Please see below the text of the speech given by IGR member Michael Clifton at the Islamic Heritage Month's 3rd annual Hussain Day.
Assalamu alaikum. It’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to participate in today’s special commemoration of your beloved imam, Hussain ibn Ali, Sayyid al-Shuhada (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Now, don’t take that to mean I am a good one; I have many, too many, faults; but I am a devoted follower.
I believe that Jesus is God, the creator, judge, saviour, and redeemer of the world. I believe in his miraculous birth, his healing and teaching ministry, and that he willingly bore our sins and sorrows in his own flesh, allowing himself to be beaten, mocked, wounded, and killed as an atoning sacrifice to bring about our redemp-tion. I also believe in his resurrection and that he continues to serve and sacrifice for the good of humanity and the world. I believe that no person, regardless of the heights of their spirituality or the depths of their sacrifices, is equal to Jesus Christ.
Now, there is more that could be said about all that, but I’m not here today to talk about Jesus or Christianity. I share that much of my testimony with you only so that you can know that it is without denying that faith, those beliefs and those feelings, that I can also, with total sincerity, speak today with admiration, love, and respect for and about Imam Hussain.
I admit that I knew little about Hussain before I prepared to speak today. So, the experience of reviewing his life and teachings this past week has been enlightening, and has not only deepened my respect for him, but also for all those – all of you – who seek to follow in his faithful footsteps. His stories and sayings have resonated deeply and consistently with my faith and spiritual convictions. I feel very blessed and have been enriched by this opportunity.
Now, given our time constraints, I won’t rehearse the many stories you mostly already know, nor will I try to express what I understand they can or do mean for you as good and faithful followers of Islam. Rather, I will speak very simply about only a few of the principles that Imam Hussain’s life, teachings, and experiences represent for me, that I believe will continue to have a positive influence on my Christian discipleship.
1. A simple one: Imam Hussain’s life teaches about the importance of family and spirituality in the home.
We can look to and remember the love and devotion expressed mutually by the imam and his relatives at and on the way to Karbala; but I want to reflect on an earlier time in his life.
It has warmed my heart to read about the deep love that the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) had for his grandson, Hussain, who has been called “the Light of the Prophet’s eyes.” I especially appreciate the valuable time they spent together reciting and studying the surahs. The Prophet bestowed on his grandson his knowledge and wisdom, till it was said that Hussain was the very image of the Prophet in looks and character. Indeed, many commenters, and I’m sure many of you, appear to see in Hussain one of the most perfect expressions of the principles and faith that the Prophet sought to communicate.
This is one of the special blessings that close connections among extended family members can help to bring; and, especially, speaking as a grandfather of five lovely children, one of the special blessings grandparents in particular can provide. I appreciate the beautiful example that the Prophet and young Hussain set for the relationship between grandchildren and their grandparents who, often better than their worried, burdened, busy, and distracted parents can do, can offer them a more patiently and tenderly expressed understanding of the principles of a truly happy and faith-filled life. Imam Hussain’s early life and enduring faith teaches me about the spiritual importance of strong, positive family connections.
2. Imam Hussain exemplified the Prophet’s teaching that, “If you see a wrong, you should stop it with your hand; [and] if you cannot, then you should speak out against it; [and] if not that, then at least condemn it in your heart”.
Imam Hussain famously stood up against injustice and oppression. He, also famously, gave his life to continue that battle.
The saying is attributed to Imam Hussain that, “Every day is Ashura and every land is Karbala.” Every one of us faces injustices – small or large, within our own hearts and minds or because of the conduct of others – on a daily basis. Each day we see acts of unkindness, inequality, racism, sexism, and all sorts of micro- and macro-aggressions. We must make choices in every instance about whether to be silent and submissive in the face of oppression, prejudice, and injustice, or to contend against them as Hussain did. In doing so, we may pay a hefty price, as he did. But we may also, despite our losses, help to bring about better circumstances because we were willing to speak up against what we know to be wrong, just as he did.
3. The conclusion and consequences of Imam Hussain’s life remind us that success in spiritual and righteous matters is not contingent upon, or measured by, the good thing that we ourselves get to have in this life.
Sometimes, we are inclined to think that those who experience peace and prosperity are therefore blessed, and must have somehow deserved that goodness. Hussain and his family were driven from place to place. Where his and most of their lives ended, was a desolate space, lacking water and other necessities, surrounded by their enemies. Hussain’s family were cut down around him; his infant son, murdered while held in his own arms; and he himself was wounded 45 times before ultimately being beheaded by the brutal, heartless army that attacked them.
Hussain did not get to see or experience the benefits of the stand he took or the sacrifices he made; but he undertook that path willingly, with an optimistic hope that God’s grace and goodness would win the end. “I wish to promote virtue and prevent vice,” He wrote. “As for those who reject [what I say and do], I will be patient until God judges between me and [them] with Truth, and He is the Best of Judges.”
Hussain did not physically see the change in the world that he hoped to make; but I like to believe that he saw it spirituality, perhaps even that God gifted him with some prophetic insight to know that the sacrifice he would make would establish a legacy that would impact millions around the world, like you and me, and the generations that come after us who will continue to remember him.
4. Lastly, I offer the comment that Imam Hussain’s legacy is a legacy of love.
It is said that in the midst of the battlefield at Karbala, Hussain was heard praying for his enemies. This resonates meaningfully for me as I am sure it does for other Christians, for Jesus taught us to pray for those who persecute us and who would despitefully, or unjustly, use us. He taught us to love our enemies, and that “no greater love hath any man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
The law of God’s love is the supreme law that is exemplified in the lives of his true saints. It is this kind of love that appears to have moved and motivated Imam Hussain. It appears to be what he sought to give, and what he hoped to inspire in and receive from others. Ultimately, Imam Hussain sacrificed himself for his faith in the principles of justice, generosity, and love. The least that we can do is to seek to ensure his sacrifice bears fruit in the ways that we each choose to live our lives.
Thank you, and God bless you on this special day.
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