Muharrum is here, the flags of green, red and white wave in my soul, wave to the thunder of horses trampling the plains of a land so dear, a land that has etched itself into the core of my heart and throbs, beating, the land of Hussain, the land of Karbala.
I hear footsteps walking on that sand, single footsteps, lonely footsteps and my eyes close upon the explosion of surrender, true surrender to the will of Allah. Who was Hussain but an extension of the Prophet of Allah? The Prophet who was hurt more than any other Prophet, the Prophet who was wronged. Imam after Imam, yearning, seeking, fighting for the One so they may fulfil the message of the Prophet that humankind fought. We wait, we still wait to win the war, the war for peace, the war for justice, whose key is in the hands of a holy one, a patient one lamenting for the loss of true believers, true companions like those 72. But 72 weren’t enough for Allah’s justice to reign the earth, they sparked the flame, the flame that has never died but lives on in soul after soul until 313 souls are ignited. Then shall the angels who lamented the martyrdom of Hussain get the answer to their complaint, ‘ “Oh Allah, why did you let this happen to the grandson of your Prophet?”, “Oh Angels, there will come one who rises to pray, who will avenge his death”’ We are waiting for you Oh Qaim.
So let us rise, let us rise to establish our prayers, wholesome prayers so that we may be recognised amongst the righteous, the servants, the 313 and rise with the one who will rise and bring monotheism in it’s ultimate form to this mourning earth.
Oh Mehdi, we know you are here and we pray for you to reappear but we have it all wrong, have we not? We are seeking the cure without taking the medicine. We pray for your reappearance but we have failed to establish our prayers correctly, we have failed to reach the peak of morals, we have failed to eliminate racism from our hearts, we have failed to dismiss materialism and vanity from our souls. We have failed you Oh Imam.
You suffer this long, long wait on our account.
That tear that drops on Ashura, it transforms me a little, it transforms her, it transforms him and I see humanity working the way it should, seeking perfection through small deeds that are big in the eyes of Allah. These deeds that will build us into companions, these deeds that will build us in to the 313.
Water distributed in the name of Imam Hussain, blood donated in the name of Imam Hussain, every one volunteering their time to spread the message of Karbala through leaflets, online articles, lectures and documentaries. The spirit of Muharrum is strengthened yearly in the UK with a mass presence of grief, unity and remembrance of Ashura.
Most of all what resonates in Karbala on Ashura is the submission to Allah; it is this complete and utter submission that is the ultimate goal for any of us to be of the 313. This submission that must embody my spirit in my every word and deed to exemplify non other than Imam Hussain in the face of Yazid as I face the Yazid today and everyday so that all Yazids come to perish under Divine justice brought by the hands of our awaited Imam. Oh Imam who is waiting, I will strengthen my spirit so that I am not one of those you are waiting for but one who may wait with you.
Featured image: Nawabz
