Yā Abā ʿAbdillāh! I am at peace with those who are at peace with you, and I am at war with those who are at war with you until the Day of Judgment. May Allah curse the family of Ziyād and the family of Marwān. May Allah curse the Umayyad clan entirely. May Allah curse Ibn Marjānā. May Allah curse ʿUmar ibn Saʿd. May Allah curse Shimr. May Allah curse the nation that saddled the horses, bridled them, and wore veils to fight you. By my father and mother, my grief for you has grown, so I ask Allah, who has honored your status and honored me, to grant me the opportunity to seek your revenge with an Imām who will be victorious from the family of Muḥammad, a and his family. O Allah, make me in Your sight a person of dignity through Ḥusayn, peace be upon him, in this world and the Hereafter.
Announcement of Peace and War
After we have known Imām Ḥusayn (a), his virtues, and his greatness, and we have directed the curse upon those who laid the foundation of enmity towards the Ahlul Bayt (a) which led to the killing of Imām Ḥusayn (a), and we followed that with disavowing them.
Now comes the turn to announce peace and war, with the standard being Imām Ḥusayn (a). Peace for those who are at peace with you, and war for those who are at war with you until the Day of Judgment. We are at peace with those who are at peace with Imām Ḥusayn (a) and at war with those who are at war with Imām Ḥusayn (a). So what is the meaning of this phrase?
When Imām Ḥusayn (a) refused to pledge allegiance to Yazīd, he said: "Someone like me does not pledge allegiance to someone like him [i.e. Yazīd]." He did not say "I, Imām Ḥusayn, do not pledge allegiance to Yazīd." The issue is not personal; rather, it is that someone like me does not pledge allegiance to someone like him. This means that wherever Yazīd and his followers are, those who claim to be the Shi’a of Imām Ḥusayn (a) should not pledge allegiance to them and should be at war with them. With these few words and this encompassing phrase, Imām Ḥusayn (a) declared two very important matters:
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The struggle between truth and falsehood is not confined to Karbalā, nor did it end there. Rather, it continues until the appearance of the Imām, may our souls be sacrificed for him.
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There is an Imām Ḥusayn and a Yazīd in every time. Whoever supports the truth is with Imām Ḥusayn (a), and whoever supports falsehood is with Yazīd. Therefore, we should recognize the truth and falsehood, and understand who represents the role of the Umayyads in this time and who plays the role of Imām Ḥusayn (a). The issue of Imām Ḥusayn (a) is not a historical matter that ended in Karbalā, but it is an ongoing matter in every time and place, with different circumstances and characters. Without a doubt, in our time, the representative of the Umayyads is the head of global arrogance, the greatest devil, and in contrast, the one who represents Imām Ḥusayn (a) is his grandson, the Awaited Imām, may our souls be sacrificed for him, represented by the blessed axis struggling against global arrogance.
Therefore, whoever claims to be with Imām Ḥusayn (a) and wants to be among the supporters of the Awaited Imām (aj) must be with the Resistance Axis and against the camp of global arrogance, as there is no force today that fights the principles of Imām Ḥusayn (a) and exerts all its efforts to delay the appearance of the Imām (aj) like the greatest devil. It is incomprehensible for someone to claim to be with Imām Ḥusayn (a), recite Ziyārat Āshūrā daily, and then expect relief from the aggressors, begging at their doors under the guise of interest and realism! This is contrary to the path of Imām Ḥusayn (a) and the meanings of Ziyārat Āshūrā.
Cursing the Entire Family of the Umayyads
In this passage, the infallible Imām directs the curse towards entire families because these families, or the vast majority of them, were on the side of falsehood, such as the family of Ziyād and the family of Marwān. He then curses the entire Umayyad family without exception. While there may be exceptions, as some individuals within the Umayyads might be considered good, this is the cursed tree mentioned in the Quran, which deserves to be cursed. We direct the curse at the root of the tree, rather than individual exceptions. It will become clear in the following sections of the ziyārah why entire families were cursed.
Cursing the Leaders
After the general curse directed at the families who participated in this great crime, the Imām (a) moves on to specifically curse the individuals who played a leadership role in this crime. This crime was carried out under their direct management and at their hands, namely Ibn Marjānā, ʿUmar ibn Saʿd, and Shimr. Here is an important point: the Imām (a) refers to "Ibn Marjānā" and does not mention "ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād," pointing to his origin and lineage. Marjānā was one of those who carried the "red flag" (women who practiced prostitution and immorality). They would hang the red flag outside their houses as a sign of their profession, and they were notorious for their sinful acts. It is also worth noting that Ziyād, the father of ʿUbaydullāh, was the son of Sumayyah, who was also one of those who carried the red flag. According to a narration, 13 men entered her house, and she became pregnant with Ziyād, but it was unclear which of them was his father, which is why he was called "Ziyād ibn Abih" (Ziyād, son of his father). Later, Mu'āwiyah attributed him to Abū Sufyān, in accordance with the Quranic verse: “The wicked women are for the wicked men, and the wicked men are for the wicked women.”1
Returning to the beginning of the ziyārah, where Imām Ḥusayn (a) is introduced as the son of Fatima (a), the leader of the women of the worlds, this reveals the nature of the leadership on each side of this struggle and their true character. On one side, there is the son of the purest and most honorable women of all the worlds, both past and present, whose essence was created from the food of Paradise. On the other side, there are the sons of prostitutes. This highlights the deep hatred that these individuals had for the Ahlul Bayt (a). As Prophet Muḥammad (p) says: "O Ali... No one will dislike you except one whose birth is vile."2
No Neutrality in the Struggle Between Truth and Falsehood
One of the concepts that Imām Ḥusayn (a) solidified on Āshūrā is that there is no neutrality in the struggle between truth and falsehood. Whoever does not support the truth has, by default, supported falsehood, and their end will be in Hell. This is what Imām Ḥusayn (a) said to ʿUbaydullāh ibn al-Ḥurr when he refrained from supporting him: "By Allah, no one hears our cry and does not support us except that Allah will throw him into the fire of Hell."3
No matter how little one's betrayal of the truth may be, it is still support for falsehood, even if it is merely remaining silent or not objecting inwardly. This principle is not restricted to the time of Imām Ḥusayn (a) but continues until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, we say in the ziyārah of Imām Ḥusayn (a): "May Allah curse the nation that heard of this and was content with it." Everyone who contributed, in any way, to supporting falsehood deserves to be cursed. This is the logic of Ziyārat Āshūrā: "May Allah curse the nation that saddled the horses, bridled them, and veiled them for fighting you." Saddled: meaning they placed the saddles on the horses. Bridled: meaning they put the bridles on the horses. Veiled: meaning they covered the horses' faces with veils.
There is no room for someone to say, "I am just a servant following orders." Everyone who prepared the horses for their master, even by merely putting the saddle on them while knowing they were going to fight Imām Ḥusayn (a), is an accomplice in the crime and deserves to be cursed.
So, anyone who is not with the truth is with falsehood. Anyone who heard about this struggle and did not object inwardly also deserves to be cursed. From here, it becomes clear why we curse entire families; because if they did not directly participate in the crime, they were at least partially involved, and at the very least, they were content with the actions of their members.
Seeking Revenge
After recognizing the greatness of the tragedy and the magnitude of the crime, we poured our anger upon the criminals at all levels by directing the curse upon them and declaring our disavowal from them, we then culminate that by asking Allah, the Almighty, to make us among those who seek the revenge of Imām Ḥusayn (a) with the victorious Imām Mahdī, may our souls be sacrificed for him. This is an official request to join the camp of truth under the leadership of the Awaited One (aj).
We also link the Ḥusayni cause with the Mahdawī cause because truth is one and indivisible. Therefore, anyone who desires to be with Imām Mahdī (aj) must be Ḥusayni. And anyone whom Allah accepts and responds to their request to be among those who seek the revenge of Imām Ḥusayn (a) is undoubtedly among the supporters of the Awaited Imām (aj), for the Awaited Imām is the bearer of the banner of "Ya Latharat al-Ḥusayn" (O revenge of Imām Ḥusayn) and the avenger of his killers and their followers.
Dignity Through Imām Ḥusayn (a)
Imām Ḥusayn (a) is esteemed by Allah in this world and the Hereafter, and he holds a special and distinguished status in both realms. Therefore, everything associated with Imām Ḥusayn (a) enjoys dignity and respect.
From this, people rush to earn the title of "Servant of Imām Ḥusayn" even if it means pouring water during the mourning for Imām Ḥusayn (a). They spare no effort in providing any service and offering everything they have to be among the servants of Imām Ḥusayn (a), because simply bearing the title of "Servant of Imām Ḥusayn" grants a person dignity. In fact, the greatest and most exalted dignity in this world and the Hereafter is to be a servant of Imām Ḥusayn (a). Imām Ḥusayn (a) and his companions will have a special status on the Day of Resurrection and in Paradise. We ask Allah, by the dignity of Imām Ḥusayn (a), to grant us success in being among the servants of Imām Ḥusayn (a) and his cause in this world and the Hereafter, and to resurrect us with him in the Hereafter, so that we may be among the distinguished by Imām Ḥusayn (a) in both this world and the Hereafter.