Imam Hussein’s Uprising Aimed at Reviving Spirit, Essence of Islam: Al-Azhar Scholar

IQNA –  An Egyptian scholar considered the purpose of Imam Hussein’s (AS) uprising to be the revival of the spirit and essence of religion at a time when authentic Islamic values ​​and morals had faded and only the shell and appearance of Islamic rituals remained.

Sheikh Nadi al-Badri, a professor at Al-Azhar Islamic University, said in a speech that the purpose of Imam Hussein’s (AS) uprising was to revive the values ​​and spirit of authentic Islam and call people to worship God.

Following is a translation of his speech, delivered Sunday on the day of Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS):

Someone said to Imam Hussein (AS): “O brother, those who accompany us will be martyred, but what about those who are not with us?” Imam Hussein (AS) said: “Such people do not reach the understanding of certain (profound) concepts. They are Muslims, but they do not understand the meaning of Imamate and the meaning of being sacrificed for the sake of Islam. “When there comes the help of Allah and the victory.” (Verse 1 of Surah An-Nasr)

Victory does not mean defeating the infidel armies fighting the Muslims and entering the lands of the infidels. If along with that, God has not opened their hearts to Islamic values, it is not victory. We consider this only victory on the battlefield, but this is not real victory.

Imam Hussein (AS) said: He who does not understand us has not understood victory. Such a person has not benefited from understanding the truth of sacrifice and self-sacrifice for the sake of religion and Islamic values. This is the foundation that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) laid. When the infidels of Quraysh came to him [the Messenger] and asked him to abandon his call and in return offered him great wealth and power. They said, “We will build better palaces for you than (those of kings of Persia and the Roman Empire).”

The Prophet (PBUH) said: “I swear by God, if you place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to make me abandon this call, I will not abandon my call until God makes it manifest and destroys the enemies.”

The main purpose of Imam Hussein (AS) in the uprising was to make the religion of God manifest; a religion whose sanctities had been desecrated and people worshipped individuals and their wealth. People worshipped the gold of the Umayyads and their positions. One sought the rule of Rey and the other wanted the rule of Basra; one sought the rule of Khorasan and the other sought the rule of Transoxiana or the rule of Egypt, etc.

People were selling their religion, values, and morals. Religion had become a superficial matter that had no soul or substance. The soul and inner core of religion had been covered. The call to prayer had no soul. The worshippers were far from the spirit of prayer. But there was one who stuck to his covenant. The spirit of Islam was not seen in the rituals, lives, and consciences of Muslims.

For this reason, our master, Imam Hussein (AS), rose up to guide people from worshipping individuals to worshipping God, as the essence of his grandfather’s religion and calling was to lead people from darkness to light.

Imam Hussein (AS) said: “I rose up to reform the affairs of my grandfather’s nation, to revive the enjoinment of good and prohibition of evil. My uprising is not out of rebellion, pleasure, corruption, or oppression.” Our master Imam Hussein (AS) rose up for this purpose, to stop falsehood.

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