Are we Husayni or Yazidi?
We all desire to be true “Husainis” every day. But is this simple longing and inner desire enough? There is no doubt that we have a deep emotional connection with Imam Husain (a), but do these emotions alone suffice? Should these emotions not go hand in hand with the path and actions of Imam Husain (a)?
In order to do be in line with Imam Husain’s mission, we must assess ourselves to know where we truly stand. It is only if we assess our deeds on a daily basis that we will be able to check whether or not our path aligns with the Husaini path or not. This is the only way to know on which days we have acted as Husainis and on which days we have treaded the Yazidi path instead.
With a regular assessment of our deeds, the path upon which we are treading on a daily basis will become clear to us. This can only happen if we keep track of our mistakes, keep them in mind and strive hard to correct them; this requires time and effort!
What’s more important is to ensure that we are concentrating on ourselves before focusing on others. The following phrase helps one stay on track: “If I don’t have time to change myself by correcting my faults and performing a daily self-accounting, then how can I try to change others?!”
So, we first have to change ourselves then try to affect others. In this regard, we have a narration from Imam Ali (a) where he says:
أفضَلُ النَاسِ مَن شَغَلَتهُ مَعَایبُهُ عَن عُیُوبِ النَاسِ
The best of people is the one whose own faults occupy himself from the faults of others.
Now that it has become clear to us how important it is to analyse ourselves in order to know if we are Husaini or Yazidi, we must begin the process of performing this daily self-assessment. So let’s assess our actions and see: Are we Husaini or Yazidi!?
