Prologue

The martyrdom of Œusayn b. `Al? (61 AH/680 AD) was a defining moment in the history of struggle between the army of light and the forces of darkness. `ƒsh?r? is the penultimate manifestation of pure Islam. £aff, on the one hand, is a display of human aspiration for justice and righteousness and, on the other hand, is an indication of his abhorrence toward immorality and tyranny. Karbal? is a ship that takes her voyagers to the shores of faith and equality, and a guiding light that points the way toward prosperity and human dignity. Such qualities have imparted a marked distinction upon this historical event and instilled the love of its protagonist into the hearts of multitudes of people throughout history. Reflections of Imam Œusayn (`a) are to be sought in two distinct arenas: among the populace, and amid the learned community.

Muslims, at large, harbor a deep-seated affection toward the Imam as a descendent of the Holy Prophet (ê); and the Shiites, in particular, are devoted to him as their third imam.

Thinkers, on the other hand, in addition to their humane feelings toward this poignant event, have been attracted to it owing to its scholarly interests. The first accounts of `ƒsh?r? were in the form of maqtals and narrative reports. These works, in general, tended to provide a description of the events, without going into any analysis.

The past two centuries have seen a burst of activity in the area of `ƒsh?r? studies. This has included the publication of new editions of a large number of ancient sources, and the appearance of numerous books, dissertations, and bibliographical material. The vast scope of the available sources has even prompted a number of attempts at compil-ations of `ƒsh?r? related encyclopedias.

`ƒsh?r? studies have found their place among non-Muslim Westerners and Orientalists, as well. Wustenfeld seems to have been the first translator of Ab? Mikhnaf’s Maqtal al-Œusayn, into German (1884 AD). The most notable development in this field appears to have taken place in the manner in which the event of `ƒsh?r? has come to be viewed.

The older, purely narrative and descriptive reports have been superseded by analytical studies, which, among other things, aim at seeking the circumstances that gave rise to Imam Œusayn’s (`a) movement. These etiological studies have sought assistance from the Quran, historical sources, and the sciences of sociology and politics. Some of the questions, whose answers have been sought by these researchers, include the following: What was the cause of the uprising?, What was the objective pursued by Imam Œusayn?, What were the motives of the K?fanh army?, What was the upshot of this revolt for the subsequent history of Islam?

A raft of theories on the nature of Imam’s uprising have been advanced and each has had a corpus of books and articles behind it. Thus, the later half of the 20th century can be deemed as a battleground for various theses on `ƒsh?r?. Such amplified interest in `ƒsh?r? was all the more occasioned by the political conditions of the Muslim, and especially Shiite, world. The coming into existence of various freedom movements called for ideological and doctrinal foundations, for which the Karbal? uprising provided ample substance.

Today, `ƒsh?r? studies are entering upon a new phase. The significance accorded to the preservation of social traditions, efforts at compilation of works of reference, and the widespread use of the Internet are among the characteristic elements of this period. Several websites are currently engaged in providing information on Imam Œusayn (`a) and `ƒsh?r?. Some of these websites approach their task with critical objectivity, but there are others whose sole objective is the dissemination of lies and distortions. Thus, the struggle to fight against the misrepresentations of `ƒsh?r?, which was launched by M?rz? Œusayn N?r? (d. 1320 AH) and his book of Lu’lu’ wa Marj?n, has entered another stage. The advent of the Internet and its ubiquity calls for the establishment of an `ƒsh?r? related website, based on objective scientific standards.

Production of works of reference on `ƒsh?r? constitutes another area of activity, which is to be accorded equal urgency. There exist a vast body of literature; including encyclopedias, bibliographies, and biographical collections; that is being used as the basis for numerous studies of `ƒsh?r?. This issue of the Islamic Books Quarterly, is devoted to a number of important and universal dimensions of `ƒsh?r?.

Ahmad Masjed-Jamei