every land is Karbala and everyday is Ashura

Kullu ardin karbala, kullu yawmin Ashura, these words which are quoted as being said by our 4th Imam are though not authentically proven, sum up the role of Jihad in out lives and the need to understand the depth of Jihad which is in our Furu-e-deen.

If we were to learn the lessons from Karbala and the day of Ashura, we would have no choice but to rise up and stand tall for Jihad. The land of karbala was the land of Jihad, of sacrifice, of intense pain but no complaints, of love for Allah and Islam, for the prophets and their message, for family, for fellow believers. Karbala is the epitome of everything that is against the will of worldly hearts, It is the land of Allah and making Him happy and satisfying only Him. The day of Ashura is the day of testing, the day of sacrifice, the day of selflessness, the day of pain, the day of thirst, the day of moaning for the ones lost, the day of showing courage,the day of being proud of what is more important ie. the love of Ahlul bayt & the importance of Islam. Aren't we facing a situation which calls for us to live like today is Ashura and our very own city is karbala?

Everyday Muslims all over the world are on a Jihad whose intensity is increasing by the hour. If you follow Islam then you are sure to have to confront people of various issues and their perspective on Muslims as a whole.This Jihad that we are on constantly in our own countries, our own neighborhood, our own houses is not to be ignored and avoided. Every day it gets harder to prove ourselves as good people, individuals of faith, exuding the love for Allah , and this we are waking up to everyday, and everyday we are on Jihad to better ourselves. If we constantly remind ourselves of our true situation, we will strive harder to be better momins. We didn't get a chance to be present on that day 1400 years ago like how we wish, but that can't be used as an excuse to refrain from jihad.We are living Ashura everyday in the present no matter which part of the world we are in we are still in Karbala fighting for our religion.

Wearing Hijab, keeping the beard, being modest, having the best Akhlaq, keeping your head high as a momin and a representative of Islam is all Jihad. Following Islam and it's teachings, raising children in a corrupt atmosphere is Jihad. And if it is these everyday hustles that require us to unite and polish ourselves and closer to Allah and islam, then whya re we stopping ourselves? Why are we not embracing this opportunity to show our masoomeen our love for them, show Allah our faith in Him?

It's high time we accept at a whole another level that Jihad is one of the pillars of faith and it's become a way of life for us Muslims to survive. And it is wajib on us to do it. Making excuses like "we are not Imams they were gifted from Allah" and "Now it's too late only the zuhoor can save the humanity" are just not acceptable. If we had to just sit and wait for Allah or the aimma to do everything then why is Jihad obligatory on US?. Think people! think!. What better things do we have to do? what Momin should have anything better to do than submitting to Allah? Shame on us if we think our lives and our petty worldly desires are more important than the blood lost by our masoomeen for us and for Him.

Allah says in the Quran: " Those who believe do battle for the cause of God and those who disbelieve do battle for the cause of taghut. So fight the minions of the devil. Lo! the devil's strategy is always weak. "(4:76). We have absolutely nothing to fear when we are on the right path and Allah is on our side. Mere worldly death is nothing; a shaheed never dies!

With the love of Ahlul bayt in the heart and with our faith strong, and Allahs blessings on us we shall never stop ourselves from learning more about Islam, being on constant Jihad and being proud Muslims every single day till we die.

Syeda Fatima, 18
(syeda715@hotmail.com)