A message for every generation
In every era, voices rise and fall—but some echoes never fade. Sacrifices speaks not to one religion, but to all of humanity. Let us revisit the man whose courage still shapes conscience today. How is it that millions of people, even today, remain mesmerized by the stand of a man who lived 1,400 years ago? How is it that they are still enamoured by the words of this man, fascinated by the stand of this man? How is it that they take this man, even today, as their role model?
Let me set the scene for you so we can truly understand who this man was! In the year 570 A.D., Arabian society was full of ignorance, injustice, tyranny, and cruelty. Injustice on the political level, injustice on the social level, and injustice on the economic level. This man’s grandfather, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), rises in Arabia. He is able to alleviate all these forms of injustice. The cruelty is removed, the tyranny has now vanished. He is able to establish principles by which every human being can live—Muslim and non-Muslim alike! But just fifty years after Prophet Muhammad’s passing, the same ignorance returns. The same injustice has now returned. It has fuelled the whole Arabian state—tyranny everywhere, cruelty everywhere. Racism is now part and parcel of that society.
A man must stand. A man had to rise. A man had to ensure that the message of his grandfather—the Prophet—and his mission did not die! A man ensures that his grandfather’s message remains alive forever. That man was Hussain. Imam Hussain transcends religion. His school transcends the Muslim, the Christian, the Jews, the Buddhist, the Sikh, and the Hindu; even the atheist is invited towards the school until today!
“I have left the world for the sake of You, and I have orphaned my children so that I may see You. If they were to cut my body into pieces for You, I would lean for none other but You.”
With these words mystics were affected. Philosophers were intrigued. Who is this personality who can come out with couplets which Rumi, Hafiz, Saadi, Attar, Tabrizi would all be proud of? Imam Hussain’s stand shook the world. His words affected Mahatma Gandhi. His sacrifice inspired revolutionaries across the globe. Even Charles Dickens was inspired by his courage. This is the real epic—the epic of Karbala, the epic of Hussain and his brothers and sons. He looks towards his lord while he lies on the ground. His words reverberate in the heart of every believer
“Oh my Lord! What did I find when I lost You, and what did I lose when I found You? If they cut my body into pieces, each piece would call out its love for You!”
That Hussain became the embodiment of patience. Hussain became the embodiment of dignity. Hussain became the embodiment of bravery and valour.
Today, ask yourself—how can you put Imam Hussain into your life? Whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, or atheist, all of us can take Imam Hussain as our role model! All of us are able to take Imam Hussain and his stand as a stand in our lives today! All of us can carry his stand for justice and truth into our own lives. His legacy is not bound to a time or a place—it is eternal. Let his stand remain a part of the life of every human being, forever.
If I see oppression in the Middle East or oppression in Europe; if I see oppression in South America or North America or in Australasia, I have to ensure that Imam Hussain’s cry is a cry against this oppression. Imam Hussain’s cry is a cry that ensures that oppression will never be able to be victorious.
In a world still plagued by oppression, injustice, and moral collapse, the message of Hussain is not a historical relic—it is a living call to conscience. Whether we are students, leaders, or ordinary citizens, we all face moments when we must choose between silence and sacrifice. In those moments, remembering Hussain gives us the courage to stand tall—even if we must stand alone.
