• We recite in our Ziyarah to Imam Husayn (as)...

●We recite in our Ziyarah to Imam Husayn (as), يَا لَيْتَنَا كُنَّا مَعَكُم فَنَفُوزُ فَوْزاً عظيماً We wish we were with you and so we would have won the greatest victory! Yet, what are we doing to prove that we really wish to be with him? • What is our strategy in enjoining the good and forbidding the evil and how are we supporting the truth and fighting oppression?

●Last but not least, what steps are we taking to pave the road for the reappearance of the Imam of our Time (may Allah hasten his reappearance)? Or will we shamefully be among those who disbelieve and deny him when he reappears, God-willing?

When identifying the master criminals of the tragedy of Karbala, authenticated history points its fingers to five main cursed culprits who carefully conspired behind the scenes, designed, and planned the murder of Husayn, the son of Fatima who is the Master Lady of all Worlds according to the Last Messenger (S). They perpetrated and committed multitude of heinous crimes in this catastrophe which has no like in the history of mankind, whether in the past or the future.

In the order of their criminal offense starting with the chief delinquent, their names are**: Yazid ibn Muawiya, Ubaidullah Ibn Ziyad, Umar ibn Sa’d, Shimr Ibn Dhil Jawshan, and Hurmala ibn Kahel** (may Allah deprive them of His Mercy). They are the wicked villains who tainted their hands with the purified blood of the most righteous one on earth during their time, the grandson of the Holy Prophet (S), Husayn ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (as)! The crimes they committed are not like any other crimes.

And the victims in this case are not like any other victims. Hence, their status as criminals and offenders is certainly not like any other criminal and offender! They surely deserve to be condemned, convicted, and sentenced at the very least like any other criminal and much more! Quite surprisingly and unfortunately, we still find in the Muslim world today those who give regards and respect to the killers of Imam Husayn (as).

We find those who defend them with the pretext that they are among the ‘companions’. We find those who refuse to condemn their actions and instead blame the victims. We find those who equate the perpetrators of the tragedy of Ashura with any wrong-doer who simply made a ‘mistake’ and have ‘repented’. We find those who intentionally try to hide the facts of history and drive the spotlight away from the truth.

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