I know- how can Ashura be inviting? The most atrocious killings and sufferings took place on that day, and yet this very day is something that invites people to the path of Ahlulbayt (a.s). When I was younger, and even until recently, I thought I understood what it meant to understand the message of Imam Hussain (a.s), and yet at the same time, I felt frustratingly distant from him. I felt like I didn't really know him.
And this is exactly what I am talking about- the day of Ashura is not something that can be understood without pondering over it, really immersing oneself into a bottomless pit of thoughts about the events that took place in Karbala. The day of Ashura is a chest in which there is a plethora of lessons, morals, inspirational personalities, but all this has to be discovered. They are not something simple that can be understood and learnt from at the instant of comprehension. And that is the beauty of it.
It's almost like there is a catch (for lack of a better word)- one must ponder, think, make an effort to understand, in order to acquire the treasures of this event. "Catch" is not the best word to use, I know. This scenario doesn't form a congruence with the nature of a catch, because the only person who gains is the one that ponders, the one that understands and in the end acquires the deep meanings and teachings from this day. There is no "other side" that would gain anything in return. What a mercy.
All this leads me to think that the true understanding, and the self-appointed pseudo-understanding, is the difference between the true lovers of Imam Hussein (a.s) and others who claim to be so. Why? Because the true lover has to undergo an intellectual struggle to grasp the true essence of his message, to even begin to understand him.
No comments:
Post a Comment