Mourning history to never forget

Throughout history there are lots of events which history can't forget them; You may have heard about Ashura, but now with no religious view, I wanna briefly introduce this day and event to you;

At first lets read some of the famous leaders, writers, philosophers and historians' opinions about this happening, shall we?

Mahatma Gandhi (Leader of Indian Independence):

I have read the life of Imam Hussein, the great martyr of Islam, carefully and have paid enough attention to the history of Ashura and it is clear to me, It has been said that if India wants a free country, it must follow Imam Hussein.

Charles Dickens (famous English writer):

If Imam Hussein meant a war for mundane desires, I do not understand why his sisters, wives and children were with him. Therefore, reason dictates that he made his sacrifice only for the sake of Islam and his beliefs.

Thomas carlyle (English philosopher and historian):

The best lesson we can learn from the tragedy of Ashura is that Hussein and his companions had firm faith in God. By their actions, they made it clear that numerical superiority does not matter where right and wrong go, and that Hussein's victory, despite his minority, surprises me.

Edward Brown(Famous English Orientalist):

Is there a heart that does not become tainted with sorrow when it hears about Ashura? Even non-Muslims can not deny the spiritual purity that took place in this Islamic war under its banner.

Washington Irving (Famous American Historian):

It was possible for Imam Hussein to save his life by surrendering to his enemy, but the responsibility of the leader and movement of Islam did not allow him to recognize his enemy as the caliphate. He soon prepared himself to accept any inconvenience and pressure in order to free Islam from the clutches of the enemies. Hussein's soul is immortal under the scorching sun of the dry land and on the scorched sands of Saudi Arabia. O hero and example of courage and my knight, O Hussein!

Thomas Masaryk (president of the Czechoslovakia) :

Although our priests are impressed by the mention of the sufferings of Jesus Christ, the passion found in the followers of Hussein will not be found in the followers of Christ, and seems to be the cause of the sufferings of Christ in The sufferings of Hussein are like straw in front of a huge mountain.

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now, what had happened that make all of this people (and a lot more which I didn't mention) to think and affected them this much, I'll introduce you briefly about the happenings of Ashura and Imam Hussein. Ashura , the tenth day of Muharram in the Hijri calendar , is the mourning day of Muslims specially Shiites. This day is famous among the Shiites due to the events of Ashura in the year 61 AH, on which Hussein ibn Ali - the third Imam of the Shiites - and his companions were killed in the Karbala incident.

On this day, a battle took place between the army of Hussein ibn Ali and the army sent by Yazid near a place called Karbala (in present-day Iraq ).

It is said that the reason for Yazid ibn Mu'awiyahYazid; the corrupt, tyrant and illegitimate ruler, for the war was that Hussein ibn Ali did not pledge allegiance to him. Allegiance is literally knowing someone's caliphate or kingdom; It also means making a covenant to obey someone.

why did Imam Hussein reject the allegiance?

Not long after the death of Prophet Muhammad, the Muslims had slid into political turmoil and corruption as the Omayyad dynasty usurped power and slowly began destroying the moral fabric of society and Islam. Just like his father and brother, Imam Hussein was a leader widely known for his compassion, wisdom and integrity. He rejected to pay Yazid an oath of allegiance in order to gain credibility for his illegal rule and to keep Islam's rules and moralities alive. Out of his moral obligation and principles of social and political justice, Imam Hussein refused to pledge allegiance and legalize Yazid’s corruption and repression, despite it being a risk to his life.

what happened on the battle?

imam Hussein's army was including his family members; women and children and lesser than a hundred warrior, on the other side, Yazid's army was including more than 30000 warrior!! and the more strangely, the Yazid's army was intercepting water from Imam Hussein and his followers including children!

During The Battle of Karbala, Yazid killed Imam Hussein and 72 of his companions including his 6month old baby and enthrall the remaining women and children.

what a clear loss you may say, but the interesting fact is that After more than 1400 years, Imam Hussein still has the capability to awaken the oppressed people to heroically resist and to never approve any hegemonic power, Shiites around the world mourn this day annually to remember that they should never accept any coercion and injustice just like their leaders Imam Hussein.

Today, pilgrims, from all across the world, pay tribute to Imam Hussein’s courageous stand and regard him as a symbol of resistance who stood for humanitarian values of sacrifice, freedom and dignity.

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with no religious background, surely Imam Hussein is the great role model for any person around the history and world who wants freedom and who is resisting against injustice.