Muharram & Islam!

إِنَّمٌا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللٌّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتٌابُوا وَجٌاهَدُوا بِأَمْوٌالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللٌّهِ أُوْلٌئِكَ هُمُ الصٌّادِقُونَ

"Without doubt, the true believers are only those who have faith in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad) and then do not change their belief into doubt, and (the believers are those) who struggle with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah. Surely it is these people alone who are the truthful ones."

With the advent of Muharram, we are all set to repeat the tradition of keeping Karbala alive. Although, the billion-dollar question is; if we contemplate it wisely?

We all know, Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar and is one of the four sacred months in which warfare is prohibited. It has witnessed a lot of significant events since the advent of this world; however, the one incident that overshadows all is the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (P) and his followers in their Lord's name.

Karbala's incident is not merely a custom or a tradition that we commemorate every year; rather, it is a comprehensive plan of life in the post-prophetic (P) era, it is a manifestation of the real spiritual (Islamic) experience.

Islam's essence is in knowing our Lord and submitting our will unto him; submission is impossible without sacrifice, and "to sacrifice" means "to annihilate" one's existence for attaining the proximity of Lord. This idea of proximity can only be recognized by following his commandments and becoming pure (i.e. the philosophy of increasing one's level of existence) - which is far from the materialistic world, although we still are part of the matter and can't apart from it unless willed by God.

Hence, Muharram should empower us not only to remember the great sacrifice but also to validate the basic principles of Islam, vis-a-vis, to understand tawhid and stand against injustice, to be thankful and help others, and, most importantly, consider hereafter the reality, and plan for it.

Let's promise that we start following Islam's teachings instead of just celebrating it.

Danish Ali Kazmi