If it were not for the Ashura and the sacrifices of the Prophet's progeny, the tyrant of the time would have destroyed the prophetic mission and the painful efforts of the Prophet (pbuh), were it not for the Ashura, with Abu Sufyanians'1 pagan logic attempts which would have been made to cross out the divine revelation and book with red ink, and, with Yazid, this residue of the era of idolatry who had thought that by killing the children of Divine Revelation, he could do away with the foundation of Islam and openly declared: "there was no word, no revelation!", we wouldn't know what would have happened to the Holy Qur'an and the beloved Islam. But, God's Divine Will has always been, and still is, to maintain the liberating Islam and the light-giving Qur'an immortal, to protect and revive them with the blood of martyrs such as the children of Revelation. It was by divine Will that Hussein ibn Ali, this essence of prophethood and memento of leadership (Walayat) rose to sacrifice his dear life and the lives of his dear ones for their faith and belief and for the sake of the grand ummat of the noble Prophet (pbuh&hh) so that, throughout history, his pure blood would boil and water God's religion and safeguard the Revelation and its fruits.
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The martyrdom of the Master of the Innocents (Imam Hussein- a.s.) and of the supporters of the Qur'an on the Day of Ashura was the beginning of the eternal life of Islam and the Qur'an. The martyrdom of the Innocent ones of Divine Progeny and their captivity, devastated for ever the throne and crown of Yazid and his line who, in the name of Islam, tried, in their immature
fancy, to eradicate the Divine Revelation and, it, also, wiped the Sufyanians off the scenes of history.
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That day (the Ashura) Yazid and his men digged their own graves by their criminal hands and for ever registered their own perish and buried their cruel, criminal regime. On the 15th of Khurdad, 1342 (June 5, 1963) the Pahlawis2 and their criminal supporters digged their own graves by the hand of cruel monarchy and left behind their eternal shame and fall on account of which the brave Iranian nation, thanks God, with power and victory curses their damned graves.
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Were it not for this movement, the Uprising of Hussein (a.s.), Yazid and his followers would have presented Islam upside-down to the people. From the beginning they did not believe in Islam and were jealous of the authorities of Islam. By his sacrifice, the Master of Martyrs not only defeated them for, a short time after, the people realized what a great disaster and tragic event had taken place and this calamity disrupted the fate of the Bani Omayyad.
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The great personality who was nourished on the gist of divine inspiration in the homes of the Master of Messengers, Mohammad Mustafa (pbuh&hh) and Ali Murtada (a.s.) and raised on the lap of Seddiqa Tahereh (s.a.), rose up and, by his matchless sacrifice and his Divine Movement, caused a great event to take place and overthrew the oppressors' palace and thus saved the school of Islam.
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Imam Hussein (a.s.) set off the great Ashura Uprising and, by sacrificing his own blood and that of his dear ones, rescued Islam and justice; condemned the machinery of the Bani Omayyads and devastated its pillars.
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Were it not for the sacrifices of the great protectors (lit., guards) of Islam and their brave martyrdoms, the strangulating, cruel regime of the Omayyads would have presented Islam upside-down and all efforts of the Prophet (pbuh&hh) and his devout disciples would have been wasted.
* * *
The Innocent, Infallible Imams (a. s.) all were killed but their ideologic school remained intact. The Master of Martyrs was killed, his ideology survived, rather revived. By his getting killed, his ideology remained safe.
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Similarly, divine authorities, most of them, were defeated but their ideology survived. The Master of Martyrs together with his kin and disciples were all massacred but they advanced their ideology. The school did not face defeat, rather it made progress, that is, it defeated the Bani Omayyad for ever. The Master of the Martyrs gave his life but saved Islam, the religion that the Bani Omayyad caliphs meant to pervert.
* * *
God's Saints, too, suffered defeat. Hadrat Amir (a title of Ali -(a.s.)-) lost a war3 to Moawiyya, it goes without saying, Imam Hussein (a.s.) was defeated in the war with Yazid and got killed but in reality, he was victorious. The defeat of these men was superficial, their victory was real.
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Islam has survived to this day by the Grace of the Master of Martyrs (a.s.)
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Islam was so dear that the Prophet's children gave their lives to it. Hadrat Imam Hussein, the Master of Martyrs, those children and youth and with such companions, fought for Islam, sacrificed their lives but revived Islam.
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The fight of His Holiness the Master of Martyrs (a.s.) with the government of the time, which was tyrannical, and his martyrdom did not harm Islam a bit, they advanced it. Were it not for his martyrdom, Moawiyya and his son (Yazid) would have presented Islain in perverted form. In the name of caliph to the Prophet (pbuh&hh) they attended the mosques, conducted daily congregational and Friday mass prayers. In name only, their's was the rule of Islam, the content was un-Islamic, so were the rulers. The Master of Martyrs (a.s.) cancelled out their plans "to revert Islam to the ways of paganism and thus say: this, too, is like the former days and systems."
* * *
The martyrdom of the Master of Martyrs revived the school, He himself was martyred, the school came to life and buried the despotic regime of Moawiyya and his son. The martyrdom of His Holiness Imam Hussein (a.s.) did Islam good, it revived the Religion.
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Were it not for Imam Hussein (a.s.), this tyrannical regime would be supported by them and restored to pagan age. And today you and I, if we were Muslim, would be oppressive Muslims, not a Muslim of Imam Hussein (a.s.). Imam Hussein (a.s.) saved Islam.
* * *
The Master of Martyrs was defeated in fighting but he achieved the final victory. His school did not suffer by the loss of men, they drove the enemy back. They overthrew Moawiyya's machinery which meant to return to pagan era and turn Islam into an empire. Yazid and his men were forever buried and the curse of people is their's, and so is God's curse.
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The Master of Martyrs insured the Religion, by his action.
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As narrated the Prophet (pbuh&hh) had said: "Hussein is from me and I am from Hussein..."4 This means that Hussein (a.s.) is a part of the Prophet and the Prophet is revived through Hussein. This has reference to the blessings that accompanied Imam Hussein's martyrdom as it had upset the evil plans of caliph Moawiyya and his son Yazid to do away with Bani Hashim 5 and roll up and put Islam away and replace it with an Arab state.
* * *
The entrance of the Master of Martyrs into Mecca and his departure6 from it, at a time when all were going to Mecca, was a political act. It was this and other religio-political acts of His Holiness that destroyed the Omayyad caliphate. Islam would have been perished were it not for such religious and political moves.
* * *
Imam Hussein sacrificed himself, and all his kin. Islam, however, was strengthened by it after their martyrdom.
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The Master of Martyrs was slain, not defeated but, he defeated the Bani Omayyads in such a way that they could not rise again. His blood drove them away so thoroughly that even today, defeat is registered in name of Yazid and his subjects while Islam thrives by the victory of the Martyrdom of Imam Hussein (a.s.)
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Imam Hussein (a.s.) was justified. He rose and opposed cruelty and, while, he, his children were all martyred, Islam was revived and rendered Yazid and the Bani Omayyad infamous.
The Master of Martyrs (a.s.) rose up with a handful of disciples and his household including several women. As the uprising was for God, they detained and ruined the monarchy of that devil (Yazid). Outwardly, they all got killed but their sacrifice caused the overthrow of the corrupt regime which meant to turn Islam into a tyrannies, corrupt monarchy.
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If we work for God no defeat awaits us even if we get killed. Imam Hussein (a.s.) was killed, but was he defeated? His standard flies high today while there is no Yazid about!
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If the Master of the Martyrs had not made that uprising, we could not be victorious today!
* Book: The Ashura Uprising. By: Imam Khomeini (May his secret be sacred)
1- Abu Sofyan was the chief of the Quraish Tribe and a die-hard enemy of the Prophet (SAY,;). He was also a leader of the atheists and polytheists in their opposition to Islam and in doing harms and injuries to the Muslims. Abu Sofyan did not convert to Islam until the time when Muslims became victorious and spread their rule to Mecca. According to some narratives
Abu Sofyan's faith in Islam was feigned. (See footnotes nos. 8 and 20)
2- By Pahlavis, Hadrat Imam means Rida Shah and Mohammad-Rida Shah Pahlavi.
3- By this Hadrat Imam means the "Seffin War". When he became Caliph, Ali (a.s.) removed Moawiyya from govemship of Sham (now Syda). He had been governor of that province since the time of the second Caliph. Moawiyya disobeyed the order and using revenge of Othman as an excuse, gathered the people around himself and moved to kufa to counter Hadrat Ali (a.s.). At a place named " Seffin" by the Euphrates River, Moawiyya's troops met with the Imam's forces. lie two armies met in action 90 times during this war and, at last, Moawiyya seeing his defeat imminent, by at dck, suggested by Amr-o-Oss, ordered his men to fix copies of the Holy Qur'an at the tip of their spears and, raising them, request cessation of fighting and refer to
arbitration. Amr-o- Oss's trick worked and dissension appeared among the men of Hadrat Ali (a.s.) and finally his warriors made him accept arbitration. The Seffin war started in the month of Safar, 37 a.h.1. It lasted 110 days, total causalities were 70,000 -45,000 of them were Moawiyya's men.
4- The Prophet (pbuh&hh) is quoted as having said: "Hussein is from me and I am from Hussein. God loves him who loves Hussein." Hussein is one of "asbat" (= plural for sabt = child, offspring, grandchildren)
5- Please refer to footnotes 20 and 25.
6- His Holiness Imam Hussein (a.s.) went from Medina to Mecca after he refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid. After a stay of four months in Mecca, His Holiness proceeded to Kufa in consideration of the, invitation that the people of that city had extended to him and in view of the conditions that the agents of Yazid's government had imposed on Mecca. On the lOth
Zilhajja, 60a.h.1. although it was season for Hajj Pilgrimage, he set off for Kufa. His departure coincided with a time when Muslims from all over were coming to Mecca to perform the religio-political devotion of the Hajj.