If you carefully consider this incidence, it could probably be said that the human being can count more than hundred lessons in the few months of the movement of Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) from the day he left Medina and headed for Mecca until the day he arrived at Karbalā and was martyred. I would not say thousands of lessons, but it can be said that there are thousands of lessons. It is possible that every gesture of that noble Imam (P.B.U.H.) is a lesson; but that we are to say more than hundred lessons, meaning that if we want to put these works under scrutiny, it is possible to obtain one hundred titles and chapters from it, each of which is a lesson for a people, for a history and a nation, and can be used for upbringing, management of a society and closeness to Allah. It is for this reason that Ḥusayn b. ‘Alī (may our souls be ransomed for him and the mention of his name) shines like a sun among the holy people of the world. Consider the Prophets, the saints, the Imams, the martyrs, and the righteous. If they are like moon and the stars, then this noble figure shines like the sun. Anyway, putting those hundred lessons that were mentioned aside, there is one main lesson in the movement and uprising of Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) that I will try to explain to you; all of them are margins, and this is the core. Why did he rise up? This is a lesson. Some would say to Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.), “You are revered in Medina and Mecca, and there are so many Shi‘ite in Yemen. You must go and stay somewhere and have nothing to do with Yazīd; Yazīd won’t have anything to do with you, either. All these disciples, all these Shi‘ites. Live life, worship your lord and propagate! Why do you rise up? What is going on? This is that major question. This is the main lesson. We are not saying that no one has said anything on this subject of investigation; yes, honestly, in this regard many have done work, put in a lot of effort, and said a lot. Now, this subject that we will also discuss in our opinion is a conclusion and a new outlook on this issue.
Some people like to say that Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) wanted to overthrow the corrupt government of Yazīd and establish a government of his own. This was the purpose for Imam Ḥusayn’s (P.B.U.H.) uprising. This is partially true; I am not saying it is wrong. If the aim of what has been said is that his holiness rose up to set up a government, which means that if you see that one cannot get a result, one says it is impossible, let’s withdraw; this is wrong. Yes; someone who acts with the intention of forming a government will go forward as far as he sees that it is feasible. The moment he finds out that it is not possible, or that there no is logical feasibility, his duty is to withdraw. If the aim is to form a government, one is only permitted to go so far as he can. Where it impossible to go on, he must turn back. If that person who says the aim of the Imam (P.B.U.H.) for this uprising was the formation of a justified ‘Alawite government, his intention is this, it is not true, because the Imam’s (P.B.U.H.) movement in its entirety does not show this.
In contrast, it is said, “No sir, what is government?” His holiness knew that he could not set up a government; rather, he essentially came to be killed and to become martyred! For some time this subject was talk of the town and quite prevalent. Some have also expressed this with beautiful poetic phrasings. Even I have seen that some of our great scholars have also said so. This statement that the Imam (P.B.U.H.) essentially rose up to be martyred has not been something new. He said, “Because nothing could be achieved by staying, so let’s accomplish something by going and getting martyred! We do not see such words in Islamic documents as to throw yourself into death; we don’t have such a thing. The martyrdom we know in the holy sharī‘a and we see indications of it in narrations and the verses from the Qur’an means that one is to pursue a holy goal that is obligatory or preferable, and in that path [one may] submit to being killed, too. This is that true martyrdom. But if a man essentially sets out merely to “get killed” or follow such a poetic interpretation that, “my blood will shake the legs of the oppressor and make him fall down”. These are not the things that are related to that great incidence. In this there is also a part of the truth; but the goal of the Imam (P.B.U.H.) is not this. So, in sum, we cannot say that his holiness rose up in order to set up a government and that his goal was not the setting up a government, nor can we say the Imam (P.B.U.H.) rose up in order to be martyred. It is something else. It crossed my mind that those who said the goal was the “government” or the goal was “martyrdom” have mixed the result and the conclusion. These were not the goal. Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) had another goal. However, achieving that goal also demanded a move and this move had one of two results; governance or martyrdom. Of course, the Imam (P.B.U.H.) had prepared himself for both. He had made preparations and was making preparations for governing and he had also made preparations and was making preparations for martyrdom. He was also becoming spiritually prepared for outcome of this one and that one. Either one was possible, it was right and it had no faults; however neither was the goal, rather there were two results. The goal is something else.
What is the goal? First I will explain that goal briefly in one sentence, then I will explain some of it. If we want to explain the goal of Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.), we must say it in this way that, “The goal of that noble figure consisted of performing a great obligation of religious obligations. That great obligation was not performed by anybody before Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.)–not even by the Prophet himself. Neither the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) had performed this obligation, nor Imam ‘Alī (P.B.U.H.), nor Imam Ḥasan Mujtabā (P.B.U.H.). It was an obligation that had an important status in the overall structure of the mental, axiological, and practical system of Islam. Despite the fact that this obligatory act is very important and very fundamental, until Imam Ḥusayn’s (P.B.U.H.) era this obligatory act was not practiced. I will explain why it was not practiced. It was obligatory for Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) to practice it so that it would be a lesson for all of history. It is as if the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) formed the government; the forming of a government became a lesson for all of history of Islam and only its decree was not mentioned or the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) fought in the way of Allah and this was a lesson for all the history of Muslims and for the history of humanity forever. This obligation must also have been accomplished by Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) for it be a practical lesson for Muslims and for the span of history.
Now why should Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) do this? Because the grounds for performing this obligatory task had come up during the time of Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.). If these grounds had not come up during the time of Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.), for example they would have come up during the time of Imam ‘Alī al-Naqī (P.B.U.H.) and he would have done the same thing, and would have been the victim of this great incidence and the great “sacrifice” (dhabīḥ) in the history of Islam. If it would have come up during the time of Imam Ḥasan Mujtabā (P.B.U.H.) or Imam Ṣādiq (P.B.U.T.) they would have done the same thing. These grounds did not come up before the time of Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) or after his period throughout the era of the Imams (P.B.U.T.) until the occultation.
Therefore, the goal includes performing this obligation, which I will now explain what this obligation is. Naturally, at that time performing this obligatory task would have led to one of these two results, either its result would have been the forming of a government and taking power, and this would have been welcomed because Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) was ready for that. If he could have gained power he would have secured this power, he would have run society like in the time of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) and Imam ‘Alī (P.B.U.H.). At the time performing this obligation will not have led to governance, rather it would have led to martyrdom, for which Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) was ready. Allah created Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) and the other noble Imams (P.B.U.T.) in such a way that they would be capable of carrying the heavy load of such a martyrdom that would ensue from this obligation; and they did endure it. Of course, the story of the great passions in Karbalā is another tremendous story. Now, I will give a short explanation of the matter.
When the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) or any other prophet comes, he would bring along with himself a collection of practical laws. The practical laws that he brings are for the individual person to correct himself, and some are social to develop and run the human world and set up human society. These are the collection of laws, which is termed as Islamic System. However, Islam was sent down to the holy heart of Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.), He brought in prayer, fasting, the poor due (zakāt), charities, Ḥajj, practical laws for the family, personal relations, jihād in the way of Allah, formation of government, Islamic economy, relationship between the ruler and his people, and the duties of the people toward the government. Islam has introduced all these collections to humankind and the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) has stated all of them.
«يا أيُّها النّاسُ وَ اللهِ ما مِن شَيءٍ يُقَرِّبُكُم إلي الجَنَّةِ وَ يُباعِدُكُم مِنَ النّارِ إلّا وَ قَد أمَرتُكُم بِه»
[O’ people! I swear by Allah, there is nothing that gets you closer to the Paradise, and distance you from Hell except I have verily commanded you with it]. The holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) has explained everything that can make a human being or a society attain happiness. Not only has he explained, rather he has practiced and implemented them.
Well, at the time of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) an Islamic government and an Islamic society were formed, Islamic economy was implemented, Islamic jihād was installed and alms were collected; a country with a system became Islamic. The engineer of this system and the conductor of this train on this line was the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) and the one who sits in his place. The line is clear and identified. The Muslim society and individual Muslims must move in this direction and on this line, so if such a movement is made, then human beings will attain perfection. Then mankind will be righteous and become pious and be like angles and oppression will vanish from society, evil, corruption, differences, poverty, and ignorance will vanish, and mankind will attain complete happiness and become perfect servant of Allah. Islam brought this system through the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) and practiced it in the society of those days. Where? In a corner (of the world) called Medina then it spread to Mecca and several other towns. There remains a question and that is, “If this train, which the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) has put on this rail, is removed by someone deliberately or accidently; what is our duty? If the Islamic society deviates and if this deviation gets to a point that we fear the total deviation of Islam and Islamic sciences, what is our duty?
We have two kinds of deviations: sometimes people become corrupt; most of the times this happens, but Islamic practical laws never vanish. However it is sometimes the people who become corrupt and governments also become corrupt, scholars and religious speakers also become corrupt. The religion will never become corrected by corrupt people. They distort the Qur’an and truths. They turn good into evil and the evil into good; they make what is prohibited lawful and they make what is lawful prohibited. A line that Islam has drawn, for example, in a certain direction is turned one hundred and eighty degrees in another direction. If society and the Islamic system is affected by such a thing what is our duty?
Of course the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) had stated what our duty is. The Qur’an has also said,
﴿مَن يرَتدَّ مِنكُم عَن دينهِ فسَوفَ يأَتيِ الله بقِومٍ يحُبهُّم وَ يحُبوُّنهَ﴾
[O you who have believed, whoever of you should revert from his religion, Allah will bring forth [in place of them] a people He will love and who will love Him.] There are many verses and numerous narrations and this very narration that I quote from Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.). Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) recited this narration from the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) to the people. The holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) said, “Could the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) practice this command of Allah? No because this Divine command is only practicable when society has become corrupt. If society becomes corrupt, actions must be taken. Allah has a ruling for this. In a society in which deviations have reached a level that there is the danger of the deviation from the true Islam, Allah has a duty [for man to fulfil]. Allah does not leave human beings without a duty in any matter.
The Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) has stated this duty. The Qur’an and Ḥadīth have said this, but the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) cannot fulfill this duty. Why can’t he? This duty can only be fulfilled when society has become deviated. Society, at the time of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) and Imam ‘Alī (P.B.U.H.), has not become totally deviated as such. At the time of Imam Ḥasan (P.B.U.H.), when Mu‘āwīya is the head of government, although many of the signs of this deviation had appeared, but it had not yet reached the extent that fear of overall conversion of Islam exists. Perhaps it may be said that during a certain period of time, such a situation did really occur, but at that time there was no opportunity to do this, the situation was not favorable; this ordinance that is part of the collection of Islamic ordinances, is not less important that the government itself; because government means the management of the society. If a society were to gradually deviate from its track, it were to become ruined and corrupt, and Allah’s command were to change; if we do not have the ordinance for changing or reviving the status or according to today’s phrasing, the revolution; if we did not have the ordinance for revolution, [then] of what good is this government? Thus, the importance of that ordinance that is concerned with the return of a deviant society to the main track is of no lesser importance than that of a government’s ordinance. Perhaps it could be said that its importance is more than jihād against the infidels. Perhaps it could be said that its importance is more than the normal “commanding right and forbidding wrong” (al-amr bi al-ma‘rūf wa al-nahy ‘an al-munkar) in a Muslim society. It could even be said that the importance of this command is more than the great Divine devotions and more than Ḥajj. Why? Because this decree is the warranty for the restoration of Islam after it is about to die, or it is dead and gone.