After Ashura

The carnage unleashed in the desert of Karbala almost 1400 years ago leading to the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his followers has no precedent in history, either before or after that monumental tragedy.

With the passage of time, this legacy has only attracted more followers, testifying to its unique stature for mankind. The events of Karbala have repeatedly given birth to new traditions in literature and poetry, reinforcing the impact of this single monumental event for all times to come.

In graphic accounts shared over many generations, by late afternoon on the fateful day of the 10th day of Muharram – remembered as ‘Ashura’, Imam Hussain (a.s.), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and 72 of his followers were all martyred. So ended their three days spent without food and water after the army of Yazid, the Ummayid caliph, blocked their access to the nearby river.

Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his followers were all decapitated after martyrdom and their severed heads were hoisted on spears, as the army of Yazid with a strength between 30 thousand and 70 thousand soldiers celebrated their victory.

Yazid’s soldiers played celebratory drums while encircling the severed heads put on display. The martyrs of Karbala ranged from the elderly to the middle-aged, able-bodied young men and teenagers. Their torsos were quickly mutilated when the soldiers of Yazid repeatedly trampled upon them with their horses raced around.

With the odds on this battlefield heavily in favour of Yazid, the tragedy of Karbala continues to live fourteen centuries later in a powerful reminder of its miraculous character.

In the time after the massacre, those left behind in the camp of Imam Hussain (a.s.) included just one adult male – Imam Zainul Abideen, the son of Imam Hussain (a.s.), who was too frail from a chronic illness to fight in battle. The women and children who survived the battle of Karbala and were taken captive by Yazid’s army, still had to endure unending and brutal agony.

By nightfall of 10th Muharram, a full blown attack by Yazid’s army set on fire the camp of the survivors . The women were forced to leave their tents and deprived of their ‘chadars’ (veils) while children who ran in search of cover were rounded up and systematically tortured.

By next morning, Yazid’s army was given the marching orders to escort their captives and severed heads of the martyrs first to Kufa and then to Yazid’s court in Damascus. In this long and arduous journey, many infants fell off the camels ridden by the captives who were tied with chains.

The commanders of Yazid’s army were so anxious to reach their leader and claim rewards for returning with the severed heads that they refused tearful and painful calls to stop the caravan in search of the children left behind in the scorching heat of the desert.

In the aftermath of this tragedy, a figure of primary significance emerged in the persona of Bibi Zainab (a.s.), the sister of Imam Hussain (a.s.). She practically rose to become the de facto leader of the survivors of Karbala, despite having sacrificed two under-aged sons among the martyrs loyal to Imam Hussain (a.s.).

Accounts of the tragedy of Karbala will remain incomplete unless stitched together with graphic accounts of events that followed the carnage. Together, these accounts have given permanence in history to the tragedy of Karbala for all times to come.

Historical texts agree that upon reaching Damascus, the prisoners from Karbala were kept waiting for three days as Yazid’s court was decorated to celebrate their victory. Upon appearance in Yazid’s court however, the sermon of Bibi Zainab (a.s.) delivered powerfully and eloquently, remains oft-repeated as a living example of defiance in the face of unbridled tyranny.

“By Allah (SWT), you cannot remove us from the minds (of people) and you can not fade our message. You will never reach our glory and can never wash the stain of this crime (of the massacre at Karbala) from your hands”announced Bibi Zainab (a.s.) in the court of Yazid as she faced him.

Despite the danger of being ordered to be eliminated, Bibi Zainab (a.s.) continued to publicly scorn Yazid. Her message marked the beginning of the long-held tradition of the storytelling of Karbala, dedicated to the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his followers that has been carried to this day.

Though the victims of Karbala were subsequently imprisoned in Damascus, the backlash over the massacre that sparked after the tragic event has continued without interruption to this day. In recent years, the tradition of remembrance of Imam Hussain (a.s.) has taken millions of Muslims from all over the world to Iraq, notably on the day of Ashura and Arbaeen – marking 40 days after the massacre.

Powerful traditions such as the walk on foot from Najaf to Karbala – a distance of about 100 kilometres, has taken deep root as part of the paying of homage and respect to Imam Hussain (a.s.). Along this road, a large variety of cuisines on offer to pilgrims and visible variety of cultures from many different lands, indeed shows the universality of the pilgrimage.

In contrast to the morning after Ashura, when the captives of Karbala began a painful journey led by the severed heads of their nearest and dearest ones mounted on spears just ahead, the Ashura of today is vastly different. And that must count as the miracle of miracles, just under 1400 years after the most brutal massacre in the history of Islam.

The writer is an Islamabad-based journalist who writes on political and economic affairs.

Email: farhanbokhari@gmail.com