The Martyrdom of Imam Hussein (ra)

Today is Friday of Ashura, the 10^th of Muharram 1448, exactly 1387 Islamic years (Hijri) since the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussein (ra), son of Hazrat Ali Ibn Abu Talib (ra) and Hazrat Fatima (ra), and grandson of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). Until today, the event of Karbala remains a truth that has marked human conscience across centuries through the courage of Hazrat Imam Hussein (ra) and all the members of the family of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), young and old, who were present at Karbala to fight against a merciless tyrant who sought power, wealth and status, and who was even ready to kill the beloved family of the greatest of prophets (pbuh) to establish his illegitimate rule upon the earth.

 

This event must be recounted so that the youth of today remember the extraordinary sacrifice that Imam Hussein (ra) and the rest of the family of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) made to preserve the honour of Islam and the honour of truth intact in the face of impurities that sought to stain Islam (that is, to spoil the image of Islam). This story must remain within each of us, in our hearts – if indeed we claim to have love for Allah, for His Prophet, for His family, for His companions and for the rest of the Ummah – an Ummah of pure people, who struggle each day so that the truth of Islam triumphs over the reign of evil in the world. This sacrifice must remain engraved, alive within our hearts.

The Month of Muharram

  

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah. (All praise belongs to Allah, then again all praise belongs to Allah), Allah has granted us the Tawfiq (blessed opportunity) to witness the beginning of a new year in the Islamic calendar. Among all the months of the Islamic calendar, a lunar calendar, Allah has made four of them sacred:

 

“For Allah, the number of months in a year which He prescribed on the day He created the heavens and the earth is twelve months, among which four are sacred (Muharram, Rajab, Dhul-Qaddah and Dhul-Hijjah). That is the right religion. Do not wrong yourselves during these months. But fight the idolaters all together, just as they fight you all together. And know that Allah is with those who are mindful of Him.” (At-Tauba 9:36)

Death in Islam

 

Life and death are in the Hand of Allah. In the Qur’an, Allah says: “Kullu nafsin zaa-i-qatul mawt; thumma ilayna turja‘uun” Every soul shall taste death; then unto Us you shall be returned. (Al-Ankabut 29: 58)

This is a fundamental reminder showing that life on earth is only a passage; death is not an end in itself but a transition towards eternity. What is truly decisive is the state in which a person leaves this world, for as our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Every servant will be resurrected upon that which he died.” (Muslim)

 

This saying of the Prophet (pbuh) opens for us a profound reflection. Death is not a coincidence; it is a seal upon the spiritual condition of a person. If someone dies in obedience to Allah, he will be resurrected in an honourable state; if he dies in disobedience, he will be resurrected in humiliation. Therefore, a believer must be vigilant in preserving his faith and maintain this vigilance at every moment of his life so that he does not slip in his faith and fall into loss.

Love for the Holy Prophet

  

Islam preaches belief in all the Prophets of Allah and calls for love and respect among all of us (prophets). Yet for a true believer in Islam, it is necessary to love the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) more than one’s own family. This love is essential, for it teaches the believer the value of obedience to Allah and obedience to His Prophet; and the Prophet who has been granted the highest rank before Allah is indeed Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). Thus, naturally and contextually in Islam, respect and love for the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) must be elevated. Allah commanded His Prophet to say: “If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Al-Imran 3: 32)

The Sacrifice behind Eid-ul-Adha

 

Eid-ul-Adha (Bakr Eid) remains a profoundly sacred moment – the greatest Eid – which recalls an extraordinary story: that of the Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (as) and his son Hazrat Isma’il (as). Allah commanded Hazrat Ibrahim (as) through a vision to sacrifice his son, Hazrat Isma’il (as). Hazrat Isma’il (as) had not yet reached the age of puberty, yet at this tender age he accepted with complete submission that his father should sacrifice him by Allah’s command; Hazrat Isma’il (as) displayed unparalleled courage and faith. The Qur’an honours him in these words, where his sacrifice was immortalised: “When they both submitted (to Allah’s command) and Ibrahim laid him down upon his forehead, We called out to him: ‘O Ibrahim, you have indeed fulfilled the vision.’ Thus do We reward those who do good. Surely this was a clear test.” (As-Saffat 37: 104-107).

Eid-ul-Adha Sermon 2026

 Hajj & Qurbani

In its spiritual depth, Hajj and Qurbani are two rites that mark the soul of the Islamic Ummah and which, each year, remind some among us of the sacrifices of two great prophets of Allah – Hazrat Ibrahim (as) and Hazrat Isma’il (as), as well as the sacrifice of Hazrat Isma’il’s (as) mother, Hazrat Hajra (ra).

This year, while the world is prey to conflicts, political tensions and war, these rites remind us that true peace lies in submission to one Creator, one God, the Only True God: Allah (twa). They also make us realise that as long as we, Muslims, are not faithful to Islam as we should be, as long as we are not faithful to its teachings, whether in terms of Qur’anic teachings or prophetic teachings (the Sunnah), then Islam and Muslims will continue to feel weakened within, despite the fact that Allah has given us the capacity to prevail over adversaries and relentless enemies who wish to eradicate Islam and Muslims from the surface of the earth.