Wednesday, August 10, 2022
The month of Muharram which is one of the four months ordered to be paid respect in the Noble Quran was described by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) as “The Month of Allah(swt)” by referring its merit, divine cue and abundance of its blessing. Also since it is the beginning of the hijri (hegira) calendar, the Month of Muharram reminds us of the hegira walk of the Muslims to the new beginnings. The 10th day of the Month of Muharram which bears the traces of Islamic history and lives of the Prophets is realized as the Day of Ashura. On the other hand, the Month of Muharram bears the grief and sorrow of the martyrdoms of Hussain who is a noble member of ahl al-bayt and his friends.
Unfortunately on 10th day of the Month of Muharram in the year of Hijri (hegira) 61, Hussain who was one of the most beloved grandsons of our Beloved Prophet and nearly seventy belivers most of whom were from ahl al-bayt were martyred cruelly in Karbala. Therefore whenever the Month of Muharram comes from the sorrowful times to our hearts by sadness, we re-experience the unnameable sorrow.
This tragic event which wounds the hearts of Muslims deeply, has become the common expression of the same grief and sorrow for all the Muslims regardless of their geography, race, sect and culture for centuries.
No doubt that Karbala event has some messages crossing the epochs beyond an historical tragedy. In this regard, Karbala is a symbol of an honoured struggle against the injustice, uprising against the unjustness and holding to the justice and equity. It is the symbol of a noble walk to the name of the right-truth, fidelity and faithfulness.
Hussain and his friends who were cruelly martyred in Karbala deserts and who were the exemplars of justice, courage, braveness and high ethics, with their honoured struggle against oppression and injustice, have captured a distinguished place in the broad hearts of the ones who walk on the path of the Allah(swt). However, the ones who tortured the noble people to martyrdom have been condemned in the dark pages of the history forever.
Today the world of Islam is in a season of sorrow. Together with the sorrow of Karbala that hurts believing hearts, the wars, occupations, poverty, loneliness and other similar difficulties incurred by the world of Islam have transformed the geography of Islam to a land of sorrow. While our hearts are full of sorrow with grief of Hussain and his friends who were martyred for the sake of political ambitions, the flames of unrest, discord and terror continues to burn the people in the Islamic geography.
In this challenging time, the Muslims have to hold the righteous path of Allah(swt), the Quran and the Sunnah and dominate the message of the verse “The believers are but one brotherhood” (Hujurat, 49/10) to the life. They have to understand the tragic events in history such as Karbala and overcome the unrests experienced today.
I would like to take this occasion to commemorate all the Karbala martyrs beginning from Hussain who is the esteemed grandson of our Beloved Prophet(saw) and sons of Ali and Fatima and the ones who sacrifice their lives for the sake of religion, faith, and sacred values in the path of right and truth.
May the Almighty Allah (swt) make the Month of Muharram conduce to the end of all unrest and discord, chaos and fights and reinforcement of peace and brotherhood and make it as a ground for unity for the times of division.
Prof. Dr. Ali ERBAŞ
The President of Religious Affairs