“If Hussein belonged to us, we would raise a banner for him in every land, erect a pulpit for him in every village, and call people to Christianity in the name of Hussein.”

The greatness of Imam Hussein’s uprising, the height of his sacrifice, and the other remarkable qualities of the Imam (peace be upon him) and his companions have led many great writers and thinkers around the world to express their views on this movement and the heroes of Ashura. Some non-Muslim writers have even written books about this event. We will now examine some of these perspectives.

George Jordac (Christian Scholar and Literary Figure)

“When Yazid encouraged the people to kill Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and ordered them to shed blood, they asked him: ‘How much money will you give us?’ But the companions of Hussein said to him: ‘We are with you, and even if we are killed seventy times, we would still want to fight and be killed alongside you.’”

Thamlas Tundon (Former President of the Indian National Congress)

“These noble sacrifices, such as the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, elevate the level of human thought. It is worthy that their memory should always be preserved and recalled.”

Frederick James

“The lesson of Imam Hussein and every other martyred hero is that eternal principles of justice, compassion, and love exist in the world, and that these principles are unchanging. It also teaches us that whenever someone stands up for these qualities and persists in their cause, those principles will always remain and endure in the world.”

Bint al-Shati (Famous Egyptian Writer)

“Zaynab, the sister of Hussein ibn Ali, destroyed the pleasure of victory in the mouths of Ibn Ziyad and the Umayyads, and poured drops of poison into their cup of triumph.

“In all the political events that followed Ashura—including the uprising of Mukhtar, the movement of Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, the fall of the Umayyad state, the establishment of the Abbasid government, and the spread of Shiism—Zaynab, the heroine of Karbala, played a motivating role.”

Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad (Egyptian Writer and Literary Figure)

“Hussein’s movement was one of the most extraordinary historical movements that has endured in the fields of religious calls and political uprisings.

“The Umayyad state did not survive for as long as the natural lifespan of a human being after this movement. From the martyrdom of Hussein until their downfall, no more than sixty-some years passed.”

Charles Dickens (Famous English Writer)

“If Hussein’s purpose had been to fight for worldly ambitions, I cannot understand why his sisters, women, and children accompanied him. Therefore, reason dictates that he made his sacrifice solely for the sake of Islam.”

Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Great Leader of Pakistan)

“No example of courage greater than that which Hussein displayed through his sacrifice and bravery can be found in the world. In my opinion, all Muslims should follow this martyr who sacrificed himself in the land of Iraq.”

L. M. Boyd

“Throughout the centuries, human beings have always admired courage, boldness, greatness of spirit, generosity of heart, and moral bravery. It is because of these qualities that freedom and justice never surrender to the forces of oppression and corruption.

“This was the courage and greatness of Imam Hussein, and I am pleased to have joined those who praise this great sacrifice with all their hearts, even though thirteen hundred years have passed since that time.”

Mahatma Gandhi (Great Leader of India)

“I have carefully read the life of Imam Hussein, that great martyr of Islam, and have paid sufficient attention to the pages of Karbala. It has become clear to me that if India wishes to become a victorious nation, it must follow Imam Hussein.”²

Thomas Carlyle (English Scholar)

“The best lesson we can learn from the tragedy of Karbala is that Hussein and his companions had a firm faith in God. Through their actions, they demonstrated that numerical superiority has no importance when truth and falsehood confront one another. Hussein’s victory, despite the small number of his followers, amazes me.”³

Thomas Masaryk

“Although our priests also move people by recounting the sufferings of Jesus Christ, the passion and fervor found among the followers of Hussein cannot be found among the followers of Christ. Perhaps the reason is that the sufferings of Christ, compared with those of Hussein, are like a straw before a massive mountain.”⁴

Professor Edward Browne (British Orientalist)

“Even non-Muslims cannot deny the spiritual purity under whose banner this Islamic battle was fought.”⁵

Washington Irving (American Historian)

“Under the scorching sun of the dry land and upon the burning sands of Iraq, the spirit of Hussein is immortal.

“O champion, O exemplar of courage, O my knight, O Hussein.”⁶

Maurice Dupré

“If our historians knew and understood the truth of the day of Ashura, and what kind of day it was, they would not consider this mourning madness. Through mourning for Hussein, his followers understand that they must not accept humiliation, subjugation, colonialism, or exploitation. Their guiding principle and master slogan was to refuse to submit to oppression and injustice.”⁷

Brockelmann Carl (German Orientalist and Researcher)

“The martyrdom of Hussein, in addition to its political consequences and effects, contributed to the consolidation and spread of Shiism, and this religion became the center and manifestation of anti-Western sentiments.”⁸

The Influence of the Ashura Uprising on Liberation Movements Around the World

The Karbala uprising was not buried in the depths of history as merely a painful event. It was not long before it became an everlasting epic.

The Hussein movement developed into a model uprising and a history-making revolution, inspiring various movements throughout history.

One of the important achievements of the Karbala uprising was the presentation of a principled and highly effective method for resisting oppressive and domineering governments.

The event of Karbala represents a model uprising, a general example for the theory of revolution, and a historical revolutionary message that carries a special meaning for every era.

Based on the distinctive characteristics of Imam Hussein’s movement, a bond emerged among Islamic movements throughout the Muslim world. A wave of awakening and revolution spread across vast regions of the Islamic world, including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, the Hijaz, Indonesia, India, and Iran.

In most Islamic countries, the popular nature of the religious clergy placed the responsibility of leading movements and uprisings upon religious leaders.

Shah Waliullah Dehlawi and his son, Sayyid Ahmad Khan of India, Sayyid Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Iqbal of Lahore, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Sheikh Muhammad Abduh, Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi, Hassan al-Banna, and Imam Khomeini, were prominent examples of resistance against imperialism and tyranny, based on the purposeful revolutionary system of Hussein.

Some of These Movements Include:

1. The Islamic Movement of the Indian Subcontinent
2. The Islamic Movement in North Africa and the Arab Countries, Especially Egypt
   • The movement of Sayyid Jamal al-Din al-Afghani in Egypt
   • The movement of Sheikh Muhammad Abduh
   • The movement of Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi
   • The movement of Hassan al-Banna
3. Islamic Movements in Iran
   • The Tobacco Movement
   • The Constitutional Revolution
   • The Jangali Movement
   • The uprising of Sheikh Muhammad Khiyabani
   • The movement of Ayatollah Abol-Qasem Kashani
   • The Fada’iyan-e Islam movement
   • The Freedom Movement of Iran
   • The movement of Imam Khomeini

Footnotes

1. The Culture of Ashura, pp. 279–283, quoted from The Lesson Hussein Taught Humanity, Abdolkarim Hasheminejad, p. 447; The Leader of the Free, and other sources.
2. On a River of Epic and Presence, p. 283, quoted from Basair magazine, issues 7 and 8, special Muharram issue, p. 25.
3. Ibid., p. 447.
4. Ibid., p. 451.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid..