The powerful tradition of repentance will be highlighted yet again as Muslims across the world this week began observing the Islamic month of Muharram, centrally tied to the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s.), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

In this journey, the example of Hazrat Hur ibne Yazid al-Riyahi, a general of the army of Yazid ibn Muawiya, who defected to the forces of Imam Hussain (a.s.) just before their massacre on the 10th day of Muharram, has highlighted the importance of repentance and forgiveness.

Almost 1400 years have passed since Imam Hussain (a.s.) and at least 72 of his companions were massacred, while the events of that terrible episode continue to resonate till this day. For Muslims who are struggling against persecution, notably in Gaza where Israel has killed more than 56,000 innocent Palestinians, the occasion offers a timely opportunity for renewal of their faith.

And the memory of the terrible events before and after the day of carnage that witnessed the capture of women, children and a lone surviving adult male, Imam Zainul Abideen (a.s.) has carried on till today. The prisoners were forcibly taken to the court of Yazid ibn Muawiya, the caliph at the time, based in Damascus.

Just one of the many terrible accounts of that journey flows from the continuing disagreement on the number of children who departed from Karbala versus those who arrived in Damascus. Many fell from their mothers' laps while the prisoners travelled swiftly, after they were tied and forced onto camels........

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