This book is one of the many Islamic publications distributed by Mustafa Organization throughout the world in different languages with the aim of conveying the message of Islam to the people of the world. Mustafa Organization is a registered Organization that operates and is sustained through collaborative efforts of volunteers in many countries around the world, and it welcomes your involvement and support. Its objectives are numerous, yet its main goal is to spread the truth about the Islamic faith in general and the Shi`a School of Thought in particular due to the latter being misrepresented, misunderstood and its tenets often assaulted by many ignorant folks, Muslims and non-Muslims. Organization's purpose is to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge through a global medium, the Internet, to locations where such resources are not commonly or easily accessible or are resented, resisted and fought!

“Oh, Allah, You are my only trust in every calamity. You are my only hope in every hardship. You are the only promise in anxiety and distress, in which hearts become weak and (human) action becomes slight, whereby one is deserted and forsaken by his own friends, and the enemies take malicious pleasure and rejoice at his misfortunes. Oh, Allah, I submit myself to You. My complaint is to You alone against my enemies, and to You alone is my desire and request. Who else other than You can relieve me from grief? You alone are the custodian of every blessing and the master of every excellence and the last resort for every desire.” —the prayer of the Imam-Husayn (AS) on the Day of Ashura

In 680 C.E., a small band of the Prophet Muhammads family and their followers, led by his grandson, Husain, rose up in a rebellion against the ruling caliph, Yazid. The family and its supporters, hopelessly outnumbered, were massacred at Karbala, in modern-day Iraq. The story of Karbala is the cornerstone of institutionalized devotion and mourning for millions of Shii Muslims. Apart from its appeal to the Shii community, invocations of Karbala have also come to govern mystical and reformist discourses in the larger Muslim world. Indeed, Karbala even serves as the archetypal resistance and devotional symbol for many non-Muslims. Until now, though, little scholarly attention has been given to the widespread and varied employment of the Karbala event. In Reliving Karbala, Syed Akbar Hyder examines the myriad ways that the Karbala symbol has provided inspiration in South Asia, home to the worlds largest Muslim population. Rather than a unified reading of Islam, Hyder reveals multiple, sometimes conflicting, understandings of the meaning of Islamic religious symbols like Karbala. He ventures beyond traditional, scriptural interpretations to discuss the ways in which millions of very human adherents express and practice their beliefs. By using a panoramic array of sources, including musical performances, interviews, nationalist drama, and other literary forms, Hyder traces the evolution of this story from its earliest historical origins to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Today, Karbala serves as a celebration of martyrdom, a source of personal and communal identity, and even a tool for political protest and struggle. Hyder explores how issues related to gender, genre, popular culture, class, and migrancy bear on the cultivation of religious symbols. He assesses the manner in which religious language and identities are negotiated across contexts and continents. At a time when words like martyrdom, jihad, and Shiism are being used and misused for political reasons, this book provides much-needed scholarly redress. Through his multifaceted examination of this seminal event in Islamic history, Hyder offers an original, complex, and nuanced view of religious symbols.

How a Christian called al-Wahhab fought on the side of Imam Husayn at Karbala against the forces of darkness. That battle between tyranny and freedom took place long ago but it continues today. All sincere believers, Christians and Muslims alike, can join in.

Educated in Europe, working for much of his life in the USA and then around the world in the oil business, Haeri has a unique perspective to offer on the political history of the region. Interwoven with episodes from his own life he traces the collapse of the old consensus as dictators supported by the West destroyed the social ties that held the country together for centuries. Mixing with government ministers and meetings with Ayatollah Khomeini shaped his view of a people betrayed by higher interests. In this autobiography the colours, smells, sounds and political realities on the ground in Iraq come to life.But Shaykh's concern has always been spiritual rather than political, the struggle in each one of us for truth against the winds of expediency and greed that drive the world today rather than the particular shaping of a nation state. An acknowledged Shaykh of several Sufi orders, his main aim is to make accessible to younger generations the Islamic transactional way of life (Din),

This is my humble effort to compile a short but comprehensive book about the history of the Grand Terror Attack on Islam in Karbala 680 CE. Holy son of Rasool Allah (sawaw) Wali Ullah Maola Imam Hussain (asws) gave the greatest sacrifice in Karbala to save Tauheed and Deen of Allah. This task of sacrifice was completed by the holy daughters (sa) of Rasool Allah (sawaw) in Kufa and Shaam. Imam Hussain (asws) and Syyeda Masooma Zainab-al-Kubra (sa) defeated all the evil forces of the universe. Yazid (l.u.) wanted to disfigure the face and foundation of the Deen of Allah by his personal judgement i.e. Qiyas and Zunn. Imam Hussain (asws) is the saviour of Islam, Humanity and Ethical values. He (asws) stood against injustice, dictatorship, terrorism, vulgarity and Bid'ah (innovation in Deen by Qiyas & Zunn). If the sacrifice of Karabala was not there, then today there would have been one Yazid (l.u.) in every house, people would have been living like pigs without discrimination of holy relations and Halaal & Haraam.

This innovative study examines patterns of change in Shi’i symbols and rituals over the past two centuries to reveal how modernization has influenced the societal, political, and religious culture of Iran. Shi’is, who support the Prophet Mohammad’s progeny as his successors in opposition to the Sunni caliphate tradition, make up 10 to 15 percent of the world’s Muslim population, roughly half of whom live in Iran. Throughout the early history of the Islamic Middle East, the Sunnis have been associated with the state and the ruling elite, while Shi’is have most often represented the political opposition and have had broad appeal among the masses. Moharram symbols and rituals commemorate the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE, in which the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Hoseyn and most of his family and supporters were massacred by the troops of the Umayyad caliph Yazid. Moharram symbols and rituals are among the most pervasive and popular aspects of Iranian culture and society. This book traces patterns of continuity and change of Moharran symbols and rituals in three aspects of Iranian life: the importance of these rituals in promoting social bonds, status, identities, and ideals; ways in which the three major successive regimes (Qujars, Pahlavis, and the Islamic Republic), have either used these rituals to promote their legitimacy, or have suppressed them because they viewed them as a potential political threat; and the uses of Moharram symbolism by opposition groups interested in overthrowing the regime. While the patterns of government patronage have been radically discontinuous over the past two centuries, the roles of these rituals in popular society and culture have been relatively continuous or have evolved independently of the state. The political uses of modern-day rituals and the enduring symbolism of the Karbala narratives continue today.

The book, Imām Ḥusayn The Savior of Islam, compiled by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi, contains seven sections that discuss different aspects related to the event of Karbalâ. In addition, six sections are written or translated by either Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi or Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi. Husayn – The Heir of the Divine Guides (by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi), takes a general look at the event of Karbalâ in a very factual way. It answers questions such as ‘Who was Imam Husayn?’ ‘What did he do?’, ‘Against whom?’, and ‘Why?’. Due to its factual nature, this section of the book can easily be used in an Islamic History class, since it provides an accurate historical account of what took place through the Shî`ah perspective. The language used is also quite simple and easy for children and adults alike to understand. The Martyr – An Analysis (by Ayatullah Mutahhari, translated by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi), discusses the status and sanctity of martyrdom in Islam, using Imam Husayn as an example. This chapter provides the reader with a much deeper insight into the issue of martyrdom and even jihad, even exploring the rationale and way of thinking of a martyr. Furthermore, it puts into perspective the struggle of Imam Husayn and reminds us of his greater mission. The Martyrs of Karbalâ (by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi), is once again quite factual, in that it lists the names of the people martyred in Karbalâ according to: their tribe, their relation to Imam Husayn a, whether they died in Karbalâ or afterwards, and their relationship to the other martyrs. In my view, this section would probably be of most use to a young scholar who is conducting research on the event. The Family of Imam Husayn (by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi), sheds some light on the women and children in Imam Husayn’s a family, particularly about their cultural and familial origins. Hind or Uraynab, A Good Example of Umayyad Propaganda (by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi), is perhaps the most distinct in the entire book. It discusses the narration of an event involving the marriage of Imam Hasan or Imam Husayn to a woman named Uraynab or Hind, who chose to marry the Imam instead of Yazîd. Thus, the narration implies that the conflict between Imam Husayn and Yazîd originated due to a fight over a woman, and had little to do with ‘the Truth’. However, what is strange about this narration is that it has six uniquely different versions. In order to indicate the various flaws in the event, the author chooses to analyze and crosscheck all six of the narrations, and to evaluate them historically. In doing so, the author successfully illustrates an example of an Umayyad-fabricated narration, which happens to have no basis whatsoever. The Selected Sayings and Letters of Imam Husayn, (by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi). In most of theses letters and sayings, Imam defines and again re-defines his purpose of traveling to Karbalâ, for example he says: “I am not rising (against Yazîd) as an insolent, or an arrogant [person], or a mischief-monger or as a tyrant. I have risen as I seek to reform the ummah of my grandfather. I wish to bid the good and forbid the evil …”. The Life of Imam Husayn, which happens to be the longest section of the book, and is reproduced from Shaykh al-Mufid’s Kitãb al-Irshãd (translated by Doctor I. K. A. Howard). It is a semi-detailed account of the entire life of the Imam, starting from his birth, going on to talk about the period of his khilafa, to the cause of his death and his place of burial. It then includes a chronological list on the life of all fourteen Ma`sûmîn.