Referring to the anniversary of Ashura and the bitter and unfortunate incident of Karbala, the most influential Iranian Sunni leader explained the philosophy of Imam Hussein’s uprising, during his Friday sermons of Zahedan, Iran.
Shaikh Abdol-Hamid was talking to tens of thousands of worshippers before the Friday prayers on July 28, 2023.
Neither Yazid listened to critics, nor did he deserve to rule
The president of Darululoom Zahedan went on to shed light on the event of Karbala that caused the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the holy prophet, in details: “When the pledge of allegiance began to Yazid, Imam Hussain and the rest of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with all of them, did not pledge allegiance to Yazid. In a matter of fact, the Companions did not trust Yazid and considered him as a weak and as an incompetent ruler.”
“Enmity started from there, and the people of Yazid put severe pressures on the opponents. Imam Hussain, May Allah be pleased with him, stayed in Madinah for a while, the ruler of Madinah forced him to pledge allegiance to Yazid, but he refused. Sayyidana Hussein left Madinah to Makkah. Abdullah bin Zubair, may Allah be pleased with him, was the ruler of Makkah. Abdullah bin Zubair did not pledge allegiance to Yazid too. When the people of Iraq heard that the Companions and Sayyidana Hussain did not pledge allegiance to Yazid, they asked Imam Hussain to rise against Yazid and termed emirate the right of Hussain. This issue provoked the anger of Yazid,” said the Friday prayer leader of Sunnis in Zahedan.
He added: “Imam Hussain went to Kufah due to invitation of Iraqi people. Abdullah bin Abbas and some companions suggested Imam Hussain not to go to Kufa; they believed that the people of Kufa might not be able to fulfill their promises. When Sayyidana Hussein saw that the condition of the Muslim world was awful, he went to Kufa. After Imam Hussain arrived in Iraq, he realized that many of those who had written to him to rise, they had broken their promises and took the side of Yazid and Obaidullah bin Ziyad.”
Imam Hussain taught us that we should never accept humiliation
The Iranian top Sunni cleric continued his speech and said: “The incident of Karbala and Imam Hussain’s uprising had so many lessons for Muslims and for free people of the world. Imam Hussein did not accept captivity and said: Allow me to return to Medina to prevent bloodshed. Even he wanted to negotiate with Yazid directly, but some people did not give him the opportunity or permission. Sayyidana Hussain refused to be captured and said: humiliation is far away from us. Actually, Imam Hussain taught us that a Muslim should never accept humiliation.”
“When people left Imam Hussein alone in the desert of Karbala, he said in his last moments: Is there anyone who can help me? Only few people helped Imam Hussain, and he was martyred along with them. This incident shows that righteous people have no divine power to rescue themselves; rather, all things are in the hands of Allah Almighty. Governments and rulers have means of war as Yazid had power and army, but Imam Hussain, despite his greatness, did not have a fire to burn everyone, nor a sea to make drown everyone, nor a mountain to throw on his enemies,” Shaikh Abdol-Hamid further said.
“Imam Hossein taught us the lesson of courage, bravery, and freedom. Martyrdom is God’s grace and blessing. With martyrdom, Allah Almighty raised the status and position of Imam Hussein. Allah disgraced those who fought against Imam Hussain for the sake of power; many of them died humiliated,” he added more.
People must not be killed for the maintenance of government
The eminent Iranian Baloch leader of Zahedan said: “Yazid created the events of Karbala and Harrah. In the Battle of Al-Harrah, he attacked Madinah and for three days, he declared the lives, property, and capital of the people of Madinah lawful for his army. Karbala and Harrah were the two big crimes of Yazid that Muslims and history will not forgive. Yazid committed these crimes for the survival of his government. He was not ashamed of the city of the holy Prophet, peace be upon him, and of the Companions who lived there.”
“People should not be killed for the maintenance of the government. Muslim and non-Muslim governments should not kill people for the maintenance of the government. If Yazid had wisdom, he would have come to Imam Hussein and sought guidance from him. If he did so, people and Allah would have been pleased with him. The fact is that Yazid did not believe in dialogue, nor did he allow people to criticize. He was an incompetent ruler. Apart from a small minority, all Shiites, Sunnis, and all Muslims believe that Imam Hussain’s uprising was justified, and he wanted to establish justice and peace,” Imam of the Grand Makki Mosque further said.
The ruler should not be arrogant in front of the people
In another part of his Friday speech, the Iranian top Sunni leader went on to defend the Iranian nation, saying: “The Iranian nation is one of the best nations. This nation has accompanied the state for forty-four years. More than 98% of the people of Iran voted for the Islamic Republic and participated in the elections of all periods. The nation defended the territorial integrity of the country in an imposed war for eight years. Iranian women encouraged their children to defend the country’s territorial integrity. Men and women defended the country and accompanied the revolution and the system. All people have a right to be heard. We must respect their right and position.”
He added: “The system has everything from the nation. The people appoint all officials, directly or indirectly. It is the right of the people that they should be taken into consideration and their legitimate demands must be fulfilled.”
“Listen to the voice of the people. Be humble in front of the people,” Shaikh Abdol-Hamid underlined.
“Allah tells the holy Prophet, peace be upon him, to be humble in front of his followers. The ruler should not be arrogant in front of the people. The ruler must be with the people. Sit with people and listen to them. People’s dignity must be maintained. Do not attribute everything to the enemy. Allah and people know that enemies did not create all problems,” he said.
The Friday Khateeb of Zahedan continued: “The sick economy has destroyed the country’s assets. Everyone is suffering from severe economic problems. Economic problems have not been solved yet. When people are suffering from economic problems, do not put pressure on them in other issues.”
“If the people do not want an official, the people are right. In other countries, president, prime minister, governor, etc. may resign when people want. See what people want. Allah’s satisfaction is achieved when people are satisfied. If you have mercy on people, Allah will have mercy on you. If people leave us, everything will be difficult,” said the president of Darululoom Zahedan.
Exaggeration is prohibited in all religions
Mawlana Abdol-Hamid condemned exaggeration in religion and said: “Throughout history, after a passage of time, the next generations exaggerated about their ancestors and their religion. In the holy Qur’an, Allah Almighty has warned the People of the Book many times not to exaggerate. In fact, the holy Qur’an addresses the People of the Book to warn Muslims not to involve in exaggeration. Exaggeration is a kind of extremism that makes people move beyond the right path.”
“The People of the Book exaggerated about the Prophets and attributed the attributes of Allah to the Prophets. Christians called Jesus the son of Allah and believed in the Trinity. The Jews called Uzair the son of God, while Uzair was Allah’s servant,” he said.
“We must not set the attributes of Allah to His servants. Halal and haram are in the authority of Allah. Scholars cannot make something halal or haram; this is Allah’s right. Scholars must obey Allah. Allah warns not to put the righteous people in the place of Him and not to attribute God’s attributes to His servants. The Jews said that heaven belongs to them. Christians used to say that heaven belongs only to them and Jews will not enter heaven. Jews and Christians said that Muslims are not entering the paradise. Allah warns not to wish the things that are not in your hands. Let us not deceive ourselves,” the prominent Sunni leader of Iranian Balochistan said more.
He said: “We cannot determine the amount of reward, the heaven, and hell for anyone; these rewards are proven from the holy Qur’an and the noble Sunnah. We should not set a reward for any action. Dying in Qom, Mashhad or Makkah and Madinah cannot save anyone from the hell; good deeds are necessary to enter the Paradise. Let us follow what is mentioned in the Qur’an and in Sunnah. No Muslim, whether Shia or Sunni, should exaggerate in religion. Exaggeration is forbidden in all religions.”
“There is no book higher than the holy Qur’an. The holy Qur’an is the last divine book and reference. The best lesson and teachings are in the holy Qur’an. The holy Qur’an has the best lessons in all aspects of life; in belief, morality, and so on. When we have the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Sunnah, we do not need anything else; these are the commonalities among Muslims. Let us refer to the beginning of Islam,” Shaikh Abdol-Hamid said in his last points.
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