Moharram; As it’s the first month and even the first day of the Islamic year. Today you’ll get the answer of your question that why we don’t celebrate the Islamic New Year. In Moharram, family of our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW was brutally martyred including Imam Hussain, his nephews, his brothers and many others. 17 of the Ehl e Baits were martyred.
Yazid was the one with whom this battle was with. His army/ battalions were beasts in the form of human beings. Imam Hussain and his companions were even not granted with a sip of water for 72 hours. Imam Hussain’s battalion, there were 32 horseman and 40 people afoot including a six months old child Ali Asghar(Abdullah) who was the son of Imam Hussain.
Before the battle started, Imam Hussain was sleeping and suddenly woke up and started smiling. His sister asked him the reason and said is that the time to smile when we know we are about to die? He replied, I just saw Muhammad SAW in my dream, he was telling me that, Son! I’m here to take you with me.
When the battle started, those 32 of the horsemen killed a large amount from Yazid’s Army/battalion. Then they decided to first kill these horses and sent five hundred archers who killed all of the horses, now all of them were afoot. Muslim Bin Ausaj was the one who was martyred first.
During the battle it was time to pray Namaz e Asr, Zuhayr ibn e qayn indicated that, ask Shimar to grant us time to perform our prayers. So someone from the Kufi army said your prayers are even not accepted. Someone told Zuhayr ibn e qayn that they are not granting us time to pray so Imam Hussain asked him and a few other men to hold a shield and protect those who are praying.
They attacked on Zuhayr ibn qayn and when he was about to fall, he put his hand on Imam Husaain’s shoulder and said, Go! Go forward that your grandfather (Muhammad SAW) is waiting for you with a bouqet/wreath. Today is the day of your meet up with your brother Hazrat Hassan and your father Hazrat Ali.
When the whole army was martyred, then it comes to the turn of Ehl e Baits. First of all Ali al Akbar who was the son of Imam Hussain pick his sword, came forward and said to his father that, Father I want to die before you and I can’t see you dying. Imam Hussain replied, Go Forward and meet your forefathers. After him, Qasim bin Hassan who was the son of Imam Hassan said, Uncle I want to go. An atrocious man struck Qasim on his hand, he fell down and said, Oh Uncle! Imam Hussain rushed to him. Then hugged him and said, today your uncle is helpless my nephew, he can’t come to help you. But there would be a day when adjudication would be made in your grandfather’s court.
Dead bodies of his loved ones including Abdullah bin Hassan, Qasim bin Hassan, Abu Bakr bin Hassan and Ali bin Hussain were in front of him. Now he was all alone and full of pain and injuries. He called his six months old son Ali Asghar (Abdullah), to meet him for the last time. He has just made him sit with him and a man Banu ibn Mubakir of Banu Asad martyred him with a three headed arrow which directly hit Ali Asghar in his neck. Imam Hussain took his blood in his hands, took his hands up and said, Oh my Allah! You just reconcile with me.
It was so easy to martyr Imam Hussain but no one was doing it. Shimar came and said, why don’t you kill him? Abu Shuruh bin Shariq Tabibi came and hit Imam Hussain on his shoulder, then Sanan bin Anus attacked him on his chest due to which Imam Hussain fell down. Shimar then ordered to cut off his head and Sanan bin Anus cuts head of my beloved prophet’s grandson and put it on a spear. That is why Moharram brings so pain and grief for the Muslims.
Then they went towards the tents where Hazrat Zain ul Abideen and all of the women were present including Zainab binte Ali, Fatima binte Ali, Sukhaina binte Hassan and Rubab beloved wife of Imam Hussain, (for whom he used to say when Rubab goes to her home, I can’t sleep). Hazrat Zain ul Abideen was only left because he was ill. They took of their earrings from their ears with cruelty.
Ibn e Saad ordered to bring ten horses and they make those horses run on the body of Imam Hussain. When they took all of them out from the tent Hazrat Zainab saw that 72 of the heads are on the spears and from them the most innocent head is of Ali Asghar (Abdullah). Hazrat Zainab said, Oh Muhammad Mustafa! Its Hussain’s Barat today, today Hussain is wearing necklace which is made with pieces of his own body, he is wearing cloths made of his own blood and he is looking so handsome in a red dress. Pieces of his body are scattered everywhere. Your daughters are closed in the prison. They are even not letting us to shroud them.
When they didn’t allow them to shroud them so the air flowed sand on them. From the heads those were on the spears, only Imam hussain’s head was first taken to Ibn e Ziad. He hits his head two times with a stick and said I have not seen this much beauty anywhere that he’s dead but his face is still smiling and glowing. On this, Hazrat Anus stood up and said, Oh atrocious! Don’t do this; remove this stick from his head. I’ve seen Muhammad SAW lips touching that. In a reply, ibn e Ziad said, I would have cut your head if you were not over aged. You are gone mad and Hazrat Anus replied, actually you have gone mad, you’ll see what will happen to you in future.
Then his head was taken to Yazid, he also repeated the same as ibn e Ziad so Zaid bin Arqam stood up and said, Oh atrocious! Don’t do this; remove this stick from his head. I’ve seen Muhammad SAW lips touching that.
In moharram, people avoid being happy even that they don’t arrange any of the functions a marriage. Moharram is the month of pain and grief due to this battle of Karbala. So after knowing about this entire heart wrenching scene from our history, you still think that there is something to celebrate in Moharram?
