The 10th day of the month of Muharram is an important time which possesses significant memories and messages from the history of the Prophets in the memory of knowledge and culture of the Muslim societies. I wish this day which is named as “Ashura” contribute to the unity and solidarity of our nation and the Islamic World and the goodness and salvation of the humanity.

The day of Ashura, which was the stage of many important events in human history, is also the date when the tragedy of Karbala, which is one of the most sorrowful events in the history of Islam, took place. The grandchild of our prophet Hazrat Hussain (ra) whom our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) named as “the master of youth in heaven” and approximately 70 believer many of whom were among the ahl al-bayt were martyred in Karbala cruelly in the year of Hijri 61.

For this cause, Karbala is the name of a deep sorrow that causes all the believers to suffer, regardless of their race, sect and spirit. As a matter of fact that every Muslim who carries this sorrow deep in his heart has been imprisoned the understanding that deemed this cruelty proper to Hazrat Hussain and the ahl al-bayt to consciousness by condemning it all through the history, and in contrary, every Muslim remembers Hazrat Hussain and all Karbala martyrs with a great yearning, affection and blessings.

The most significant duty that falls on all the Muslims in the face of this sorrowful event that has tormented the hearts of all believers for centuries is to read Karbala correctly and to understand it precisely by acting reasonably. It is to extract the necessary lessons for the present and future of the Islamic Ummah by thinking thoroughly about the causes and consequences of such sorrowful incident. And with no doubt, the way to realize this is to comprehend the life, morality and the ideal of Hazrat Hussain correctly.

In this context, when we look at the life of Hazrat Hussain, we witness that he challenged for the revival of the consciousness of the Ummah and brotherhood against tribalism and nationalism that depraved the society. We see that his main objective was to make what was right and justice dominate the Islamic society and to construct a society over the legacy of "good morality" left upon us by the Messenger of Allah (swt). Hazrat Hussain is a great individual who paid the price for the sake of such objective with his own life. As a matter of fact, he stood against cruelty, unlawfulness and injustice with his exemplary stance of iman, loyalty, pledge to keep promises and sincerity, and prevailed the cruelty and the cruel with his martyrdom.

In this respect, to love Hazrat Hussain and to be with him on his way is to stand for the brotherhood, truth and justice by standing against all kinds of cruelty, injustice, discrimination and oppression no matter where it is in the world and no matter whom it is caused by. It is to make efforts devotedly so as the values ​​and principles of Islam which are manifested in the person of Hazrat Hussain to dominate over the world. In this way, it is to keep the memory of the Almighty Allah (swt) above everything for this way and to give our lives for the sake of the Almighty Allah (swt), truth, justice and the sacred when it is necessary.

I should precisely express that the pain and sorrow that we feel deeply about the tragedy of Karbala should never separate us from the truth, mercy and justice. Our emotions, discourse and actions should not be the spark of a new suffering which will burn the unity of our Ummah. On the contrary, our love and affection for Hazrat Hussain should allow us to become more united on the axis of his ideal which is the unity and brotherhood consciousness. Especially for today, as Muslims, our need for unity and solidarity is more than ever.

In that case, we should act with a sense of responsibility by equipping ourselves with a faithful foresight and discreetness in the face of the painful memories of the past. We should fill our hearts, which have been burning with common sorrows and have been excited with common joys throughout the history, with the sense of unity and brotherhood, and we should work with great efforts and cooperation to construct a better future.

On this occasion, I remember our martyrs, especially Hazrat Hussain and the martyrs of Karbala, of all times from the Battle of Badr to the Battle of Manzikert, from the Battle of Gallipoli to the Battle of Sakarya, and from July the 15th to today, who sacrificed their most sacred property, their lives, for the sake of religion, iman and what is sacred in the way of Allah (swt) and the truth with a deep respect, gratitude and blessings, and request our Lord, the Almighty Allah (swt), to allow our nation and all Muslims to live with peace, tranquility and safety.

Prof. Dr. Ali ERBAŞ

The President of Religious Affairs