Honorable Muslims!
In the verse I have recited, our Almighty Lord (swt) states as follows: "Obey Allah and His Messenger. Do not dispute with one another. Or you would be discouraged and weakened. Persevere! Surely Allah is with those who persevere."[1]
In the hadith I have read, our Prophet (saw) says, "Hasan and Husain will be the leaders of the youth of Paradise."[2]
Dear Believers!
We are in the month of Muharram, one of the four months commanded to be respected in the Holy Qur'an, and today is the 10th of Muharram, the Day of 'Ashura. Muharram is a blessed month that our Prophet (saw) describes as worthy of reverence. The Messenger of Allah (saw) advises us to fast in this month by saying, "The most excellent fast after Ramadan is Allah's month, al-Muharram."[3]
Dear Muslims!
The month of Muharram, which is full of blessings and virtues, is also the month in which the incident of Karbala took place, which plunged Muslims into mourning. Karbala is a deep wound of blood, tears, grief, sorrow, pain, and agony. In this tragic incident, Husain, whom the Messenger of Allah (saw) loved as "...my flower, my basil in the world"[4] and more than seventy Muslims, most of them from the Ahl al-Bayt, were martyred yearning for a sip of water.
Dear Believers!
There are timeless messages for us in the incident of Karbala. Above all, Karbala is the name of an honorable struggle against injustice. Karbala is the symbol of a brave and determined stance in the face of injustice and a noble march against oppression. Karbala is the embodiment of justice, courage, valor and high morality in the person of Husain.
Those who were martyred that day in Karbala will always be remembered by the believers with the prayers of mercy. Those who persecuted and martyred these precious souls will continue to be condemned in the conscience of Muslims.
Dear Muslims!
What falls upon us today is to read and understand the incident of Karbala correctly, and to draw the necessary lessons from it. Our duty is to always keep the love of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt alive in our hearts. It is our responsibility to strive to make the values that were represented by Husain and the Ahl al-Bayt prevail in our lives. Our duty is to turn an event like this, which saddened the entire 'ummah, into a means for unity and solidarity, not hatred, enmity, division, and disunity. It is to adhere wholeheartedly to the divine decree, وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللّٰهِ جَم۪يعاً وَلَا تَفَرَّقُواۖ "Hold firmly to the rope of Allah and do not be divided."[5]It is to feel wholeheartedly the brotherhood in religion stated in the divine address, اِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ اِخْوَةٌ "The believers are but one brotherhood."[6] It is to stand shoulder to shoulder as a community of believers regardless of race, language, color, sect and geography, and to embrace the morality of solidarity. It is to avoid all kinds of words, attitudes, and behaviors that are detrimental to the law of our brotherhood.
I would like to take this opportunity to commemorate with mercy all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the truth and right, especially the Master of the Martyrs, the darling of our Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (saw), Husain (as), and the martyrs of Karbala. In the meantime, I wish success to all our brothers and sisters who will be taking the KPSS test this weekend. May our Lord (swt) keep their minds sharp and their lives fruitful.
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[1] Anfal, 8/46.
[2] Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 30.
[3] Muslim, Siyam, 202.
[4] Tirmidhi, Birr, 11.
[5] Ali 'Imran, 3/103.
[6] Hujurat, 49/10.
General Directorate of Religious Services