Rising against oppression: The enduring legacy of Karbala.

When the soldiers of Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad forced Imam Husayn (AS) to stop their journey, and disembark in Karbala, Imam (as) addressed his companions, discussing how life under tyranny and oppression cannot be lived, and that one must rise against any tyrant:

Don't you see that what is true and right is not acted upon and what is false and wrong is not forbidden? In such a situation, the man of faith yearns for the meeting with his Lord. Indeed, (in such conditions) to me death is happiness, and life under the yoke of tyrants is disgrace.

These words haven’t lost any potency to the vagaries of time, and resonate as piercingly today as they did centuries ago.  The struggle against oppression and tyranny continues today, and the message of Karbala provides great inspiration. The advent of the so-called Arab Spring has resulted in an awakening of the masses, who are choosing to rise from their decades of slumber in oppression, and strive for truth and what is right. They strive against autocracies, and against the system which divides the trappings of power amongst a select few. They strive against an interpretation of religion enforced by the state.

Amidst this, a clamour arises, after years of being unheard. Certain “scholars”, in the name of religion, start spouting rulings, calling illicit any upheaval and uprising against the state. They base this on the teachings first of Ahmed ibn Hanbal and more recently of Ibn Taymiyyah. According to such “scholars”: “It is not permissible to fight the ruler or rebel against him even if he oppresses.”  Several rulings were issued against all the recent uprisings in the Middle East with these opinions in mind.

These rulings were obviously issued to protect the interests of the current rulers, who choose to use a convenient interpretation of Islam for their own advancements.

It is clear in The Holy Qur’an, 4: 135: “O believers, be maintainers of justice, bearers of witness for God's sake, even though it be against yourselves, or [your] parents or kinsfolk, whether the man be rich or poor; God is over and above them [in preference]. Therefore don't follow [your] base desires, lest you deviate, and if you swerve or turn aside, then surely God is aware of what you do.” The injunction to strive for justice is clearly established, with no exclusions.

Sura al-Baqarah (2:193) further commands: “And fight them until fitnah (sedition, discord, persecution, corruption) is no more, and until the religion of God prevails. But if they desist, then let there be no hostility except against the oppressors.”  This establishes the obligation to fight the oppressors, even if there be hostility.

The events of Karbala are in concordance with Divine Teachings, and must be held up as a guiding light. It is thus obligatory to support uprisings against unjust rulers, especially in the case of a country such as Bahrain, which has been forsaken by most of the world. We need to be aware of what’s happening, and continuously pour out heart, body and soul into striving against injustice.

While such uprisings are on a much larger (macro) scale, the necessity to translate the struggle against oppression in our everyday lives is equally important. On a micro scale we need to strive against oppressive practices in our homes and society. We need to stand against drug abuse and domestic violence. We need to stand against bullying and theft and all sorts of petty crime. We need to look around and try and continuously strive to make a change for the better in our homes and communities.

We need to put our fears aside, and aspire to the courage of Husayn ibn Ali (AS), as he stood alone, facing an army of thousands, on the desolate burning plains of Karbala.