he forgot and was not determined.” (Ta Ha, 115).

A great number of experts believe that trilateral from which word insan is derived is

u-n-s, that is being together, great love, friendliness. So, a man is a creature of

community, “social” being or a being “dear to God”. (Most dictionaries of Arabic

written lately derive the word insan from the word uns that means love, being together.)

According to Quran, basic characteristics of insan are: the most beautiful “created

being”, being that is “weak and feeble”, “being that likes to argue”, “which forgets

God‟s stake”.

If only you understood!

As you know, in Islam a man stands alone in front of God, truth, life, reality, without

intermediaries. In accordance with his conciseness and awareness he answers to the

secret of life and challenges that arise in front of him.

What was it about Imam Hussein (a.s.) that inspired awe, with Muslims but also

many non-Muslims like, for example, Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, British historian

and philosopher Thomas Charlie, British orientalist Edward Brown, Czech leader in

fight for independence Tomas Masarik, orientalist Nicholson and many others?

From the speech Imam Hussein Ibn Ali (a.s.) gave in Mina, during hajj:

“O, distinguished! You are a crowd known for your knowledge, goodness and

kindness… And I give you advantage before God because your past and because of

your faith! Still, I‟m afraid God‟s punishment will befall you because you, who reached

a certain position others weren‟t given to get, don‟t respect the good and the pure, and

on account of God have respect of people.

You watch with your own eyes vows being broken and God‟s rules disrespected, but

this doesn‟t worry you and doesn‟t scare you… You left the blind, the mute and

paralyzed without care in Islamic land and you have no mercy for them. You don‟t act

in accordance with your status or your reputation nor you help to those who are trying to

do something, rushing into failure by condescending to oppressors. God ordered you to

prevent evil and discourage people to do it, but you are careless towards that. Sin of you

taught in ummah is greater than sin of others, and status and reputation of those taught

in faith is exposed to attack. If only you understood!... You went separate ways where

truth is concerned… in the face of evidence… You let people with power cast a shadow

on your reputation and to them you gave authority of God, and so they mixed what is

allowed with what is not and drowned in their passions. And your fleeing from death

and attachment to this life is the only thing that enabled them to come to their

position… Fleeing from your commitment, you let the weak get into their hands…”

In the time of idolatry, fascism, putting chips into people, destroying the planet and

nature, dark of Freudian psychoanalysis, devastating films and commercials,

psychological novels, literature that thrives on tragedy and hopelessness, in time of

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great injustice and wars… Imam Hussein (a.s.) with his being and action, not agreeing

to evil and oppressing is a sign and a beacon, example and light, call and evidence to all,

but first and foremost to the young.

Words of Allah: “Do people think they will be left alone if they say We Believe! and

that they will not be led into temptation?” (Al-Ankabut, 2) clearly point to the fact that

in this life, temptation comes in various forms, especially trough anxiety (kerb) and

trouble (bela), trough Karbala which, in their own way, every believer has.

Speaking of Imam and leader of Muslims, Imam Hussein (a.s.) says in simple words

who he is truly: “Imam and leader of Muslims is the one who acts in accordance with

Book of God, holds on to justice and follows the truth, and obeys all God‟s

commandments with all his being.”

Bibliography:

Prijevod Kur’ana, Enes Karić (translator), FF Bihać, 2006.

Fetrat, Morteza Motahhari, Kulturni centar Islamske Republike Iran, Beograd 1999.

Shaikh Hajj „Abbas Qummi, Kerbela - zemlja tuge i bola, UG Hastahana - tekija

Mesudija, Kaćuni

Akbar Ejdi, Pitanja i odgovori I i II, Mula Sadra, Sarajevo

Enes Karić, Hermenutika Kur’ana.

Ibn Arabi, Dragulji mudrosti, drugo izdanje, Jovan Kuzminac, Prosveta, Beograd,

2007.

Tekstovi sa sajta Baština Objave (www.bastinaobjave.com):

Imam Husein Ibn Ali,

Kerbela,

Šehadet hazreti imama Husejna - Pouke i poruke Ašure i Kerbele, mr. Aldin ef.

Mustafić

Tekstovi sa sajta Mulla Sadra (http:/www.mullasadra.ba):

Pouka Ašure, Sejjida Tahira Berberac

Ašura u očima drugih,

M. M. Wiliams, Sanskrit-english dictionary

Nihad Čamdžić, Контрадикције у Кур'ану?!(http://www.bozijiposlanik.com)