According to Shafaqna, Ayatollah Alidoust, member of the Board of Trustees of the Research Institute of Contemporary Jurisprudence and President of the Association of Islamic Jurisprudence and Law of the Islamic Seminaries, asked university students, seminary students, and researchers to make Ashura a research subject from diverse dimensions.
The First Lesson of Ashura for Contemporary Man is Steadfastness on the Path to an Exalted Goal
Ayatollah Abolqasem Alidoust, in an interview with Shafaqna regarding the Hussaini movement and its message for modern man, stated: All the Infallible Imams (a) are not merely Imams of Muslims, but Imams of all human beings and humanity. Hence, both themselves and their movements carry a message for humanity. That is, if Imam Hussain (a) is the Imam of humanity, the event of Ashura likewise belongs to humanity and carries a message for humanity. Accordingly, the event of Ashura is not an event merely belonging to the Arab world in the year 61 AH; rather, because Imam Hussain (a) possesses a trans-temporal and trans-spatial personality, the event of Ashura is likewise such. This is a point that must be highlighted.
The professor of advanced jurisprudence (Bahth al-Kharij) and principles of jurisprudence in the Islamic Seminary of Qom, stating that in Ashura, steadfastness and perseverance on the path to an exalted goal are observed, added: This message is alive and effective not merely for 1,400 years ago, but for modern man as well; therefore, the first lesson of Ashura for contemporary man is steadfastness.
He identified the second lesson of Ashura as comprehensive endeavor for an exalted goal, stating: The goal that Imam Hussain (a) defined for himself was “I desire to enjoin good and forbid wrong, and to walk according to the path of my grandfather.” The Imam carried this endeavor so far that he even offered his six-month-old infant on this path.
Imam Hussain (PBUH) Left Peaceful Medina with Foresight so Islam Would Endure in History
Ayatollah Alidoust considered “foresight” the third lesson of Ashura for modern man, expressing: If not for the event of Ashura, Yazid, the Umayyads, Marwanids, and Abbasids would have left no trace of Islam behind. Imam Hussain (a), with foresight, abandoned peaceful Medina and responded affirmatively to the invitation of the Kufans—a foresight rarely seen today among many religious and non-religious leaders.
The member of the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom considered “respect for people’s rights” among other lessons of Ashura for modern humanity, expressing: When Imam Hussain (a) entered Karbala, he purchased a land area of four miles by four miles (about 1,300 by 1,300 meters) from the Bani Asad tribe so that if martyred, he would not be buried in others’ land and future pilgrims would not disturb anyone. He paid sixty thousand dirhams for this land and stipulated that the Bani Asad host pilgrims for three days; this is the pinnacle of respect for the rights of others.
He added: Likewise on the second day of Muharram, when Hurr’s army of one thousand thirsty men arrived, the Imam commanded that cool water they possessed be given to them. The narrator states: They were so thirsty that I poured water into their mouths. This demonstrates Hussaini dignity. If we extract these subtleties from Ashura, we realize that this event carries a message for contemporary man in every time and place.
Seminary Students, University Students, and Researchers Should Make Ashura the Subject of Their Research from Diverse Dimensions
The professor of advanced jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence in the Islamic Seminary of Qom stated: Undoubtedly, Ashura is analyzable through various perspectives; at times as a mystical event, at times a political event, at times a revolutionary event (as “blood triumphs over the sword” expresses this view), and at times a moral event based on human dignity and free will. None of these views alone is in error; rather, each illuminates a corner of the truth. How excellent it would be for university students, seminary students, and researchers to make Ashura their research subject from diverse dimensions, and for media to address it with a more comprehensive perspective.
The member of the Board of Trustees of the Research Institute of Contemporary Jurisprudence, pointing out that Imam Hussain (a) established a link between servitude, freedom, pursuit of justice, moral responsibility, and preserving human dignity, said: These concepts might appear contradictory at first glance; for instance, servitude with freedom, or commitment to Sharia with human dignity. However, these contradictions are merely apparent. For a personality like Imam Hussain (a), possessing complete insight and awareness nurtured in an exalted school, combining these apparent opposites is not difficult. In my expression, this is “managing paradoxes.” Researchers must extract these characteristics from the event of Ashura and highlight Imam Hussain’s (a) management.
Professor Alidoust, in conclusion, described Ashura as part of the embodiment of Islamic teachings, stating: Islam is the healer of human afflictions, and Ashura is a clear guide and good director for human beings entangled in a crisis of meaning. If these teachings are summarized and highlighted with a scholarly perspective, they open a path toward righteousness and the Straight Path. In our belief, humanity cannot achieve righteousness and rectitude except through Islamic Sharia and the culture of Ashura, although proving this claim itself requires a detailed discussion.
Source: Shafaqna