May Allah (swt) make our reward and your reward great, for our grief for Hussain, peace be upon him.
The sighting of the moon of the month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, brings with it the memory of the tragic event and the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (‘a), the grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww), his noble family and his faithful companions who were mercilessly killed in Karbala, Iraq in 680 A.D. by the army of despotic Yazid, son of Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan.
As far as the real motive behind Imam Hussain (‘a) uprising against Yazid is concerned, it can never be described in a more appropriate way than the words of Imam himself when he enunciated, “The purpose of my stand is the reformation of my grandfather’s nation. I intend to enjoin goodness and forbid evil. I want to emulate my grandfather; the Holy Prophet and my father Ali bin Abi Talib.”
Prior to proceeding to Karbala from Madinah, Imam Hussain (‘a) declared, “A person of my type can never accept the allegiance of a person like Yazid.” These words of Imam Hussain (‘a) also shed a light on the real motive of his stand in opposition to the tyranny of Yazid ibn Mu’awiya. He demonstrated us a lesson to demarcate between a just and an unjust system.
In the month of Muharram, we commemorate Imam Hussain’s (‘a) great martyrdom where Imam, his noble family and his faithful companions stood firm and unwavering to their last breath, they endured suffering and sacrificed their lives to reform the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (‘s) and vivify Islam in its inherent values which are justice, truthful, equality and absolute allegiance to Allah (s.w.t.). This month is a source of inspiration for us to adopt to values of justice, compassion, unity and sincerity in our actions and in all aspects of our daily lives.
It is my duty first to remind myself and to remind the community that during this month we should all collectively display our affection to the Ahlulbayt (’a) by strengthening our bonds with faith, remove the differences and bolster our unity which is our strength to face the challenges of the present times within and outside our community. Hence reformation in our thought processes and actions based on righteousness, sincerity and solidarity must animate in each and every one of us.
Our Imambarghas during these 12 days are busy with different programs to commemorate the tragedy of Kerbala, I call upon the community members of our Jamaats, to commemorate Azaadari with conviction, involvement and effective presence. The feeling of mourning, pain, affliction, absolute integrity, Islamic values and sincere commitment must reflect in the actions of each and every one of us and should continue with the same convictions in our day to day life.
Our gatherings to mourn Imam Hussain (‘a) and the 72 Martyrs of Karbala must be Islamically exemplary both individually and collectively. We should all remember that this is an opportunity to enliven our thoughts and enrich our actions towards reformation as taught by the Ahlulbayt (‘a). Hence, like every year, I am certain that the Jamaats have already made arrangements for the Majlises and Lecturers for the Ashra-e-Muharram and the Azadari as we pay tribute to the Martyrs of Karbala in the most befitting manner.
I wish to call upon our youth to be the ambassadors of Azadari of Sayyidu-Shuhada Aba Abdillah al Hussain (‘a), and make all efforts to promote the Azadari.
The youth body of Africa Federation – AYN have organized “Youth Conference” which is being held in Arusha from 4th to 6th August 2023. This gathering of our youth fraternity, both girls and boys from various Jamaats under Africa Federation will provide a common platform to them to better understand the philosophy of the Aza’a-e-Imam Hussain (‘a), the core values for which the Imam and his 72 companions vowed to sacrificed their lives in order to enjoin good and forbid evil, which also shows Imam’s servitude to Islam. There are several other topics of immense interest for our youths which are included in the program.
The World Federation Global Head Count census exercise will be carried out in all our Jamaats on Ashura Day, it is our humble request that each and every member of our community in the family, including children must participate in this exercise, our Jamaats will be announcing with more details.
Appeal – It is my humble appeal to our community members in Africa and the Diaspora from Europe, North America and other countries to support and contribute generously with donations (any amount is not small) to support the Muharram, Safar and External Tabligh programs by Bilal Muslim Mission in our region who organizes daily lectures (Majlises) in local languages, Ashura Procession, Nyaz, provides transport and Hadiyas for the Muallim’s (Lecturers) to travel to various centres in towns and villages during the month of Muharram and Safar.
Among the Lessons learned from Imam Hussain’s (‘a) mission: The meaning of life; that, that living is truly of value which offers itself for a cause greater than it’s self; that to die with honor is better than living in subjugation to injustice.
I extend our condolences to Imam-e-Zamana (atfs) and all community members on the commencement of this month of grief in memory of the tragedy of Karbala.
During these difficult and challenging times, may I request you all to pray for good health, safety and long life of our Marja-e-Taqleed, Ayatullah Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani and for peace, security and safety of all our Ulemah, Muslims and the peace-loving people wherever they are in all parts of the world.
Let us remember all Marhumeen and recite Sura-e-Fatiha for the maghferat of their souls.
Amine G. Nassor
Chairman
1st Muharram 1445 A.H. (19th July 2023)