An army of thousands was brought in front of him, yet he still did not move an inch from his responsibilities. They tried to tempt him with wealth and worldly gain, but he remained as steadfast as ever.

The Yazidi army committed horrific atrocities and tried everything to stop the great Imam; they attempted to sway him with offers of wealth, tried to intimidate him, martyred his brother, nephew and even his son in front of his eyes, fired an arrow into the throat of the infant Ali Asghar رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ, until the Imam himself became martyred.

Sacrifice after sacrifice, hardship after hardship, difficulty after difficulty, but Sayyiduna Imam Husayn رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ did not take a single step back from his responsibilities and obligations. For the rest of the time, the noble Imam gave his followers the following lesson: whenever it comes to your obligations and responsibilities, excuses are not to be made, sacrifices are made instead.

O devotees of Imam Husayn! Let us now ponder over our own state. There are people who make excuses to avoid their obligations. When you invite someone to offer salah, they shamelessly say, “My clothes are not clean.” Another might say, “I am busy now”, or “Mawlana, earning halal is also an act of worship.”

Some do not fast in Ramadan, because they lack the will to fast while working. Some do not perform Hajj despite it being obligatory upon them, because they want to marry their children off first. Others are involved in an interest-based business but change its name and say, “This is not interest!”

Some people even consume intoxicating things and try to comfort their hearts by saying, “Oh, this isn’t haram.” Many people wrongly interpret Islam, run away from obligations and make excuses for everything, yet still have the audacity to call themselves Husayni.