Once again, the mourners and devotees of the Master and Leader of the Martyrs gathered on the night of the 23rd of Tir 1403 to honor the memory of the heroes of Karbala. As in the previous nights, the ambassador and other members of the Islamic Republic's embassy in Manila, Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimin Dr. Ahad Azadi Khah, a member of the Islamic Parliamint Of I.R.Iran, a group of resident Iranians, and devotees of the Ahlul Bayt from the host country and other Islamic countries were present at this ceremony.

 

 

The program began with the Maghrib and Isha prayers led by the present cleric, followed by the recitation of Ziyarat Ashura in remembrance of the martyrs of Karbala and in condemnation of the misguided and oppressors. After the completion of Ziyarat Ashura, Mr. Abdolmajid Abolghasemi, the Cultural Counselor, warmly welcomed the attendees, thanked them for their continued devotion to Imam Hossein (AS) and his loyal companions, and wished them acceptance of their prayers and devotions. He then invited Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimin Dr. Ahad Azadi Khah to grace the gathering with his words. The speaker of the session, after greeting and expressing condolences on the days of mourning for Imam Hussain (a.s.), stated the following:

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

"And I entrust my affair to Allah. Indeed, Allah is Seeing of [His] servants."

Praise be to Allah, and prayers and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his pure family. And curse be upon the enemies of Allah.

Indeed, mankind is at a loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to be patient.

I convey my greetings and express condolences for the sorrowful days of Muharram to the honorable brothers and sisters, and wish the acceptance of your acts of worship, especially for the respected organizers. In the past nights, we mentioned the characteristics of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him). The first characteristic was his sense of responsibility, which led to the creation of Karbala, and it was this responsibility of the Imam (peace be upon him) that was able to bring the Karbala event to its peak.

 

 

We also mentioned last night that self-sacrifice and selflessness were other characteristic of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), which is a result of the first characteristic. In other words, until a person is responsible, he cannot be a good self-sacrifice. Self-sacrifice occurs when a person is responsible.

The third characteristic that I want to discuss with you brothers and sisters tonight is patience and perseverance. The responsible person must also be a patient. According to the Holy Quran, patience is one of the four characteristics of a righteous person.

"Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience." In this verse, four characteristics are recommended: first, faith; second, righteous deeds, meaning that the more people are engaged in good deeds, have good behavior with each other, and with their families, and treat their parents with respect, the less they will suffer losses and harms in life.

Truth-seeking is the third characteristic of human beings. Humans must understand and believe the realities of life. Sometimes, the truth is not as you would like it to be, but you must accept it. This is the rule of life. As Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said, "Time has two days - one for you and one against you." Life sometimes aligns with your desires, and sometimes it goes against your preferences, but the reality and truth of life must be accepted. Of course, one must strive to live a better life, but ultimately one must accept whatever happens - whether it is illness, poverty, loneliness, or great success.

 

 

The fourth characteristic is patience and perseverance, which this Surah (chapter) considers as one of the signs of success. This means that if a person wants to avoid harm and loss in this world, they must be patient. One of the behavioral and managerial characteristics of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) in Karbala was his very patience and perseverance. His patience in the face of such calamity, exile, loneliness, and endurance of such injustice was a truly great deed. Imagine if someone slapped your young child - no father could ever endure that. Yet the children of Imam Hussain were beaten with disrespect on the path to Karbala, and his children died of thirst, and he was martyred in the utmost exile and loneliness. But he remained patient.

However, this should not be confused with silence. Silence is not the same as patience. Silence means accepting oppression, which is forbidden. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) expressed his protest against the oppressors through his many speeches and sermons.

They spoke up and refused to remain silent, but the Imam (Hussain) endured with patience while they cried against injustice. It is this patience that can uproot oppression (affairs become easy with patience).

When Imam (Hussain) realized that the people of Iraq were not loyal, he could have returned to Medina from Mecca. But with patience and forbearance, he continued on his path, because in that path, humanity was to be revived, and the lessons of life were to be taught again.

The Imam was ready to sacrifice himself and his family for the sake of serving humanity and society. He did not turn back, but continued the journey with patience and forbearance, offering up all the potential of himself and his family. Through this patience and forbearance, he was able to uproot the foundations of oppression.

Today, millions flock to Karbala during the Arba'een of Imam Hussain, chanting "Labbayk Ya Hussain". This is the success that Imam Hussain achieved through his patience.

Tonight is the eighth night of Muharram, the night of Ali Akbar, the son of Imam Hussain. Ali Akbar was the most similar to the Prophet in appearance and character. Whenever the Bani Hashim missed the Prophet, they would look at the beauty of Ali Akbar. Ali Akbar was the muezzin and the protector of the Imam's sanctuary. He was the staff of support for Imam Hussain. When he saw his father alone, he asked for permission to go to the battlefield, and the Imam immediately permitted him, calling out "My son!"

 

The speaker continued the third night's eulogy with a focus on Ali Akbar and the tribulations faced by Imam Hossein (AS) and his family and companions. The attendees participated in chest beating and mourning. At the end, the mourners were served from the blessed table of Imam Hossein (AS).