Violation of human rights in Karbala
IN recent years, “human rights” have become a trendy cliché. Nevertheless, unfortunately, even those who openly violate the rights of individuals are now attempting to twist and discredit the facts.
While, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) has put a great deal of stress on huqooq-ul-ibad (rights of individuals/humankind), the Holy Quran boldly asserts that Allah “desired to confer favour upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders” (Surah Qasas).
From an Islamic perspective, however, human rights have always been of the utmost importance.
The Last Prophet (PBUH) refined the ethical code of human beings, especially Arabs, by preaching Islamic ethics in which special attention was given to human rights.
He enshrined the rights of women, children, war and other walks of life under the Islamic ethical code, such as how to act on the battlefield.
The famous book – Human Rights in Islam – written by Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, precisely defines the fundamental rights of all and sundry preached by (PBUH).
For instance, PBUH strictly prohibited the trampling of dead bodies on the battlefield by war winners as it was against the dignity of human beings.
However, the Army of Yazid ignored the prohibition of PBUH in Karbala. As a result, ten horses of Hawarea kind were used to mutilate and trample the bodies of Hussain and his companions after slaughtering them.
The fight might be called the “war without standards of ethics and humanity” since Yazid’s troops committed grave human rights violations.
Basic human rights, which the Creator bestows on every individual at birth, were denied to children, women, deceased persons and convicts.
For example, a violent murder and beheading of the Holy Prophet’s grandson occurred on the scorching dunes of the Karbala desert.
His loved ones and friends were murdered right before his eyes or as he held them. Not even Hussain’s associates had access to food or water, including children and women.
Women and children were burned to death when tents caught fire. In later years, the sons and daughters of the Last Prophet (PBUH) were either forced to walk for kilometres or were transported to prison on camels without the necessary camel equipment.
In any sophisticated civilization or religion, nobody could be deprived of water and food as these are the substantial rights of every human being.
Even in Islam, there is zero tolerance for such deprivation, even in battle. PBUH always discouraged such inhumane practices, symbolizing universality and championing human rights.
However, the group of Muslims in Karbala deployed army personnel on the river Euphrates bank to stop Hussain’s companions from getting water.
Hussain’s youngest son, 6 months old was parched, and he needed some drops of water to quench his thirst.
Hussain held his youngest son – Ali al-Asghar – in his arms and requested some drops of water for the baby.
Hussain appealed to the enemy by stating, “You have killed my friends and my family, and I have no one but this suckling infant, so give him water.
” However, the commander Ibn-e-Sa’ad ordered Hurmala to kill the baby. So, a three-pronged and poisoned arrow was thrown toward Ali al-Asghar, who was in his father’s arms.
Such arrows were used to slaughter animals like camels. The arrow passed through Ali’s neck from jugular to jugular vein, and the 6 months baby was killed brutally in the hands of his father.
Later, his neck was slaughtered by separating the head from the body, and horses trampled his body.
Ali Asghar is also considered the one who was martyred thrice. Hazrat Hussain buried Ali Asghar with the help of his wife, Umm-e-Rubab.
Nevertheless, after Hussain’s murder, the Yazidi army spotted Asghar’s buried body by the spears when they intended to collect 72 heads of the martyrs.
That is a blatant violation of natural rights as the Almighty , in any religion or scripture, never allowed such barbaric violation of children rights.
Moreover, among thousands of followers of the Prophet, only 72 were fighting against Yazid in Karbala.
After Hussain, Ali Ibn-al-Hussain was the only male member who could not fight due to meager health and was left alive.
The sunset of the 10th Muharram brought more miseries to the parish of the Last Prophet (PBUH).
The daughters of the Prophet were coerced to walk from Karbala to Kufa and Kufa to Sham (Syria) bareheaded and barefoot.
The next day, the rituals for the burial by the Yazidi army were performed, but the dead bodies of Hussain, his male family members and companions were left without a grave and shroud.
Their bodies, without heads, were left in the same condition for three days. At last, people from the tribe of Banu Asad – a Christian tribe living over there – came to bury Hazrat Hussain and his companions.
The battle of Karbala was merely not a battle. This battle exposed all those who claimed to be the true followers of the Prophet (PBUH).
It was a fight between truth and falsehood that unmasked those who claimed to be the righteous ones and associated themselves with the Prophet (PBUH).
Karbala is the path to distinguish between the true followers of humanity and the Last Prophet.
Because those who own the righteous personalities of Hussain and his companions are true followers as Prophet PBUH once said, “Hussain is from me, and I am from Hussain.
May Allah keep him as a friend who keeps Hussain as his friend. Hussain is a grandchild among grandchildren.
” the sacrifice of Prophet’s posterity proved to be an open message to all the humans around the globe that Islam is the religion of humanity and the descendants of PBUH are the saviors of Islamic and humanitarian principles no matter whatever sacrifice this task demands.
The troops of Yazid tarnished the rights of women in Islam. Even the descendants of the Prophet were plundered.
Children were murdered by charging horses and tents that were set ablaze. On horseback, women’s valuables were taken away while setting fire to tents.
I am at a loss for words to express the grave violation of women’s and children’s rights of the Prophet’s family, who until the Day of Judgment are the world’s greatest peacemakers.
Corruption, political manoeuvring, disrespect for Ahl-e-Bayt and departing from Islamic tenets to attain power were significant causes of Karbala’s terrible disaster.
The Umayyad dynasty acquired control of the Muslim world 50 years after the death of the prophet (PBUH).
They battled against Hazrat Ali for power. In first year of Yazid’s three years’ reign, he massacred the prophet’s grandson and his family.
In second year of his rule, he ordered a massacre in Madinah and destroyed the Ka’ba. The third year of his regime eventually led to Muslim empire.
—The writer is practising lawyer, Member of American Bar Association, based in Multan.
