Our discussion concerning the
distortions (tahrifat) in popular accounts of the historical
event of Ashura consists of four parts:
- The meaning of distortion (tahrif) in general.
- A description of the distortions that have taken place in
regard to the historic event of 'Ashura and their examples.
- The factors responsible for these distortions and the causes
that lead to tahrif in general and the special factors
that have been particularly at play in relation to this historic
event.
- Our responsibility' in regard to these distortions, that is,
the 'duty of the 'ulama' as well as that of the common
people.
Of these four, we have already discussed the first three parts in
the previous sessions, and tonight, with God's grace, we will
discuss the fourth topic.
To be certain, during the course of time gradually there have
taken place distortions in this very great historic event, and there
is no doubt that here we have a responsibility: to combat these
distortions. To state it more clearly, and to put it in somewhat
self-important terms, it may be said that our generation has a
mission to fight against these distortions and in misrepresentations
of 'Ashura. But before we may discuss the responsibility of the
scholars of the ummah (in other words, the khawass) and the
responsibility of the people (that is, the 'awamm), I would
like to mention two points in the way of introduction.
The first point is that we should examine the past to see who has
been responsible for these distortions, whether it were the scholars
who were responsible for it or the common people. Next, what is our
responsibility to today and who is to shoulder it?
Who has been responsible for it in the past? Usually in such
cases the 'ulama blame the people and the people put the
blame on the 'ulama. The 'uIama say that the guilt
lies with the people and their ignorance. They are so ignorant,
ill-informed and un-worthy that they only deserve to be fed with
such nonsense. They do not deserve to know the truth and the facts.
I heard it from the marhum Ayatullah Sadr, may God elevate
his station, that Taj Nayshaburi would say absurd things from the
minbar. Someone objected to him, saying, "What are these things
that you say? You receive such big audiences, why don't you say some
sensible things?" He replied that the people did not deserve it.
Then he produced, so to speak, a 'proof' to substantiate his
assertion.
The common people, the masses, also have an argument against the
'ulama and the clerics which they often use. They say, "When
a fish begins to rot, the rotting begins at the head. The scholars
are like the head of the fish and we its tail." However, the fact is
that in this case the responsibility and the guilt lies both upon
the 'ulama as well as the laity.
One should know that the common people too share a responsibility
in such cases. In cases such as this, it is the people who let the
truth to be obliterated and spread superstitious nonsense.
There is a well-known tradition which is considered reliable by
scholars. A man asked Imam Sadiq (a) concerning the Qur'anic verse:
And among them are the illiterate folks who know not the Book
but only vain hopes and nothing but conjectures. (2:78)
Here God is critical of the common people from among the Jews.
Although He refers to them as having been uneducated, unlettered and
illiterate, nevertheless He considers them blameworthy. The
questioner, while admitting that the 'ulama' of the Jews'
were indeed responsible, asks the Imam as to why the common people
among them were held guilty. Was it not a valid excuse that they
were illiterate commoners? The tradition is an elaborate one. The
Imam replies that such is not the case. He answers that there are
certain matters that do require learning and which can only be
understood by the learned and which illiterate people do not
comprehend. Concerning such issues one may say that the common
people are not responsible as they have not acquired learning in
religious subjects. True, at times they may be held responsible for
not having acquired education, and this could be an argument against
them. However, if there are cases where they have no responsibility,
that is in issues which require the study of books and proper
instruction under teachers. One who has never had any teacher and
has never gone to school is not held responsible in such matters.
However, there are issues which a normal human being can understand
with his natural faculty of a sound mind. Here it is not necessary
for one to have gone to the school, to have read books and have had
teachers. In other words, it does [not] require one to have a
diploma or a degree or even to have received middle-school
education. All that is needed is sanity and a sound mind.
Thereafter, the Imam gives an example. Suppose there is an 'alim
who preaches the people to be pious and Godfearing while he
himself acts in a manner contrary to piety and Godfearing. He
preaches what he himself does not practice and the people
observe this contradiction between his word and deed. The Imam
points out that it is not necessary for one to be educated and
learned in order to see that such men are not worthy of being
followed. The common people among the Jews would observe these
things with their own eyes and understand them with their minds
(wadtarru bi ma'arifi qulubihim). [1] With
their natural intelligence they could perceive that one must not
follow such persons, but in spite of that they would follow them.
Therefore they were responsible and guilty.
There are some matters that do not require any education or
training or any linguistic expertise in any particular language such
as Arabic or Persian or any training in any of such subjects as
grammar, law, jurisprudence, logic or philosophy. All that is needed
is the natural gift of intelligence and they (the common people
among the Jews) did possess this. They perceived these things with
their natural intelligence. The Noble Prophet (s) has a saying which
is one of the profoundest because of its innate self-evident
character. He said:
The value of works depends solely on intentions, and everyone's
recompense depends on his intentions. [2]
It means that the significance and worth of one's actions depends on
one's intentions. If you do something unintentionally you are not
guilty if it is something bad and if it is something good you do not
deserve any reward.
Now if someone were to come and relate a dream and a story about
someone who is forgiven his sins and admitted to the highest
stations of paradise due to something that happened to him in
a condition of unconsciousness in which his will and intention had
played no role whatsoever, or rather his real intentions were quite
the opposite, should we accept such a thing? Does it require book
learning? Does it need literacy or the knowledge of Arabic? Only
repentance and a return to God can free one from his sins:
Verily good deeds obliterate evil deeds. (11:114)
It is good deeds that wipe out the traces left by evil deeds. But
involuntary actions are not such. However, 'we fail to use our
God-given intelligence to make correct judgements.
In some books they have written that once upon a time there was a
robber who used to waylay travellers, rob them and kill them. One
day he came to know that a caravan of pilgrims bound for the holy
shrine in Karbala was on its way. He came and hid himself in a
mountain pass lying there in wait to waylay the pilgrims bound for
the shrine of Imam Husayn, to rob them of their belongings and to
kill them if necessary. While he waited for the caravan to reach,
suddenly he fell asleep. The caravan came and passed by while he
remained asleep. In that state he saw a dream. It was the scene of
the day of resurrection and he was being taken towards hell. Why?
Because he had not performed a single good deed in his life. All he
had done was wickedness and crime. He was taken to the verge of hell
but hell refused to accept him. Why? Because as this man slept by
the wayside as the pilgrim caravan passed, the dust raised by the
feet of the pilgrims of Imam Husayn's shrine had settled on his body
and clothes. As a result of this involuntary act all his sins were
forgiven without his having any conscious intention, or rather
despite his intention to kill the pilgrims, and contrary to the
declaration of the Prophet that "the value of actions depends solely
on intentions, and everyone's recompense depends on his intentions."
[There is even a couplet that has been composed on the theme.]
Indeed, hell shall not touch a body, whereupon lies the dust of
the feet of Husayn's pilgrims!
It is a nice line poetically, but is unfortunately untrue from the
viewpoint of the teaching of Imam Husayn.
The second point, which I must mention before describing this
responsibility and duty relates to the dangers that lie in these
distortions. Let us briefly discuss the dangers that lie in
distortion of facts. We have already discussed the various kinds of
distortion that have occurred in relation to the historic event of
'Ashura and the factors responsible for such distortions. It is
possible that some people might think, 'After all what is wrong with
tahrif?' What harm can it do and how can it create any
danger?' The answer is that the danger of tahrif is
extraordinarily great. Tahrif is an indirect blow which is
more effective than a direct one. If a book is corrupted (whether in
respect of its wording, or its meaning and content) and it is a book
of guidance, it is transformed into a book that is misleading. If it
is a book of human felicity it is transformed into a book of human
wretchedness. If it is a book that edifies and elevates human
beings, as a result of corruption it is changed into one that brings
man's fall and degeneration. Basically it alters the very form of
reality and not only makes it ineffective it has a reverse effect.
Everything is prone to certain hazards which are related to its
nature. The Noble Prophet (s) said:
There are three hazards for religion: the scholar of evil
conduct, the tyrannical leader (ruler), and the person who is
diligent in practising religion but is ignorant. [3]
That is, there are three dangers for religion: 1) scholars who are
evil and vicious in their conduct; 2) leaders who are tyrannical and
unjust; 3) devout persons who are ignorant. The Prophet has
considered them hazards for the faith. In the same way that plants
and animals are affected by certain pests and diseases, and in the
same way as the human body is prone to certain diseases and
disorders, religion, creed and faith are also prone to certain
dangers. Distortions of the faith, which are brought about by two
out of the three categories of people mentioned by the Noble
Prophet, that is, scholars of evil conduct and ignorant and
sanctimonious persons, are a hazard for the faith and are
destructive for religion. Corruption and distortion alter the
content of a message of deliverance and the people who accept it as
the truth derive an opposite result.
Ali (a), a figure with all that greatness, has a strangely
distorted personality in the outlook of some people. Some people
know Ali (a) only as an athlete. At times some people of very
suspect motives publish pictures of Ali that show him bearing in
hand a two-tongued sword, like a pythons tongue, and with facial
features and expression one does not know from where they have got
them. It is definite that a picture or statue of Ali or that of the
Prophet never existed. They have painted such a strange face that
one can hardly believe that it is the same Ali famous for his
justice, the Ali who wept at nights for the fear of God. The face of
a devout man, of someone who is used to nightly worship, of someone
who engages in istighfar at nights, the face of a sage, a
judge, a man of letters is a different face.
There is another thing which is quite popular especially amongst
us Iranians. We refer to the Fourth Imam (a) as "Imam Zayn
al-'Abidin-e Bimar" (i.e. the sick one). In no language do we
ever come across the epithet bimar along with the name of
Imam Zayn al-'Abidin. Such an epithet does not exist in Arabic. He
has a number of appellations, one of which is al-Sajjad (i.e.
one who prostrates a lot), another is Dhu al-Thafanat (i.e.
one who has callouses on his forehead, due to prostrations). Do you
find any book in Arabic that may contain an epithet synonymous with
the word bimar for the Imam? Imam Zayn al-'Abidin (a) was
only ill during the days of the episode of 'Ashura (perhaps it was
an act of providence meant to save the Imam's life and to preserve
the progeny of Imam Husayn) and this very illness saved his life.
Several times they wanted to kill the Imam, but as he was seriously
ill, they would leave him saying, Innahu li-ma bih [4]
i.e., Why should we kill him. He is himself dying. Who in the world
has not fallen ill at some time or another during his life? Apart
from this instance of his illness, see if you can find any other
reference stating that Imam Zayn al-'Abidin was sick. But we have
pictured Imam Zayn al-'Abidin as someone chronically ill, pale
faced, suffering from fever and as someone bent with weakness and
always carrying a walking stick and someone who moans as he walks !
The same distortion and lie about the Imam's figure has led some
people to continually groan and moan and make themselves appear as
chronically sick so that people may revere them for that and say,
"Look at him, he is just like Imam Zayn al-'Abidin the Bimar!"
This is distortion. Imam Zayn al-'Abidin was not any different from
Imam Husayn (a) or Imam Baqir (a) in respect of physical health and
constitution. The Imam lived for forty years after the event of
Karbala' and he was quite healthy like others and was not different
from Imam Sadiq (a), for instance, in this regard. Why should we
then call him "Imam Zayn al-'Abidin the Bimar" [5]
Imamate means being a inodel and an exemplar. The philosophy of
the Imam's existence is that he is a human being of a superhuman
calibre, like the prophets, who introduced themselves in these words
so that the people may follow them as higher models of humanity:
I am only a mortal like you, (and) it has been revealed to me
that your God is One God. (18:110)
However, when the countenance of these figures is distorted to a
great degree they are no more capable of serving as models. That is,
instead of being beneficial, following and emulating such imaginary
figures gives an opposite result. Thus we have seen briefly the
great danger that lies in tahrif. Actually tahrif is
an indirect blow and a stab in the back.
The Jews are the world champion of tahrif. No people in
world history have carried out tahrif to the extent that they
have done. For the same reason no one has ever delivered a great
blow to humanity by distorting facts and fabricating falsehoods.
Our Responsibility and Mission:
You should know that we have a serious responsibility in this
regard, especially in the present times. One cannot serve the people
with a distorted version of the truth, neither was it possible in
the past. It was unproductive also in the past, but its harm was
lesser. Its harm is much greater in this era. Our greatest
responsibility is to see what distortions have occurred in our
history; to see what distortions have occurred in the presentation
of our eminent figures and personalities, and what
misinterpretations have occurred in the Qur'an. There has been no
textual corruption in the Qur'an. It means that not a single word
has been added to it nor a word has been deleted from it. However,
the danger of distortion of the meanings of the Qur'an is as serious
as any textual corruption. What is meant by distortion of meanings
of the Qur'an? It means interpreting the Qur'an in a wrong and
misleading manner. Such a thing should not be permitted to take
place. We should see what kind of distortions have taken place in
our history in historical episodes such as the historic event of
'Ashura, which must always remain a source of lesson and education
for us, being a document of moral and social training and education.
We should combat such distortions.
The Duty of the 'Ulama and the People:
What is the duty of the 'ulama' of the Ummah in this
regard and the duty of the common people, the masses?
I want to make a general remark concerning the responsibility of
the ulama'. The deviation of an 'alim lies in always
confronting passively the weak points and shortcomings of the
people. Spiritual, moral and social weak points are a kind of
sickness. In bodily illness the sick person is usually conscious of
his illness and he himself seeks his own treatment. But in spiritual
illnesses that which makes things difficult is that the sick person
does not know that he is sick. On the contrary he considers his
illness a sign of health. He even has a liking for his illness. It
is not the case that individuals are conscious of their weak points
and accept them as such; rather they consider them as their strong
points! It is the 'alim who understands the weak points of
his community
When an 'alim is faced with a weak point of the community
he has two alternatives before him:
1) He may struggle against these weak points, and such a person
is called a reformer (muslih). A reformer is one who fights
against the weak points of the people. The people usually do not
like him.
2) He may consider it a difficult and formidable task to combat
the weak points of the people. He may conclude that there is not
only no reward to be obtained in fighting the people's weak points,
but there are also disadvantages. Accordingly, he exploits their
weakness. It is here that he becomes an instance of 'the vicious
scholar' (faqih fajir) who according to the Noble Prophet (s)
is one of the three hazards and pestilences of the faith.
I will not discuss other problems here but will confine myself to
the issue of the event of 'Ashura. The common people have two weak
points in relation to the mourning ceremonies held for Imam Husayn
(a). One of them is that - to the extent I have come across in my
own experience (and I have not yet encountered any exception) -
usually those who arrange and organize the mourning gatherings
(majalis), whether they are held in mosques or at homes, want
the majalis to draw good attendance. They are satisfied if
there is a substantial crowd and are unhappy if the attendance is
sparse. This is a weak point. These sessions are not held to draw
crowds. Our purpose is not to hold a parade or a march past. The
purpose is to become acquainted with the truths and to fight against
distortions. This ia a weak point which the speaker has to reckon
with. Should he fight this weak point or should he exploit it like
Taj Nayshaburi? Should he wish to combat this weak point it would
not be compatible with the objectives of the organizers and holders
of the majlis as well as with the wishes of the audience who
like to get together and love tumult and fanfare. Should he want to
exploit this weak point then all that may bother him is how to draw
larger crowds. It is here that an 'alim stands at a
crossroad: now that these people are fools and have such a weak
point, should I exploit it, or should I struggle against it and go
after the truth?
Another weak point present in the mourning gatherings - which is
mostly from the people's side and has fortunately become lesser - is
that profuse and loud weeping is regarded as the criterion of their
success. After all the speaker on the minbar must relate the
sorrowful accounts of the tragic events. While these accounts are
related, the people are expected not merely to shed tears: the mere
shedding of tears is not acceptable; the majlis must be
rocked with cries of mourning. I do not say that the majlis
should not be rocked with mourning; what I say is that this must not
be the objective. If tears are shed as a result of listening to
facts and the majlis is rocked with mourning by descriptions
of real history without false and fabricated narratives, without
distortion, without conjuring companions for Imam Husayn that did
not exist in history and who are unknown to Imam Husayn himself (as
they were nonexistent), without attributing such children to Imam
Husayn as did not exist, without carving out enemies for Imam Husayn
that basically had not existed - that is very good indeed. But when
reality and truth are absent, should we go on making war against
Imam Husayn by fabricating falsehoods and lies?
This is a weak point of the common people. What is to be done?
Should it be exploited? Should we exploit it for our interests and
take them for a ride? Should we, like Taj Nayshaburi, say that as
the people are stupid, we should make use of their stupidity? No!
Our greatest responsibility and the 'ulama's biggest duty is
to struggle against the weak points of society. That is why that the
Noble Prophet (s) said: -
When heresies and fabrications appear in my Ummah, the 'alim
must declare what he knows, otherwise he will be cursed by
God.[6]
That is: when falsehoods and fabrications appear and when things
become popular which are not part of the religion, things which the
Prophet (s) has not prescribed, it is the duty of the learned to
declare the truth even if the people do not like it. And may curse
of God be upon him who hides the facts. The Noble Qur'an itself has
declared in stronger terms:
Those who conceal what We have revealed of the clear signs
and guidance, after We have made them clear for the people in
the Book, God shall curse them and they will be cursed by all
the cursers. (2:159)
It means, the learned who conceal the truths declared by Us, who
know the facts but conceal them and refrain from expressing them,
may the curse of God be upon them and the curse of everyone who
curses. The duty of the 'ulama during the era of the last
prophesy is to struggle against tahrif. Fortunately the means
for such a task are also available and there are, and have been,
persons among the 'ulama who combat such weak points. The
book Lu' lu' wa marjan was written on this very topic of the
event of 'Ashura and I have mentioned it earlier. It is by the
marhum Hajji Nuri (may God be pleased with him) and its purpose
is precisely to carry out a campaign in this regard, a most sacred
duty which has been fulfilled by that great man, whose work is an
instance of the first part of the above-mentioned hadith:
When heresies and fabrications appear in my Ummah, the 'alim
must declare what he knows ...
It is the duty of the 'ulama to state in clear terms the
facts relating to this case to the people even if they do not like
it. It is the duty of the 'ulama to combat falsehoods. It is
the duty of the 'ulama to expose the liars. The jurists
(fuqaha) have made certain remarks concerning the issue of
back-biting (ghibah). They say that there are certain
exceptions where back-biting is permissible. Among cases relating to
these exceptions is one where all the major 'u/ama have
committed this kind of ghibah, considering it necessary and
even obligatory. This is the case of jarh, where the standing
of a narrator (rawi) is critically examined. Suppose a person
narrates a tradition from the Prophet (s) or from one of the Imams
(a). Is one to accept his statements immediately? No. One must
investigate his background to see what kind of man he was, whether a
truthful person or a liar. If you discover a weak point in the life
of this person, a shortcoming, a defect, an instance of lying or
misconduct, it is not only lawful for you but even obligatory
(wajib) to discredit this person in your books. This is called
jarh. Although it is ghibah and it amounts to casting
disrepute on someone - which is in general not a lawful thing to do
whether the subject is dead or alive - but in this case where the
matter is that of distortion of the truth and its tahrif, one
must discredit him and the liar must be exposed and discredited.
Someone may be a great scholar in a certain field, such as Mulla
Husayn Kashifi, who was a very learned religious scholar. But his
Rawdat al-shuhada is replete with lies. No one has been spared
of his lies. Even Ibn Ziyad aud 'Umar ibn Sa'd are victims of his
lies. He has written that Ibn Ziyad gave fifty camel-loads
(kharwar) of gold to 'Umar ibn Sa'd so as to make him go to
Karbala' to do what he did. (Anyone who hears such a story might
think that if such is the case one cannot put much blame on 'Umar
ibn Sa'd. There are many who would do such. a thing if given fifty
camel-loads of gold.)
There is a general agreement about Mulla Darbandi that he was a
good man. Even marhum Hajji Nuri, who criticizes his book,
and with justification, says that he was a good man. This man was
sincerely devoted to Imam Husayn (a) and it is said that whenever he
heard Imam Husayn's name mentioned tears would come into eyes. He
was also quite well-versed in fiqh and usul al-fiqh.
He imagined himself to be a jurist (faqih) of the first rank.
However; that was not the case. He was a jurist of second or at
least third rank. He wrote a book named Khaza'in (lit.
'treasures') which is a complete course in fiqh and has been
published. He was a contemporary of the author of the Jawahir
(lit. 'jewels'). He asked the author of the Jawahir as to
what title he had given to his book. He said, 'Jawahir.' As
the title of his own book was Khaza'in, he said, "There are
many of such jawahir in our khaza'in." However, the
Jawahir has been reprinted ten times and there is no jurist who
does not use it or can do without it. The Khaza'in was
printed only once and thereafter no one went after it. Although it
has a thousand pages, it is not worth more than the paper used to
print it. This man, in spite of being a scholar, wrote the Asrar
al-shahadah in which he has totally distorted the event of
Karbala, altering it and twisting it out of shape, making it
ineffective and inconsequent. His book is full of lies. Now should
we keep our silence about him because he was a scholar, a pious man
and devoted to Imam Husayn? Should not Hajji Nuri give his opinion
abut his Asrar al-shahadah? Of course, he must be subjected
to jarh and this is the duty of an 'alim.
We beseech God, the Blessed and the Exalted, to lead our hearts
towards the truth, to forgive us the sins which we have committed
through tahrif and otherwise, to grant us the ability to
carry out successfully the duty and mission that we have in this
field.
