ARE WE SPIRITUALLY AND MENTALLY READY TO JOIN THE JIHAD ?......

Feb 6, '13 11:39 AM for everyone

Some may balk at the idea of comparing ourselves to the fickle and treacherous people of Kufa. Yet are we really that different? Like the people of Kufa, we call upon our Imam to return and to start his Jihad. Like the people of Kufa, we think that we are ready to bear the pain and sacrifices. Like the people of Kufa, we think we are willing to move beyond the simple rituals and mundane routines of prayer and fasting and effect social and political justice in the world.

And yet we fail to ask ourselves: might we repeat the mistake the Kufans made? The people of Kufa were not inherently evil or bad. Rather, their chief fault was that they called upon their Imam to rise up without being mentally and spiritually prepared for it. Therefore, when they were faced with a governor like Ibn Ziyad, half of them submitted to his sword, while the other half to his bags of gold and silver. Suddenly, establishing social justice and fighting oppression was not so important. Suddenly, restoring the rights of the children of Fatima (peace be upon her) did not seem so vital. Suddenly, the rituals of prayer and fasting seemed plenty sufficient to earn salvation. Suddenly, the sword of Ibn Ziyad seemed too sharp, and the bags of silver too tempting.

Let us ask ourselves: are we spiritually and mentally ready to join the Jihad of our Imam? Are we equipped with the correct knowledge of beliefs, jurisprudence, history, and ethics? Are we willing to sacrifice ourselves, our families, our wealth, and our comfortable and peaceful lives for his sake? Are we willing to peaceably submit to each and every one of his commands? In the meantime, are we pledging our allegiance and providing support to his collective representative, the Marjaiyyah? Are we willing to face the sword wounds as well as the temptations of gold and silver? Are we able to distinguish between our real Imam and the masked pretenders whom we mistake as our saviors? Are we truly willing and able to move beyond the superficial rituals?

The people of Kufa believed they were, but history proved otherwise. As a reign of terror unfolded across Kufa, suddenly the passion and drive for social justice were replaced by an apathy that was easily satiated by empty rituals. On the 9th of Dhil Hajj, 60 AH, Muslim ibn Aqeel, the representative of the Imam in Kufa, was arrested, dragged through the streets, tortured, and beheaded. His body was hung in the marketplace of Kufa for all to see. The next day, the Kufans joyously ran to offer their Eid prayers, conceding the body no more than a few pity glances. A month later, as the plains of Karbala rang with Imam Hussain's last cry for help, half the Kufans peaceably went about their prayers and fasts. The other half responded to his call with arrows, stones, and spears.

Every day is Ashura. Every land is Karbala. Fourteen hundred years later, an Imam still calls out for his loyal followers.

ARSALAN RIZVI