The Tragedy of Karbala

by Israr Ahmed

The contents of this booklet mainly consist of a speech delivered by Dr. Israr Ahmad, Ameer of Tanzeem-e-Islami, on 8th of Muharram Al-Haram (the first month of the Islamic calendar). The speech was delivered in Darussalam Mosque, Lahore, and was later published in Meesaq, the monthly magazine and the organ of Tanzeem-e-Isalmi. After a persistent demand from the readers, the speech was published in the form of a booklet under the title Saniha-e-Karbala. The substance of the booklet is an endeavor to reveal the real background of the tragedy of Karbala and to lay bare the events leading to a series of tragedies in the Islamic history. The tragedy taken in a distorted perspective has led to tremendous confusion about the conflicts of the Companions of the Holy Prophet (saw). It gave rise to a separate sect in Islam, the Shi‘ah. It is necessary for every Muslim to be aware of the real background of the events in order to avoid distorted concepts about the Companions of the Holy Prophet (saw), as it is a part of our faith to show due respect to them all and consider everyone of them free from perversion of intention in their actions

Genres: Islam, History

23 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2018

About the author

Dr. Israr Ahmed, (1932-2010) was a Pakistan-based Muslim religious figure who has been described as well-known among Muslims in Pakistan, India, the Middle East, and North America. Born in East Punjab, (now part of Haryana) in India, the second son of a government servant, he is the founder of the Tanzeem-e-islami, an off-shoot of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
He has spent the "last forty years" actively engaged in "reviving the Qur'an-centered Islamic perennial philosophy and world-view" with "the ultimate objective of establishing a true Islamic State, or the System of Khilafah." Ahmed is skeptical of the efficacy of "parliamentary politics of give-and-take" in establishing an "Islamic politico-socio-economic system" as implementing this system is a "revolutionary process".

Courtesy : http://www.drisrarahmed.com

Reviews

[hamna]

this was such a hard book to read, but i’m glad i did. 🤍

[Mufti]

6/10

Although the author has been one my greatest guides in life, I have always found myself at odds with his tendency to see conspiracy in situations that can be explained by circumstance and his affinity for democracy, both of which are especially apparent in this work. His analysis of the tragedy is, however, free of apocrypha and fable unlike most current works on the topic although blaming the first two civil wars on a jewish conspiracy seems a way to avoid the uncomfortable reality that even our heroes and champions were ultimately fallible human beings yet whose failures tower over the successes of lesser men.

[Aqsa Lodhi]

I started this book "The tragedy of Karbala" by Dr Israr Ahmed because i wanted to know that what exactly happened and what were the events that led to this devastating Tragedy. I read it in urdu but Dr israr Ahmed uses advanced urdu vocabulary as it can be heard in his lectures as well so i read through urdu and english versions side by side.

The events that led to this tragedy were very clearly mentioned that all of this started with Hazrat Usman(R.A) Martyrdom but there were many things mentioned in the book, for getting to know about them i had to set aside the book and first research about the event that happened and i really forgot that i was reading the tragedy of karbala but once the story started, the event was explained very nicely and in detail.

Overall i recommend Dr israr Ahmed's lectures rather than the book the english translation helped a lot but his lectures hit different but even in his book i could hear his voice in my head how he used the same speech of words he used in his lectures in the book.

This book really cleared out my mind about the event and most importantly i got to know about a lot of things that i didn't knew before about Islamic history. Maybe this the beginning of me reading more about Islamic History.

[Ali Abbas]

Before anything else, one has to recognize that the area of expertise for the respected author lies with respect to Quran interpretation.

Having said that, history is not exactly his forte, for the simple reason, of this quote from the work,

"Before we discuss the nomination of Yazeed as a successor to his father, it would be appropriate to understand some basic and relevant issues."

This violated, one of the conditions of the peace Treaty,

2: that Mu’awiya will not appoint or nominate anyone to the caliphate after him, but the choice will be left to the shur'a of the Muslims [1]

[1] S H M Jafri, Origins and Development of Shi'a Islam, 150, Oxford University Press

[sohail babar]

"A booklet about unity and cohabitation through identification of culprits within".
* Instead of causing agony and division amongst Muslims, two martyrdoms (that of Uthman (RAA) and of
Hussain (RAA) ) must be taken as a lesson to identify intrigues. Misunderstanding the core issue has caused agony in the hearts of the
Muslim Ummah and casted gloomy shadows over
its fourteen hundred year history.
* It is, in fact, the triumph of those intriguing
elements who were jubilant over their accomplishment by creating deep division and hatred amongst us.

[Syed Zaki]

Distorted views. Maligning great personalities. One who mercilessly slaughtered the household of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) shall be absolved?
Views expressed are a perversion of reality. Quite sure in future some may come out openly in defense of the tyrant and label the victim as the oppressor.
May God guide us all.

[Anum Sattar]

3.5 stars.

Although it is a Sunni dispensation of Karbala but still it has discrepancies that need further clarifications . The events were not cited properly, thus references to the historical accounts cannot be substantiated.

[Shahid Nabi]

This book provides a brief overview of the tragedy of Karbala, though it lacks detailed accounts of the events. However, if you are looking for a concise introduction to what transpired at Karbala, this serves as a good starting point.

[Ammār ibn Aziz Ahmed]

Very good introductory book (summarising a speech by Dr. Israr Ahmed rahimullah) on one of the biggest tragedies of Islamic history: Karbala.

[Syeda Fatima]

From where may I get it's hard copy?

[Sania]

A very brief account of the events

[Javeria Hassan]

The Tragedy of Karbala by Dr. Israr Ahmed is short but deeply moving. It's actually a transcribed speech where he explains the background and history leading up to Karbala, in his own reflective and scholarly style. Even in just a few pages, it makes you pause and think about sacrifice, truth, and the price people paid for standing on principle. A heavy but worthwhile read, especially around Muharram.