The Public Rites of Remembrance for Imam Hussein (A.S): Part 5
During the periods of the next three Imams, 'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi (A.S) (b. Medina, 212, d. Samarra ', 254), al-Hassan ibn 'Ali al-'Askari (b. Medina 231 or 232, d. Samarra' 260) and the twelfth Imam, the awaited Mahdi (A.S) (b. Samarra ' 255), the attitude of the authorities changed. The reign of the 'Abbasid Caliph al-Mutawakkil and those who came after him were times of harshness and tyranny in the treatment of the Shi'a and the Imams of the Holy Family.
The stage saw only some slight relaxations which had little value for the course of events until the Buwayhids gained control over the government in Baghdad in the first half of the fourth century of the hijra. However the harshness of the rulers like the fanaticism of the general populace which we will examine later could not impede the growth of the institution of the rites of remembrance for Imam Hussein (A.S) and its continuation in men's consciousness. The rites of remembrance for Imam Hussein (A.S) were held secretly during the periods of harshness and persecution. The danger did not affect the enthusiasm of the Shi'a to hold these rites constantly, and especially on the Day of 'Ashura'. We consider that the correct explanation for the attitude of the Imams of the Holy Family to the problem of keeping alive the memory of Imam Hussein (A.S) through poetry and gatherings of remembrance and urging the people to do that, is found in the fact that keeping alive this memory constantly shows the people the policy which the Imams of the Holy Family laid down to safeguard and defend Islam.
It shows the umma the great sacrifices which they have made for the sake of that. Similarly it reveals the nature, enmity and distance from Islam of the forces which confronted and combatted them. It explains the essence of the struggle between them and their opponents. It is not personal nor self-interested; it only goes back, in one respect, to the concern of the Imams of the Holy Family to make every ruler adhere to trust and truth through the application of the principles of Islam in his policies; and, in another respect, it goes back to the contradiction of the personal and family interests of the rulers with the aims of the Imams of the Holy Family in defense of Islam from exploitation and in defense of the Islamic way of life (shari'a) from distortion.
Keeping the memory of the revolution of Imam Hussein (A.S) alive, recalling the incidents involved in it, reviewing its slogans and the slogans of its opponents and examining their behavior in their lives and their policies towards the umma ... all of this ensures that the corrupt government which exists in any period and in any time will be found guilty because it is the illegal continuation of the government whose distorted conduct led to the revolution and death of Imam Hussein (A.S). So the Imams of the Holy Family wanted to realize through the creation of this institution. This, in our view, is the real content of the call by the Imams of the Holy Family to keep alive this memory in the rites of remembrance for Imam Hussein (A.S) and others.
By Shaykh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din
Source: almaaref.org
Other links:
The Public Rites of Remembrance for Imam Hussein (A.S): Part 1
Basic Information on Ashura and Imam Hussein (A.S)
Imam Hussein (A.S) and the Renewal of Islam
