Mourning for Hussain, Standing for Palestine
Why True Loyalty to Karbala Means Recognising the Modern Shimr in Our Midst
As the sacred days of Muharram unfold, millions across the globe don black and shed tears for Aba Abdillah al-Hussain (AS). They gather in remembrance of the eternal sacrifice made on the plains of Karbala—a sacrifice that shattered the silence of injustice and exposed the face of tyranny.
Yet, even as we mourn, another Karbala is unfolding before our eyes.
Last Muharram, two Palestinian teenagers were martyred by the occupying Israeli regime. Their lives were stolen in the very days we beat our chests for the young Ali Akbar (AS) and Qasim (AS). The land of Palestine continues to bleed—its homes usurped, its people slaughtered, and its sacred places, including the Quran, burned and desecrated by mercenaries of oppression. The crimes are not hidden; they are broadcast daily. And yet, the silence of much of the world echoes louder than ever.
In this climate of continued cruelty, it becomes essential to revisit the powerful and piercing words of the late martyr and Islamic thinker, Shahid Ayatollah Murteza Motahhari (RA). With a clarity that cuts through time, he declared:
"By God, by God, we are responsible with respect to this matter. By God, this is the issue that is hurting the heart of the Holy Prophet (S) and Hussain ibn Ali (AS) today.
If Hussain ibn Ali were alive today, he would have said, 'If you want to mourn for me, your slogan today should be about Palestine. Shimr died 1300 years ago; know today's Shimr.'"
These words aren't metaphor—they are truth.
To mourn Hussain (AS) is not merely to cry over his death but to continue his path. His mission was not about the past—it was about confronting every Yazid and every Shimr in every era. He rose not to die, but to awaken.
And what greater betrayal of that awakening than to ignore the modern face of oppression?
Palestine is not a political issue. It is not an Arab issue. It is not even merely a humanitarian issue. It is a Husayni issue. It is the battleground between truth and falsehood, dignity and degradation, justice and jahiliyyah.
So as the lamentations rise and the flags of mourning flutter this Muharram, let us not forget:
If we do not stand for Palestine, our mourning is incomplete.
We are not just the inheritors of grief. We are the carriers of a message.
And today, the message of Karbala says:
✊ Know your Shimr. Defend the oppressed. Never side with tyranny.
📌 “Peace be upon the free ones who still hear the cry of ‘Is there anyone to help me?’ echoing from Karbala to al-Quds.”