Love for Husein
"If Imam Hussein (as) was one of us we would have put up a flag and a minaret for him in every part of the earth and we would have called the people to Christianity!"
This is the time of year where we all come together from different walks of life and take part in mourning ceremonies held in commemoration of the Great Sacrifice of Imam Husein (as), for the sake of preserving moral values and truth for mankind.
We often find that certain groups of people from within secular societies or other religious denominations try to hamper our efforts to remember Imam Husein (as) by branding them as 'outdated' and 'backward'. We are regularly made to feel that we should forget Imam Husein (as) and the tragedy of Karbala. The reason they cite for this, is that 'we are alienating ourselves from society and the rest of the world'.
Love for Husein (as) in other faiths
Quotes from renowned figures
Read moreChristian Scholar on Imam Husein (as)
Download (PDF)Hindus' Love for Imam Husein (as)
Download (PDF)Hindus' Love for Hazrat Abbas (as)
Download (PDF)Azadari in other faiths
Self-mortification in Christianity
Christians describe their self-mortification experiences in this short documentary
Watch videoWhat is self-mortification?
The concept of self-mortification, or Azadari, is familiar for us all. Many of us take part in a form of self-mortification regularly.
Although the practices of self-mortification appear as early as in the Holy Scriptures, they are not confined to our religions. This is a practice that is widely accepted by all societies. In fact, the chances are that you, or someone you know, have probably taken part in a form of self-mortification recently. Let us look at secular society, where many people are willing to undergo self-mortification in a series of painful experiences commonly known as 'plastic surgery' or are willing to accept pain to "look good". They perform these actions in attempt to gain a sense of "owning" their bodies more fully.
In the same way that people who change their appearance through painful means will sacrifice and deny themselves in order to attain physical or material goals, people who follow religion voluntarily perform various practices on themselves in order to achieve spiritual aims and to overcome the body's limitations. The spiritual benefits are recognised by the world's major religions, however it is known that various non-religious groups such as indigenous people and primitivists also perform these actions, knowing the impact it has on increasing their spiritual power.