West News Wire: For Muslims, the Day of Ashura, which falls on the tenth day of Muharram each year, is very important. A famous leader named Hussain and his comrades are thought to have been brutally murdered thirsty on this day. His family was also taken prisoner. The tenth day of Muharram, also known as Ashura, is extremely significant to Muslims worldwide.
Historical accounts and documents are not covered in depth in this article. Instead, we defer to the readers’ research on this subject. Our goal is to convey various historical leaders and thinkers’ opinions on Ashura Day and Hussain from around the world. We intend to accomplish this to respond to the question, “Who is Hussain?”
Charles Dickens (a famous English writer)
“If Husain (as) had fought to quench his worldly desires…then I do not understand why his sister, wife, and children accompanied him. It stands to reason therefore, that he sacrificed purely for Islam.”
Thomas Carlyle (a British essayist, historian, and philosopher)
“The best lesson which we get from the tragedy of Karbala is that Hussein and his companions were rigid believers in God. They illustrated that numerical superiority does not count when it comes to the truth and the falsehood. The victory of Hussein, despite his minority, marvels me!”
Edward Browne (British orientalist)
“Is there a heart that may not brim with grief and sorrow when it hears about the tragedy of Karbala, even a non-Muslim also cannot deny the cleanness and purity of this Islamic war.”
Frederick James (historian and author)
“The lesson of Hussain and every other martyr hero is that in the world there are eternal principles of justice pity and love which are irrevocable. It also means that whenever someone resist these traits and mankind shows persistence toward them, those principles will always remain firm in the world.”
M. Boyd (American columnist)
“Throughout the centuries, human being have always loved the courage, braveness, heroism and the greatness of heart and at the same time, freedom and justice never surrender to the oppressive and arrogant powers. This was the courage and the greatness of Imam Hussain; I am pleased that I have participated with the one who gave great sacrifice wholeheartedly, though 1300 years have passed since its history.”
Tomas Masaryk (a Czechoslovak statesman, political activist and philosopher)
“It was possible for Hussain to save his life by submitting himself to the will of Yazid, but his responsibility as a reformer did not allow him to accept Yazid’s Caliphate. He, therefore, prepared to embrace all sorts of discomfort and inconvenience to deliver Islam from the hands of the Omayyads. Under the blazing sun, on the parched land, and against the stiffing heat of Arabia, stood the immortal Hussain.”
“Although our clergies also move us while describing the Christ’s sufferings, but the zeal and zest that is found in the followers of Hussain is like a blade of straw in front of a huge mountain.”
Maurice Dekobra (French writer)
“Hussein scarified his life, belongings and children in the way of his honor, dignity, his people and the greatness of Islam; hi did not give in to Yazid’s arrogance and adventures. So let us symbolize him and get ourselves rid of Yazid and the likes and prefer an honored death over a disgraceful life. This is a summary of the teachings of Islam.”
Marbin, German (German orientalist)
“Hussain taught the world a lesson of sacrifice and devotion by sacrificing his dearest people and proving his innocence and righteousness and registered the name of Islam and Islamists in history and made it famous in the world. This great soldier of Islamic world showed the people of the world that cruelty and oppression are not sustainable, and no matter how strong the base of oppression is, it will fly away like a straw in front of truth and righteousness.”
Mahatma Gandhi (Indian independence leader)
“I have not brought for the people of India anything new. I have conveyed to the people of India what I have searched about the history of the hero of Karbala. If we must save India, it is necessary that we follow the same way that Hussain, Son of Ali followed.
“I learned from Hussain how to achieve victory while being oppressed.”
Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Former Governor-General of Pakistan)
“The world is unable to present an example finer and brighter than the personality of Imam Hussein. He was the embodiment of love, valor and personification of sacrifice and devotion. Every Muslim must learn a lesson from his life and should seek guidance from him.”
Bint Al Shati (Egyptian writer)
“Zainab, the sister of Hussain ibn Ali, disrupted the triumph of Ibn Ziyad and the Umayyad dynasty by tainting their cup of victory with drops of poison. Throughout subsequent political events following Ashura, such as the uprising of Mukhtar and Abdullah bin Zubair, the downfall of the Umayyad government, the establishment of the Abbasid government, and the growth of the Shia religion, Zainab, the heroine of Karbala, played a provocative role.”
Liaquat Ali Khan (Former Prime Minister of Pakistan)
“These Muharram days are a great meaning for Muslims all over the world. On this day, one of the saddest and most tragic events in Islam happened. Martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain in the midst of grief was a sign of the final conquest of the true spirit of Islam. Because it was considered a complete surrender to the divine will. This lesson teaches us that no matter what the problems and dangers are, we should not be careless and deviate from the path of truth and justice.”
George Jordac (a Christian author and poet from Lebanon)
“When Yazid encouraged people to murder Hussain and ordered them for bloodshed, they said: How much would you pay? But the companions of Hussain (a.s.) said to him: “We are with you; even if we get killed 72 times still we would like to fight along with you and get killed again.”
Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad (Egyptian journalist)
“Courage is a characteristic that is not alien to Hussain. He inherited this perfect attribute from his ancestors and later passed it on to his progeny. In the entire history of humankind, no one has been found to be braver than Hussain.
“Among all the children of Adam, no one has undertaken a braver action than the measure Hussain undertook at Karbala.”
