The Important Choice in Karbala (Part 1)
Hurr was the name of one of the high-ranking commanders of the army of Omar-e-Sad who faced the grandson of the Prophet of Islam, Hussein-ibn-Ali, with orders from Yazeed-ibn-Muawiah to either get Hussein’s allegiance for his corrupt Khalifat, or kill Hussein and all his friends. It was Hurr and his army who first faced Imam Hussein, and then kept them under siege, preventing them from getting water.
On the day of Ashura, Hurr made a huge decision. Right before the battle started, he left his position and the army he was commanding, and joined Imam Hussein, and was the first to be killed in the way of Allah, by the army he used to be a commander of just a few hours earlier.
The name Hurr means free, freeborn, noble, freeman.
The fate, sometimes, plays a game. The factory of creation, constantly producing uncountable things, stones, trees, rivers, animals, insects, human beings, sometimes shows a scene of humor, creates an innovation or an exception: it writes a poem, paints a work of art, does something unique...In one word, it can be said that these items have a character. From among the houses, Kaba, from all the walls, the China Wall, from the planets orbiting the sun, earth, and....from all the martyrs: Hurr.
The artistic hands of destination have composed this scene with utmost precision, and as if to emphasize the importance of the story, have selected all the characters of the play from the absolutes, to make the story most effective.
The story is about a choice, the most important manifestation of the meaning of human being. But what kind of choice? We are all faced with several choices in our everyday life: career, friend, wife, and house, major... But in this story, the choice is much more difficult: the good and the evil. And even so, not from a philosophical, scientific, or theological perspective. Instead, the choice here is between the truthful and the deceiving religion, between the just and unjust politics, with life being the price to pay.
To further emphasize the sensitivity of the situation, the author has not put the hero of this story in the middle, equally between the right and the evil. Instead, the hero is the head of the army of the evil. On the other hand, the director of this play has to find symbols for his story to make them most effective.
Should he have Promote on one side and some demons on the other side? But this makes the story too mythical...Spartacus? No...This makes the story nationalistic and gives it a class dependent nature. How about Ibrahim and Nimrod? Moses and Pharaoh? Jesus and Judas? No... Again, for most of the people these are metaphysical and heavenly characters different from common ordinary people.
Having them as heroes reduces the effect of the story, and causes people to admire them, but never think about following their examples in their everyday life.
However, the main purpose of this story is to teach, to show the ability of the man to change, to show how it is possible for a common and even sinful man to reject all his social, family, and class ties and show a god-like change.
by: Dr. Ali Shariati
Source: rafed.net
Other links:
Effects of Sins
