Lecturer: Nicholas Boylston, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Seattle University (affiliation at the date recorded)

Date Recorded: March 2022

Duration: 10 minutes

Subject: Nicholas Boylston’s talk at Harvard discusses the field of Islamic studies in western universities and the understudied role of Shi’ism. He covers the importance of Shi’a thought as an integral component of Islamic history and philosophy and suggests paths forward for better integrating more wholistic and pluralistic understandings of Islam within academia.

Bio: Dr. Nicholas Boylston, Assistant Professor at Seattle University, is a scholar of Islamic Studies focusing on Shii Studies, Quranic Studies, Sufism and Persian literature. He received his BA from Harvard College, his MA from the University of Tehran, and his PhD from Georgetown University, and from 2017 to 2021 taught at Harvard University as Lecturer and College Fellow. Dr. Boylston’s research focuses on themes of diversity and unity in the writings of Sufis, philosophers and litterateurs from the Persianate world in both the Twelver Shii and Sunni traditions.

Continued Philosophical and Theoretical Discussions of Ashura

While the martyrdom of Imam Hussain on the plains of Karbala is a relatively well known event within Islamic history, much less is written about the philosophy of the Imam, his values, and the beliefs which drove his actions. This module of the workshop seeks to develop and present additional lectures and content materials examining the philosophy of Imam Hussain, the study of Shi’ism within Islamic studies, and the lessons of Ashura for today.

The themes relating to the philosophy of Imam Hussain are rich and manifold. They are centered, in essence, at the heart of Shi’a Islamic thought and beliefs represented by the rich heritage of Islamic thinkers, poets, historians, artists, and leaders who have drawn on the model of the Imam. Below, a non-exhaustive selection of philosophical themes relating to Imam Hussain’s stand at Karbala are mentioned along with a brief description of some themes (not in any specific order):

• Covenant 

• • According to Islamic worldviews and the Qur’an, human beings had a pre-existence in the dimension or world of “particles” (dharr). Before coming to this world they pledged a covenant with Allah recognizing him as their Lord (Rabb; see Qur’an, 7:172).). According to Shi’a Muslim beliefs, Imam Hussain demonstrated the fulfilling of this covenant and recognizing Divine Sovereignty. There is no power above God’s, according to the Imam, and he sacrificed all he had to stay true to the divine covenant. In contrast, those who did not support Imam Hussain, especially those who claimed love and loyalty to him and/or invited him to Kufa to establish a government, are examples of those who broke their covenants (both to God and to the Imam). The lessons that are sought to be learned are how to not be a covenant breaker and what are the challenges and tests that people face in staying true to their oath.

• Saving Islam

• • 

    Imam Hussain’s stance and his complete sacrifice of his life was to save Islam. The Umayyad caliph at the time, Yazid, claimed to Amir al-Mu’mineen (the Leader of the Believers) and the successor to the Prophet Muhammad. This was despite his known debauchery, unstable behavior, and extreme propensity for violence and tyrannical power. The Imam prevented the inversion of his grandfather’s values into Yazid’s definition of Islam and demonstrated that righteous men and women could stand down tyranny and preserve the original message of Islam.

• Ma’rifa

• • True knowledge; shares the same root as irfan. On the plains of Karbala, both sides claimed to be Muslims. Exoterically, on the outside, they looked like practicing Muslims, read the Qur’an, fasted, prayed, and carried out Islamic rituals. But the Imam showed that exterior religion is not sufficient for success in the eyes of Allah. He demonstrated ma’rifa, as many Muslim scholars have argued, by showing the true face and meanings of Islam. The Imam, as a famous hadith (tradition) states is a “Lamp of Guidance and the Ark of Salvation.”

• Wilayah

• • This term can have multiple meanings including sovereignty, friendship, and nearness/proximity. Within Shi’a Islam, it usually denotes the legitimate successorship to the Prophet Muhammad via a line of Imams starting with Ali, his cousin and son-in-law. Imam Hussain, according to Shi’a belief, was the Wali, or sovereign of his time and the legitimate caliph, not Yazid. 

• Brightest light in the darkest night

• • According to Shi’a beliefs, Imam Hussain was among the five best of creation (the Panj tan or more immediate Ahl al-Bayt or Ahl al-Kisa (cloak)). He was the last remaining of the Ahl al-Bayt of the Kisa and was a shining example of the best of human morals and guidance. His vicious killing at the hands of the brutal Umayyad caliph Yazid represented a contrast of night and day—hence the Imam was the brightest light in the darkest night. This extreme contrast demonstrated the innocence and justness of Imam Hussain and the moral and human bankruptcy of Yazid according to many Muslim thinkers throughout time.  

• The Mahdi and Imam Hussain

• • Within most strands of Shi’ism, the Mahdi (the rightly guided savior) is the direct descendent of Imam Hussain. The Mahdi is the future promise of the realization of the Prophet Muhammad’s message. The Mahdi, moreover, will avenge the injustices committed towards Hussain and will aright the wrongs of generations past. The cycle of revolutionary justice sparked by Hussain will therefore, in many ways, be completed by the Mahdi and the realization of a just society and government. 

• Sacrifice of Isma’il

1. • Imam Hussain put his own life on the line in opposing the caliphate of Yazid. But many of his direct family was also threatened and killed in the massacre of Karbala. In the face of the sychophant leaders of the Umayyad governor of Kufa and army head, such as Ubaydallah ibn Ziyad and Umar ibn Sa’d, Imam Hussain did not flinch or trade material security for risking the future of Islam. Imam Hussain’s 6 month old infant son, Ali Asghar, was martyred by an enemy arrow while in the Imam’s hands, drawing parallels to the sacrifice of Isma’il. But while Isma’il was spared his material life, Imam Hussain and his family members were not. Their souls were granted blissful immortality as argued by many Muslims. Imam Hussain himself, therefore, completed the sacrifice of Isma’il—a divine honor bestowed on the Prophet Muhammad who was a descendant of Abraham. In the same line as his forefathers, the Imam sacrificed all he had for Allah and Islam.

• Tawhid

• Family

• Prophecy

• Suffering & Redemption

• Salvation

• Intercession

• Pilgrimage

• Prayer (Salat)

• Usurpation

• Tawalli & Tabarri

• Enjoining the Good (al-Amr bi-l Ma’ruf) & Forbidding the Evil (al-Nahi ‘an al-Munkar)

• Tears, Mourning, and Crying

• Virtue, Dignity, and True Way of Life

• Servitude (‘Ubudiyya) & Lordship (Rububiyya)

• Resurrection & Day of Judgement (Ma’ad)

• The World (Dunya) and the Afterlife (Akhira)

• Challenges producing Occultation and hypocrisy between claiming love and religion versus acting upon them

•  Religion through the model human who has knowledge of the Truth versus religion through subjective interpretation based on whims and ego-centric preferences