Now that the season of mourning Abi Abdillah Al-Husayn (as) has reached its temporary conclusion, now what? For the past two months, many of us attended majlis al-azaa regularly. Many of us observed the state of grief and mourning and sponsored events in the name of Imam Husayn (as). Many of us participated in azadari (mourning) activities and lamented over the tragedy of Karbala. Some of us cried our eyes out while feeling the pain of the atrocities which was inflicted on Imam Husayn (as) and his family. With these pure feelings of love and devotion to the prophetic household, we are blessed with the reward of forgiveness of our sins and glad tidings of Paradise. But let us now ask ourselves what is the next step? And where do we go from here? The months of Muharram and Safar have passed with its clouds of grief and mourning, but what have we learned from the remembrance of the massacre of Karbala?
Human beings typically display three types of reactions to any event in their lives.
For example, if a person gets into an auto accident, he may first experience an emotional reaction of panic, fear, and anxiety. These emotional feelings will then motivate the person to think about what to do to alleviate and deal with this situation in the best and quickest way possible. With some thought process, the person will convert his emotional and intellectual reaction to action and that is, to call for help and dial 911 for emergency aid.
But if the person does not act to help his own situation, and if he merely stops at the stage of emotional reaction, there will not be any meaning to that emotional outpour and he may even hurt himself by his lack of action.
When we speak about the great tragedy of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (as), this most heinous event in the history of mankind naturally induces an outpour of emotional and psychological reaction by any human who hears of the atrocities which transpired in Karbala. After all, the mere mention of the name ‘Husayn’ is enough to soften the heart and spring a river of tears to the eyes such that one of the names he is known as is “Qateel Al Abaraat”.
But it is not enough for the lover and follower of Imam Husayn (as) to remain at the stage of emotional expression and it is imperative for us to proceed to the next level where we contemplates over the lessons, morals, and wisdom that we learned during the gatherings and lectures of Muharram. One must ask why did Imam Husayn (as) sacrifice all that he did while knowing well that he and his companions will be killed in the plains of Karbala and his women and children will be taken as captives to be paraded in the streets of Shaam and Kufa? Does Imam Husayn (as) want us to simply cry and mourn over his tragedy and not take any other action?
In fact, the believer who yearns to take lesson from Karbala must use his emotional outpour in grief over Imam Husayn to recharge himself on a yearly basis and motivate himself to act beyond the days of mourning and more than just the physical expression of grief. The believer must reflect on each and every event which took place in the life of Imam Husayn and extract the lessons to benefit himself and his society. After all, as Imam Husayn (as) summarized his goal, “I did not revolt for the cause of evil tyranny or corruption, but to reform my grandfather’s nation. I want to enjoin the good and denounce the evil, and take the course of my father and grandfather”.
The process of recharging the soul and self will lead the believer to the stage of deeds and active response which will include but is certainly not limited to the following:
We as the nation of Prophet Muhammad and the devotees of Imam Husayn (as) can benefit much better from the holy months of Muharram and Safar if we actively convert the emotions to energy which leads to actions in the way of Allah (swt). Just as we fill gas in our cars every once in a while and recharge our phones at the end of each day, we also need to recharge ourselves on a yearly basis at the very least and there is no better way to do so than by the fastest ship of salvation personified in the character of Imam Husayn (as). It is through his tragedy and through his immaculate personality that we learn the true Islam, and it is through the precious tears shed in these holy months that fills our hearts and souls with the fuel of energy, motivation, and action to actively serve Allah (swt) while taking Imam Husayn as our role model for perfection and righteousness.
Source: Islamic Insightsl