Reflections on Ashura

Article 2

“Is there not among you anyone who has attained ‘Rushd’ (the perfection of reason) and would restrain you from sin?!” (The Holy Qur’an, Surah Hud – 78)

One of the greatest and most priceless gifts with which Allah has endowed His servants is the ability and power to distinguish good from evil, the straight from the crooked, truth from falsehood. Human reason, in itself, is capable of accomplishing all of this. Of course, how much a person benefits from this God-given power and ability—or whether he benefits from it at all—depends on the person himself.

The Almighty deprives no one of reason. Human beings are born naturally endowed with reason. There are simply those who make use of their reason and those who do not.

A person begins to use reason through thinking. Those who reflect on their actions, on the events taking place around them, and on the steps they are about to take—and who act only after careful consideration—are those who make use of their reason. Thinking is the activity of reason directed toward a subject: remembering, comparing, planning, and drawing conclusions are all different forms of thinking.

A higher stage of thinking is deep reflection. It is a systematic and profound form of thought. It is the aspiration to investigate, understand, draw conclusions, and attain truth. It is deeper than ordinary thinking.

An even higher stage is wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to comprehend events, grasp their outward and inward dimensions, understand their causes and purposes, and apply acquired knowledge correctly and appropriately.

A stage that surpasses even wisdom is called “Rushd”in the Holy Qur’an and in the Hadiths. Rushd is the highest degree of perfection of reason, when a person not only recognizes the truth but also makes it the foundation of his character and way of life. This is the summit of reason, the limit of its perfection. In essence, when reason reaches perfection, one’s actions also attain perfection.

It is extremely important to distinguish truth from falsehood, and after doing so, to take the side of truth and follow its path in practice. Yet there are many who, despite distinguishing truth from falsehood, still choose the side of falsehood. Moreover, it is not enough merely to stand on the side of truth. What matters is to remain on its path until the end, without betraying it—or, more precisely, to complete one’s earthly life while remaining faithful to the truth. The closer a person comes to the summit of reason—Rushd—the more clearly he sees Truth and the more firmly he is able to stand on its side.

As has already been said, the presence of reason in a human being is natural and innate, for reason is one of the manifestations of the soul. This does not mean, however, that the mere possession of reason already enables a person to distinguish truth from falsehood. This ability exists within him as a potential, but whether he makes use of it or not depends entirely on him. Only by employing reason can a person reach the summit.

Throughout his entire life, until its very end, a person must use his reason and continually strive toward this summit. A human being comes to know God, His path—which is religion—and His messengers precisely through reason.

The Holy Qur’an speaks in many verses about Rushd and its various manifestations. At times, the word “Rushd” is used in the sense of the right path and truth. In doing so, Allah clearly indicates that He has bestowed this power upon human beings so that they may freely discover the truth. Therefore, Rushd is sometimes referred to by the name of its result.

Since human reason and intellect possess such power, religious literature often describes reason as an inner prophet. This is precisely why the Holy Qur’an pays such great attention to thinking and deep reflection.

If a person does not think, remains distant from deep reflection, and is content merely with the opinions and words of others, he will never attain the stage of Rushd. As a result, he will not be able to distinguish truth from falsehood; and even if he can, he will not be able to take the side of truth. And even if he does take its side, he may fail to remain faithful to it until the end: he may either withdraw or betray it.

The tragedy of Karbala is directly connected with reason and thought. A person who uses his reason, thinks, and engages in deep reflection understands what a monstrous crime it is for Muslims to kill the grandson of their own Prophet. Had those who brought about the tragedy of Karbala not made their reason a captive of passions and worldly interests, they would have reflected on why Imam Husayn rose in revolt, distinguished truth from falsehood, taken the side of truth—the side of the Imam—and prevented this tragedy.

To comprehend the tragedy experienced by Imam Husayn on the Day of Ashura in the land of Karbala, to understand the caravan’s journey from Medina to Karbala, then to Kufa and Sham, and afterwards back again to Karbala and Medina—to understand Imam Husayn’s uprising as a whole—all of this requires Rushd, wisdom, deep reflection, and at the very least, thinking.

Those who committed this crime were people who failed to make proper use of the gift of reason and followed not reason, but their passions and worldly interests. Reason called them to truth, yet even after seeing it, they did not follow it.

And today the situation has not changed very much. People of thought and deep reflection do not oppose the tragedy of Karbala or those who mourn for it. For Karbala is not merely a historical event; it is a school where truth was definitively separated from falsehood.

Both those who committed the tragedy of Karbala and those who today refuse to understand it face the same danger—the danger of failing to make proper use of the gift of reason. A person who uses reason, thinks, and moves toward Rushd sees truth more clearly, keeps away from sin, and strives to stand more firmly on the path of truth.

Every step of the events of Karbala compels a person to reflect, immerses him in contemplation, and awakens within him the God-given power and ability to distinguish truth from falsehood. Ultimately, this leads a person to Rushd.

Imam Husayn rose in revolt in order to put an end to the heedlessness of a community that, having abandoned thought and reflection, had come to the brink of losing its religion. He rose so that people would think for themselves, reflect, distinguish truth from falsehood, see the right path, and continue moving forward.

In short, the uprising of Imam Husayn is that which separates truth from falsehood. But to understand this, one must use reason, think, and devote oneself to deep reflection.

Although all people possess the potential to attain Rushd, in practice not everyone succeeds in doing so. Yet by using reason, a person is capable of ascending to the highest levels of thought and comprehending many truths.

Distance from thinking can deprive a person of the greatest divine gift. If a person does not use reason—the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood—he may move not toward the purpose of his creation, but in the opposite direction. And this means being dead while still alive. Yet Allah created human beings so that they may live even after death.

In the Holy Qur’an, the Prophet Lot, seeking to restrain his people from sin, reminds them precisely of this divine gift: “Is there not among you anyone who has attained ‘Rushd’ (the perfection of reason) and would restrain you from sin?!”
(The Holy Qur’an, Surah Hud – 78)

That is, a person who is able to distinguish truth from falsehood, good from evil, and what is lawful from what is forbidden is on the right path. The first stage of this path is reason and the ability to use it. A person who develops his reason and leads it toward perfection sees truth more clearly, keeps away from sin, and does not easily stray from the right path. The meaning of life lies not simply in possessing reason, but in making that reason active.

Namiq Babakhanov