THE ESSENCE OF MUHARRAM

Bismihi Ta’ala

The sacrifice of Imam Husain (a.s.), the battle of Karbala, this commemoration in Muharram that we do every year... 
Don't limit it to the rituals.  
Don't limit it to the grieving. 
Don't limit it to these 2 months and 8 days.
Karbala is not just a story that we listen and cry over. There are so many lessons in these commemorations for us to apply to our lives today, you name it- standing against oppression, selflessness, compassion, friendship, kindness, patience in times of adversity, bravery, loyalty to your cause, self-reflection, forgiveness, integrity, a spirit for reform, and the list goes on. 
You know who radiated the legacy left by Imam Husain (a.s.) across the lands after everybody was martyred? The women. If it wasn't for the women who had accompanied Imam Husain (a.s.) on his mission for justice, to the desert of Karbala, the message of Husain would've been crushed and lost in the pages of history- an impact so powerful that even after 1382 years and countless attempts by superpowers of the world to conceal this tragedy, the wounds of Karbala are still fresh in our hearts. To the women out there- don't think of yourselves as any less, to anyone. The world will try to trivialize your importance, but you know better than anybody else, in your hearts, the worth you hold. 
Let us not do what the enemy does and leave Karbala to the history books- bring it to today. It means that as you cry for the brutality done against Husain (a.s.) back then, you cry for the brutality done against humanity on this day. And I'm not talking about some extensive sense of justice that makes you speak out against the oppressor thousands of miles away from you. Don't get me wrong, that is important too, but I am emphasizing on what is less often realised- about the oppressor within us. Ask yourselves these questions- Am I hurting somebody? Am I cheating somebody? Am I lying to somebody? Am I backbiting? Am I usurping the rights of somebody, humans and animals alike? Am I the reason somebody cries themselves to sleep? Am I the reason somebody thinks less of themselves? And the one most looked over- am I being kind and just to myself? Am I loving myself enough? Am I on the right path?
Let us be kind to ourselves, our parents, our children, our people, our animals, our environment. Let's reform ourselves.
Let us grieve for Husain while we learn from Husain. 
Peace out.

By:

Narjis Fatima

B.Sc. II yr

YOU HAVE TO BE A GOOD HUMAN BEING FIRST

Bismihi Ta’ala

I was always fascinated by the famous story by O. Henry, called The Gift of the Magi, where the man sold his watch to buy his wife’s comb, while she sold her hair to buy a watch chain for him. The ever-green story has touched a million hearts because it is woven around the treasured human characters- love, sacrifice, kindness, innocence, compassion and selflessness. The characters which made the author call the couple- ‘the magi’.
It is the advent of an era in which, as Stephen Hawking predicted, the artificial intelligence will take over the world, and it seems to be happening. However, at the end of the day when a man needs a loving shoulder, he never turns up to Siri. He, rather, hugs a friend, who with a tender word or two heals all his pain. It is what makes us humans, this precious chest of love, care and the small acts of kindness. It is the thing which stretches a line between being Teresa and being Hitler. It is something which holds the potential to change a person, to change the world. An example for the same can be rummaged up from history where the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Husain, quenched the thirst of his desert beaten enemies, a kind gesture which made the commander of the enemy’s battalion repent and he embraced the path of salvation. Marvel taught us that Iron Man doesn’t have a heart. I disagree. An iron man, rather, has a heart of gold.
"I'm more worried about being a good person than being the best football player in the world. When all this is over, what are you left with? When I retire, I hope I am remembered for being a decent guy,” with these lines Lionel Messi has made me realize why alchemists could never make the philosopher’s stone. This is because immortality can only be achieved by being a good human being.

By :

Nida Zahra
 Class IX