Spiritual kinship

Human history is full of events and tragedies that have faded from memory with the passage of time, but the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain along with his family at Karbala is such a unique event that it has not been forgotten despite the passage of centuries.

In my weekly column published eight years ago on September 29, 2017, I had emphasised that the Hindu community's devotion to Imam Hussain is not limited to traditional religious harmony but is an expression of historical, spiritual and moral values.

In my aforementioned column, I had narrated a religious tradition that when the holy battle of truth and falsehood took place at Karbala, Rahib Dutt, a Hindu from the historical city of Lahore in present-day Pakistan, sacrificed his seven sons to protect Imam Hussain. Rahab Dutt was captured alive and forcibly sent back to his native town. Thus, in Lahore, a new school of thought, the Hussaini Brahmin, came into being to acknowledge the noble philosophy of martyrdom of Imam Hussain.

At the time of the tragedy of Karbala, the Muslims had been divided into two groups, on one side the tyrannical ruler Yazid who was thirsty for the blood of the great Imam, and on the other side the disloyal residents of Kufa. At such a critical moment, when Hazrat Imam Hussain called out, "Is there anyone who can come to my aid?" If anyone answered his call, they would have ancestors of people residing in today’s Pakistan and India.

Historians say that the last Sasanian king of the Persian Empire, Yazdgird, had two daughters. Princess Shahr Bano was married to Hazrat Imam Hussain and gave birth to Hazrat Imam Hussain's son Ali ibn Hussain, while the second princess Mehr Bano was married to the Indian king Chandra Gupta and was given the new name Chandra Lekha.

On the occasion of the Karbala tragedy, Ali ibn Hussain had sent a letter to his cousin Samudra Gupta, who had ascended the throne of India after his father. As soon as the Hindu emperor received the letter, he invited his uncle Hazrat Imam Hussain to come to India. However, upon receiving no reply, the worried king sent a group of soldiers to protect them.

When the Hindu warriors reached there, the unfortunate Karbala tragedy had already occurred. The soldiers, overcome by grief, attacked the Yazidi army to retaliate. Some of them were martyred, some were arrested, some returned crying and mourning, and some settled in the land of Karbala in devotion to Hazrat Imam Hussain. The place in Karbala where the Hindu soldiers had fought bravely is still known as Al-Hindiya, currently a city in Iraq on the Euphrates River. This epic tale of spiritual kinship is a vital part of the folk traditions, poetry, elegies and Sufi traditions of India and Pakistan, reflecting sincerity, spirituality, and interfaith harmony. The principled stand taken by the great Imam against oppression, injustice and dictatorship has won the hearts of the people of the Subcontinent.

I believe that Hazrat Imam Hussain's eternal sacrifice is an awakening call to human consciousness, which every religion, race and compassionate heart feels. His sacrifice is not just for a specific sect or faith but for all of humanity.

The Hindu community's emotional connection with Imam Hussain demonstrates that the name of Hazrat Imam Hussain will resonate wherever there is talk of truth and justice. In my view, regardless of whether somebody is Hindu or Muslim, if they are with the oppressed against the oppressor, then obviously they deserve to be honoured as Hussaini.

Let’s promise ourselves that we will never compromise on principles and that we will always support the truth at any cost.

The writer is a member of the National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council.

He tweets/posts @RVankwani