Hajj, Karbala and Hussain – by Dr Ali Shariati
The following is an excerpt from “Hajj: Reflections on Its Rituals” written by Dr Ali Shariati highlighting the significance of the Karbala movement. The book is one of the most read works of Dr Shariati (available in English).
The fact that Imam Hussein left Mecca for Karbala where he was martyred before completing his Hajj (pilgrimage) duties taught us a more important lesson than Shahadat (martyrdom).
Hajj was a duty that all his ancestors struggled for. Blood was shed to vitalize this tradition. He did not finish the ceremonies and decided to leave and become a Shaheed!
He did not complete his Hajj in order to teach the Hajj makers those who pray and have faith in Ibrahim’s tradition, that if there is no Imamat and there is not true leadership, if there is no goal, if “Hussein” is not there and “Yazid” is there, making Tawaf (Circumambulating) around the house of Allah is equal to making Tawaf around the idol-house. The people who continued their Tawaf while he went to Karbala were no better than those who were circumambulating around the green palace of Muawiyah.
“Hajj”, the tradition of the idol-fighter Ibrahim, in “God’s house” or the “house of the people”-what is the difference? What is happening this year? A warm whirlpool of people are busy circumambulating. All the faces are eager with interest. All the hearts are burning with love. All the people are answering Allah’s invitation. The love of faith, the glory of Islam, the fear of God and punishment of the day of judgment and the desire for worship are pushing the chosen people of the community to circumambulate around the Kaaba.
Among these faces were: the companions of the Prophet (PBUH), some very early Muslims, the heroes of the Jihads, the conquerors of the lands of the unbelievers, those who destroyed the houses of idols on the earth, whose who lived by the Quran and followed the tradition and spiritual leaders. They were all discarding all worldly matters. Fully in love with God, they saw paradise dancing in front of their eyes, houris twinkling at their righteous faces and angels calling upon them from the sky. While Gabriel had his wings under their feet, they were busy circumambulating!
Who is the man who so decisively and angrily comes out of the crowded whirlpool of Muslims and leaves behind the city of “holiness, security and love”? Now that all the Muslims are facing toward the Kaaba, where is he going? Why does he not turn around to see this moving circle where people are cirumambulating the house of Ibrahim to the music of Nimrod and running between Safa and Marwa as a show of their useless efforts. From Arafat, which is the beginning of history, the stage of the first visit of Adam and Eve on earth, they are taken to Mashar in the darkness. In this land of consciousness where these slaves of ignorance should not be, they are asked to sleep all night and by dawn they are moved like the flock of a beast to the land of Mina. The three evils of trinity are located here. As a joke with Ibrahim and a trick to Allah, they throw a few tiny pebbles to the well made-up faces of the three Gods whom they have been worshipping all their lives. They kill the sheep as a symbol of their miserable fate.
They are like beasts and these three gods, taking advantage of the meat, skin mild and wool of this animal, have come to power and decorated their table! These poor people have always been sacrificed upon the demand of these gods and their red blood is shed and poured into the vessels of the green palace, the Zarar Mosque, and the commonwealth of Croesus. At the end, to show their obedience to these gods they should shave their heads!
Oppressors use ignorance as their tools. These are the conservative people whose hands lie soaked in the blood of facts. In the “absence of these people”, in any generation and at anytime there will be ground for “man’s martyrdom”. Evil is hiding itself behind the masks of holiness and righteousness. These are the same Hajj performers who whispered by the idols and sacrificed Ismail in front of Nimrod with their own hands. Then they celebrated the day of “human sacrifice” or “the sacrifice of the Ismail of their time.” They turn their backs to the Kaaba and face Qibla of their miserable life, saying to themselves “the hell with this world”, let’s work for the “paradise of the hereafter”! Feeling happy with the joy of the life after death, they are sound asleep on the warm ashes of the master’s kitchen floor and enjoy the left overs of the plunderer’s table!
A few words about Dr Ali Shariati:
In the words of Jean-Paul Sartre: “I have no religin, but if I were to choose one, it would be that of Shariati’s.”
Ali Shariati (November 23, 1933 – 1977) was a highly influential Iranian revolutionary and sociologist, who focused on the sociology of religion. He is held as one of the most influential Iranian intellectuals of the 20th century and has been called the ‘ideologue of the Iranian Revolution’.
After graduating from college in 1960, on a scholarship he pursued graduate studies in France. Dr. Shariati, an honor student, received his doctorate in sociology in 1964 from Sorbonne University.
When he returned to Iran he was arrested at the border and imprisoned on the pretext that he had participated in political activities while studying in France. Released in 1965, he began teaching again at Mashhad University. As a Muslim sociologist, he sought to explain the problems of Muslim societies in the light of Islamic principles-explaining them and discussing them with his students. Very soon he gained popularity with the students and different social classes in Iran. For this reason, the regime felt obliged to discontinue his courses at the university.
Then he was transferred to Teheran. There, Dr. Shariati continued his very active and brilliant career. His lectures at Houssein-e-Ershad Religious Institute attracted not only six thousand students who registered in his summer classes, but also many thousands of people from different backgrounds who were fascinated by his teachings.
The first edition of his book ran over sixty thousand copies which were quickly sold-out, despite the obstructive interference by the authorities in Iran. Faced with the outstanding success of Dr. Shariati’s courses, the Iranian police surrounded Houssein-e-Ershad Institute, arrested many of his followers and thereby put an end to his activities. For the second time, he underwent an eighteen month prison term under extremely harsh conditions. Popular pressure and international protests obliged the Iranian regime to release Dr. Shariati on March 20, 1975. However, he remained under close surveillance by the security agents of Iran. This was no freedom at all since he could neither publish his thoughts nor contact his students. Under such stifling conditions according to the teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), he realized that he should migrate out of the country. Successful in his attempt, he went to England but was martyred three weeks later on June 19, 1977 by the ubiquitous SAVAK.
Shariati’s works were highly influenced by the Marxism and Third Worldism that he encountered as a student in Paris — ideas that class war and revolution would bring about a just and classless society — from one side, and the Islamic puritanism (or the Islamic Reformation) movements of his time from the other side. He is said to have adopted the idea of Gharbzadegi from Jalal Al-e Ahmad and given it “its most vibrant and influential second life.”
He sought to translate these ideas into cultural symbols of Shiism that Iranians could relate to. He believed Shia should not merely await the return of the 12th Imam but should actively work to hasten his return by fighting for social justice, “even to the point of embracing martyrdom”, saying “everyday is Ashoura, every place is Karbala.”
Shariati referred to his brand of Shiism as “red Shiism” which he contrasted with clerical-dominated, unrevolutionary “black Shiism” or Safavid Shiism. His ideas have been compared to the Catholic Liberation Theology movement founded in South America by Peruvian Gustavo Gutierrez and Brazilian Leonardo Boff.