Kerbala The Completion of Proof

Majlis Two Ustad Syed Jawad Naqvi (2nd Moharram ul Haraam, 1433 AH)

Recap Kerbala The Completion of the Final Proof is our subject of discussion. Imam Hussain (AS)s letter to Bani Hashim on his departure from Medina holds the meaning of an entire universe. He summarised all facts related to his uprising in this single letter in a single sentence and the addressees were not only Bani Hashim in Medina but all mankind who will exist till the resurrection day. Imam Hussain (AS) wrote a will and handed to his brother Mohammad Ibn Hanafiyah saying I have only risen to rectify, to reform the affairs of the Ummah of my grandfather and of my father. I want to invite people towards good and forbid them from evil. This will is meant for the entire mankind in which he has mentioned the reasons for his uprising. The will is an answer to all queries related to the events in Kerbala that arise in other peoples mind. This letter was an act of Itmaam e Hujjat (this was the last possible option leaving no excuses for denial) for the Bani Hashim, the Islamic Ummah and the entire mankind. Itmaam e Hujjat is a proverb that we use daily in our conversations. It is actually a Sunnat e Ilahi (practice of God) to carry out Itmaam e Hujjat. Allah (SWT) mentions in the Holy Quran that He doesnt destroy a man or a nation unless He sets and completes his Hujjat (argument). He also says that all invalid excuses are seized from man used to accomplish his crimes and then sentences him to punishment later. Hajj, Hajjah and Hujjat Prophets and infallibles are known as Hujjat e Ilahi over people on earth. We frequently use the word Hujjat when we address Imam AlMahdi (atfs) as if it is his title or name. The terms Hajj and Hujjat in Arabic are derived from the same family Hajjah meaning to intend on doing something and thereafter accomplishing the intention. Hajj also means the same when man intends to perform the rituals and sets off to obey Allah (SWT)s command. Literary researchers have said that the term Hajjah also means to stop. Not that the word Hajjah has two different meanings but these meanings are combined as one to define Hajjah i.e. Hajjah means the intention to perform something and also the intention to stop one from performing something. These are always the two intentions of man, either to achieve something or to lose. Like some Muslims make an intention not to pray during their lives and they remain firm with their decision too but call themselves staunch Momin (the pious). The difference between the Arabic script of Hajjah and Hujjat is the replacement of Dhammah (paish in Urdu) on Hujjat with the sign Fathah (zabar in Urdu) on Hajjah. Hajjah is the completion of the pilgrimage while Hujjat is that action which helps you to stop someone from doing a particular task. Ihtijaj is that act which acts an obstacle to prove the opponents claim wrong. Hence, Hujjat is that

everyactthatyouperformtofalsifyotherstasksorclaimstostophimfurther.Oneproofthatyou presentisthatyouarestandingonthebanneroftruthandtheotheroneisthatyouropponents claimsarewrong.Wetendtodothisdaily;probablysome100menheremusthavepresentedtheir proofstoothersandbeliedtheirproofsinreturn. Interpretation of the term Hujjat Butremember,Hujjatisnotsimplypresentingourclaimtotheopponent.Itisthecounterproofthat weposewhenouropponentopposesouroriginalclaim.ThisdiscussionthenleadstoIlmeMantiq thestudythatteachesthemethodofestablishingproofstofalsifyclaims.ItiscalledMantiqbecause itgrantsyouthepowerofspeech.Manypeopleareawareoffactsandfiguresbutdonothavethe arttoproveanything.Therearereligiouspeoplewhoareawareoftheirreligionbutunabletoprove itright. Hence,Hujjatisthenamegiventoallthoseresourcesusedtostopsomeonefromdoingsomething. Itcaneitherbeaprooftostopsomeoneorcanbeanyotherresourcetostopthrougha conversationetc.(exceptforgun!) Creation of doubts by Imam e Raazi ImameRaaziisoneoftheexcellentscholarsoftheAhleSunnat.Hiseducationaldignityisfound eventoday.HehaswrittenabookineveryfieldTafseer,HadithandPhilosophy.Itissaidabout himthathedoubtedeverythingintopicsthatstartedfromAllah(SWT)tilltheDayofQayamati.e. everything,hencehewasknownasImameMushshakkikeen(TheImamofDoubts).Scholarslike MartyrAyatullahMutahharipraisedhimandsayifitwerentforImameRaaziwhoestablishedsuch doubtsinliteraryfield,manyscholarswouldnthaveponderedoversuchfields.Thedoubts encouragedotherscholarstoanalysethesubjectsindetail. ImameRaaziestablishedmanyproofstoprovetheexistenceofAllah(SWT).Hewasaspecialistin manyaffairsandwasalsoknownasKhateebeRaazibecausehewasarenownedspeaker. Wheneverhewentfromonetowntoanother,sevencamelswereburdenedwithhisbooksofstudy whichwerethenhugelypiledoverthestageandhisstudentsonleftandrightwouldbeavailableto lookforreferencesinthosebooks. Onedayhethoughttohimselfthatheestablishesphilosophicalproofs(BurhaneHarkat,Burhane Hudoos,BurhaneNazam)toprovetheexistenceofAllah(SWT)buthowdoesanordinaryman believeintheexistenceofGodsinceothershadnoknowledgeofphilosophy.Hence,hedecidedto askthisquestiontoanordinarymanandapproachedashepherdaskingifhebelievedinGod.He repliedinpositive.HeaskedifhehadanyproofstobelieveinHisexistenceandhesaidyes.Imame Raazididntaskhimforproofsbutcleverlyaskedhimifadisbelieverappearedinfrontofhimand deniestheexistenceofGod,howtheshepherdbeingthefollowerofGodwouldproveHisexistence. Theshepherdliftedhisstickandsaid,ThisismyproofforexistenceofGod!ImameRaazisaidhis proofwasverystrongbecauseanydisbelieverwiththisproofcanneverdenytheexistenceofGod. Proofisnotthenamegiventoastick.HujjatisnotthetermforgunpointsbutHujjatisthataction whichhelpsyoutostopsomeonefromdoingaparticulartask.ThesamemeaningofHujjatisusedin theHolyQuran,HadithandalsousedforProphetsandInfallibleswhoaretheleadersofthe Ummah.

Prophets as Hujjat e Ilahi The Prophets (AS) are sent by Allah (SWT) as Muballighand Rasool to deliver His message to mankind. The Prophets were not sent to nations who were emptyminded. They had some belief or the other under the cover of religion or God before each of them was sent to their respective nations. Each one of us present here also have some belief or the other about Islam. For instance, we all know so much about Karbala that probably our brain will not accept to receive any further information. Some of us attend these Majalis with intentions not to receive any other information other than the one already existing in our brain banks. Allah (SWT) says these minds are not full with knowledge but He has sealed such minds (KhatamallahuAlaQuloobihim). When you finish writing a topic and there is still some space left on your sheet, you seal it with your signature because youre done with what you had to write. Sometimes, you dont seal your essay with your signature because you want to complete it some other day with further information. Sealing an essay means no further information can be added, if written after a seal the information is considered not under the law. Sealing of Hearts Every ordinary or a scholarly man who says they know the religion in complete and needs no more knowledge of anything must repent and be fearful of his thoughts. He himself has sealed his heart. He has the capacity of learning but he has sealed his heart and announced that he wont receive any further education. Such people are known KhatamallahuAlaQuloobihim. Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) that He has granted knowledge to him through divine revelations. Even though the Prophet (SAW) had this complete knowledge, he prays to God, Rabbi ZidniIlma to grant him more knowledge.He is the seal of the Prophets but still says RabbiZidni Ilma. Hence, never say that you know everything. Our respected teacher says, The one who says that he doesnt require further knowledge is in fact beginning his first day of illiteracy. Allah (SWT) seals such peoples hearts who claim they dont require any further knowledge. Tazkiya and Taleem Allah (SWT) sent His Prophets to guide people as HujjateKhuda. There were two tasks given to them. One was to deliver Allah (SWT)s message to the people (Taleem)and the other was to seize their existing beliefs in return (Tazkiya). People had beliefs that were passed down to them by their forefathers. Hence they were told, TaalaowMaAnzalaIlallah(Come towards the Mesage of Allah). The people replied, HasbunaMaWajadnaAlaiyhiAabaana (You give us the message of Allah (SWT) whereas our forefathers message is already with us). Every society and nation clung to their forefathers beliefs and culture. When the Holy Prophet (SAW) was sent to the city of Makkah, the people there already had their own Gods, holy places, school of thought and laws all were nothing but ignorance. He was given the task of Tazkiya(to pull the nation away from their forefathers beliefs) and Taleem (delivering the message of Allah SWT).

One task is executed with proofs and the other with Hujjat. To prove Allah (SWT) is one, we need proofs but not Hujjat. But to pull idolaters from their Gods made of stone, Hujjatis required. Hence, the Holy Prophet (SAW) established proofs to announce oneness of Allah (SWT) and practiced Ihtijaj (seizing excuses for denial) to pull the nation away from idolatry. HujjateKhudaare those sent by Allah (SWT) who pull their people away from falsehood. An infallible is also known as Hujjat because he is given the task to pull people away from manmade beliefs towards beliefs set by Allah (SWT). Hence, an infallible is a proof, Hadi(the one who guides) and a Hujjatover the people. Quran as Hujjat Another example of Hujjatis the Holy Quran itself. It is the book of complete guidance, a proof and a Hujjattoo. It is known as Burhan because it delivers the message of Allah (SWT) to people, Bayyinahbecause it presents proofs to its opponents and Hujjatbecause it pulls away those who are astray from the path of Allah (SWT) and seizes all excuses that are used to disobey Islam. The Holy Quran mentions a few people who practiced Muhaajjahwith the Prophets. Muhaajjah means two people practicing Hujjatwith each other at the same time. In other situations, either the first person remains silent and listens to the second one or the first person talks/teaches and the second ones listens to him. Such situations are known as Hujjat because one is active and the other one listens to him. In Muhaajjah, both people attempt to present their own claims and negate each others claims. Muhaajjahis just like the term Muqaatilahwhere two people kill each other, Mubaarizah where two people fight one another etc. Muhaajjah In 258th Ayah of Surah Al Baqarah, Allah (SWT) mentions the incident of a man practicing Muhaajjah with Prophet Ibrahim (AS) over the existence of Lord. (2:258HastthounotTurnedthyvisiontoone whodisputedwithAbrahamAbouthisLord,becauseAllahhadgrantedhimpower?) Ibrahim (AS) wanted that nation to stop worshipping idols and this act is known as Hujjat eIbrahimiand they in turn wanted Ibrahim (AS) to stop worshipping Allah (SWT) which is known as HujjateAazari,Hujjate Shaitani. Aazar would present proofs to Ibrahim (AS) and vice versa to bring an end to each others beliefs. Similarly, many verses in the Holy Quran discuss the subject of Hujjatand Muhaajjah. We must recite and ponder over the verses, its translation and Tafseer(interpretation) of the Holy Quran. Having discussed the meaning of Hujjat,we will now discuss its relevance with ItmaameHujjat. ItmaameHujjatis the complete and perfect act (HujjateKaamil,HujjateTamaam)also referred to as HujjatulBaalighah in the Holy Quran. Proof: While discussing the common topics of weather, business, religion, societal issues etc., two people simply present their proofs to prove their point. Hujjat: Presenting proofs and thereby convincing the other one to nullify his proof and believe what the other one has to say.

A conversation of ten minutes might produce ten different Hujjat by two people. Person A might present his proof and convince Person B to get rid of his belief and vice versa. The conversation goes on till Person A or Person B presents such a strong proof that turns the other person speechless. This last proof that turned the person speechless and answerless is known as HujjateTamaamorHujjat eKaamilorHujjateBaalighah and the process of reaching HujjateTamaamis known as Itmaame Hujjat. The book Maqsad e Imam Hussain (AS) Imam Hussain (AS) rose against Yazeed (LA) due to many aspects. Due to a limited insight, some of us choose only one or few aspects. A book named MaqsadeQayameImamHussainreveals the purposes for Imam Hussain (AS)s uprising. There are thousands of views about the incident of Karbala but the most important ones are listed as 20 by Shiite,Sunni,Christians and Non Muslim researchers in the book. We are mostly aware of the poetic aspects of Karbala because we hear from preachers who discuss the poetic version of it whereas researchers always look for new aspects in the event. Karbala is like a sea, if you stand at its shore, you can never see the other part of it. Probably, you can only see a few kilometres apart but not more. Similarly, those who stand at the shore of Karbala have seen only a limited area and neglected other areas. But, if we combine individual and unique aspects of each researcher, we somewhat get a complete collection. Imam Hussain (AS) is Hujjat e Kaamilah e Khuda A view of those aspects regarding Imam Hussain (AS)s uprising says that Imam (AS) rose to establish his Hujjat to Muslims, scholars, governors and to all those who are yet to come till the resurrection day. Hence, Imam Hussain is HujjateTaammaheKhuda,HujjateBaalighaheKhuda,Hujjate KaamilaheKhuda. Imam Ali (AS) says, The biggest signof Allah SWT is myself. We address a few scholars with respect as AyatullahilUdhma means a big sign of Allah (SWT). We also address a few as HujjatulIslam(the authority of Islam). It means, that character, views, knowledge and the ways of life through which people are pulled from irreligiousness and getting them on the right path. This is the proper meaning of HujjatulIslamwhich we have turned into a certificate degree. Hujjatused for the infallibles is not the certificate degree but they are the HujjateKhuda, because someone who gets rid of himself from falsehood is through the means of the infallibles. If you see someone committing idolatry, thank God by the meansof our infallibles who have by the means of Allah (SWT) pulled us out from the sin of idolatry. The Hujjat of Imam Hussain (AS) We would have been the follower of a cruel dictator like Yazeed (LA) if it werent for Hussain Ibn Ali (AS) because is a HujjateKhuda.But what Hujjatdid he do? His Hujjatwas to provide religious reasons for that Ummah inclined towards falsehoof thereby leaving no excuse for his denial. We also practice usury and other crimes and present religious justifications.

A respected teacher of ours used to say that he would forgive a common man if he back bitted him but would never forgive a scholar or a student if he did the same because a scholar and a student would first find a religious excuse to legalize their act of backbiting him whereas a common man is still given the title of Momin. Definition of Rectification and Reformation of Ummah Imam Hussain (AS) rose to rectify and to reform the affairs of the Ummah of his grandfather, not to rectify someones prayers, Quranic Makhrajor teach the rituals of Hajjor TaudheehulMasael. Everyone counted as Ummah were aware of all these teachings because they were still the first generation of Islam along with a few of the second generation too. Some laws were taught to them by the Holy Prophet (SAW) himself, his companions, the Ahlulbayt and few had learned themselves. A big proof of them being knowledgeable was the proper offering of the pilgrimage at Makkah when Imam Hussain (AS) had abandoned his rituals. Imam (AS) witnessed a deviation in the Ummah during the Hajj. He did ItmaameHujjaton them to get rid of this deviation saying that sitting at home that particular day was an unreligious act and none had any religious excuse to do so. He said there stood no valid reason to offer the Hajjrituals, to visit the graves in Madina or to remain silent in Kufa. The entire Ummah, Shiitesand Sunni,had drafted their own reasons for not performing other tasks other than those they had already been doing. These people included the BaniHashim too to whom Imam (AS) had addressed the letter. Imam (AS)s Single Sentenced Letter As we discussed earlier, Imam (AS)s letter to BaniHashim comprised of a single sentence. For example, a person departs his house and usually writes a brief letter of a single sentence and gives to his family or a depressed youth who plans to abandon his family writes a sentence on mirror like Donttrytogetintouchwithme!or something similar. Or the instance of a man who wakes up in the morning expecting a breakfast from his wife and then he notices a note from his wife kept on the side saying, PreparebreakfastyourselfsinceIamgoingtomyparentshouse. The meaning of these oneliners is that the one who departs is not satisfied because he expressed all his thoughts in just a single line. Observe what Imam Hussain (AS) wrote to BaniHashim, his own brothers who chose to stay behind in Madina. He writes, IntheNameofAllah,theCompassionate,theMerciful FromHussaintoallthemembersofBaniHashim,thosewhoaccompanymemustknowthatheshall bemartyred.Andthosewhodontcomewithmeandremainhereshallneverseegooddaysand neverbeabletoaccomplishtaskswitheaseduringhislife. WithPeace. No Excuses For Bani Hashim Imam (AS) wrote this letter to tell them that they had no excuse to stay back in Madina. He reminded them that they were Sayyed, from the families of the Holy Prophet(SAW), Imam Ali (AS) and Lady Fatema Zahra (SA) and that the Imam (AS) himself was the Hujjatfor them at that time.

Firstly, he did ItmaameHujjaton his brothers, companions and others in Madina then he did ItmaameHujjaton the people performing Hajj in Makkah and finally did ItmaameHujjaton Shiites living in Kufa. He had proved all peoples excuses in Madina, Makkah and Kufa wrong. And finally he proved all excuses of disgrace wrongby not surrendering himself and sacrificing his head in Karbala. He seized the excuse from all those wearing the necklaces of disgrace in their necks saying that God has granted necks for exaltation and not to wear necklaces of disgrace. God willingly, we will discuss Imam(AS)s method of ItmaameHujjaton each of the groups of Madina, Makka and Kufa in our next Majlis.