What the Muslim story of Husain and Ashura means to all of us in 2024

Today is an important but not widely known occasion in the Islamic calendar called Ashura. Literally it means 'tenth' because it is the tenth day of the first month of the Islamic year. This year some people will mark Ashura today and some tomorrow.

Every year I post in remembrance of Ashura: to ensure we recalibrate our inner compass if needed, to remind ourselves to recognise inequality and injustice, and to focus our natural human visceral reactions and apply them to the world today; to awaken us from the daily grind to remember how and why we should be activist.

Every year I write this story because of its power to bring us all together, in shared understandings of justice and human dignity. It is the uniting power that draws me. Especially in a world where we too easily fall into being polarised, arguing over the petty and contrived differences and forgetting our common shared human drive for fairness, justice, respect and dignity. It is probably why it is my most shared post of the year.

Every year I update and adapt what I write to reflect world events and how we can play our part inspired by Ashura’s events and Hussain’s moral clarity.

This year, it is impossible not to think about injustice, inequality and the fight for truth, dignity and humanity without thinking of the injustices in Palestine, as well as Sudan, Yemen and so many other places. In particular, it is the children of the day of Ashura, that break our hearts, and then our hearts break again when we see the children in Gaza and around the world, suffering inhumanity.

Ashura is marked by all Muslims to a lesser or greater extent, with different views on why the day is important. Some Muslims will be fasting. Some say it was the day Moses parted the Red Sea and saved the Jewish people. Others recount that it was the day that the ark of Noah finally came to shore. The one I want to focus on is the story of Husain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

Here's the story, very very briefly. Within barely fifty years of the death of the Prophet, a new Caliph called Yazid took power over the already vast and growing Muslim lands. It's no secret he was a nasty, corrupt, womanising, drunk tyrant that killed indiscriminately. Husain - a key opposition figure publicly fighting this corruption of power in such a short period after the 'golden' era of his grandfather - opposed his brutality. Yazid demanded Husain publicly endorse Yazid, which of course Husain could not do.

Long story short, this led to a massacre of Husain, his immediate family and close companions including some children so that Yazid could be seen to be crushing his enemies.

That took place in Karbala in today's Iraq, on Ashura. The women and children remained after the battle, and were forced to walk in chains all the way to Damascus where Yazid held court, while crowds jeered and humiliated them, and many children died on the way. That's the story as it is recounted today. Check historians and more detailed accounts if you want to know more, or unpack the details.

It happened a long time ago, that's true. And for those who mark this important occasion for Ashura it's also hugely emotional. That's why you will see large crowds dressed in black, often wailing loudly, and perhaps the scenes that can look so unfamiliar to our eyes of people beating their chests. This is visceral emotion, and what the participants would call, an expression of love and heartbreak. Participants point to a strong love Prophet Muhammad had for his grandson Husain and that he had repeatedly stated he was a leader of the Muslim ummah.

There are some Muslims who disagree with marking the occasion, especially the emotional aspects of it. But this post is not about discussing their views, but rather it's just what I take away from the occasion.

1. Connecting emotionally to things is powerful

The power of stories, especially ones that connect to our core human emotions of right and wrong, of love, of kindness, humanity and suffering drive us to change ourselves and our societies in ways that dry facts simply can't. As a storyteller I completely understand why the story of Husain told in these deeply emotional ways is so motivating to people and why when asked about this method, people are so passionate. Emotion makes a difference.

In fact, the softness of a human being's heart is a sign of their closeness to the Divine. In the Qur'an it describes the believers as those who "fall on their faces, weeping." And perhaps one of my favourite Qur'an references which talks about those who don't believe as being harder in their hearts than rocks, because even rocks fall and water gushes forth from them.

So why shouldn’t we cry, weep, let it out. Injustice should trigger these strong feelings. If it doesn't make you cry, that's when you start to worry.

2. Small things can make big differences, supposed defeat can mean change

A lot of discussion about Ashura says that Husain's "army" (less than 100 people) meant it was pointless to fight and a suicide mission, and a political solution might have been better. Maybe, maybe not. What I take from it is that to 'lose' or take a seemingly crazy decision when you truly believe and your principles mean you just can't do anything else (he couldn't concede Yazid was a worthy ruler) can have long term consequences. So 14 centuries later people are still talking about what you need to do to stand up to power. That's impact. And in the short term it triggered a change in power too.

3. Making a change needs a partnership between men and women, and women's roles are vital

Ashura's story is about Husain and his murder. But it's also the story of his sister Zainab, and how she is his partner, his rock, and leads the entire resistance against the Caliph after Husain's death.

The reason that the story of Ashura is recounted is because of Zainab and the other women. She told everyone, she stood up to Yazid in his palace. She held her head high. There is no Ashura occasion without women. Salute to the sisters!

4. Stand up to bad power, because being Muslim is no guarantee that you're on the right side.

There's something that gives heart when you need to stand up to bad power - Husain did it, I can do it too. There's far too much discussion about giving in to leaders no matter how bad they are because it might cause 'fitna' (disturbance, corruption). Worse, everyone in this entire event is Muslim on both sides. And this is within living memory of the Prophet Muhammad. So check yourself - you could be on the wrong side.

5. Find the story that motivates you

As I've got to know about the events of Ashura, one thing I've loved is how those who commemorate the events tell the stories of each person on that day, their background and motivations. They are the instances that bring to life our daily struggles. There's something for everyone. My favourite is the story of Hur, the commander of Yazid's army and Husain's opposing number on the battlefield. He's the reason the battle happens in Karbala. Yet the night before he has an epiphany that he's about to massacre some people at the behest of a brutal tyrant. Too late? you might say. What I take from it is that it's never too late. And one simple decision can totally change your life and take you from the wrong side onto the right one.

6. The past matters

It was a long time ago, right? Our stories matter. Whether it's a hundred years ago (such as the anniversary of the great war or the holocaust), or more than a thousand years ago (ashura) what we know and remember of the past shapes our present and how we relate to it. Bad rulers have always existed. Making difficult choices in the face of massive oppression, or even the micro-oppressions in our own lives will always exist for human beings. Past events give us context, options, inspirations and the emotions to motivate us to change. Never look at a historic event and say it's not worth remembering it. Instead, ask how can it help me solve the problems I have today.

7. Systemic injustice must be challenged at all costs

Ashura is a potent example of how a mass of people can uphold systemic injustice, by protecting the status quo and those in power. Those were the people on the side of Yazid. It is Husain that stands against the systemic abuse of power, and challenges the entrenched biases. He's all in because when it comes to fighting oppression, you can't be in the middle. It's a lifelong mission.

And perhaps my most favourite interaction from Ashura which is a brief conversation between Husain and his son. The son asks before he knows he will be killed "Are we on the side of truth?" Husain replies "Yes, we are fighting for justice". His son says "Then I'm ready."

In the world we live in now, we need motivations and stories about fighting for justice more than ever. And we need clear paradigms that can bring us together. Husain and Ashura are among those sources of inspiration.

Husain stood just before he was killed and asked ‘Is there anyone to help?’ It should be hard for us to say no, in the face the pain, injustice and inequalities facing so many today, in small and big ways, near us and far away, adults, as well as children.

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