Muslims faced leadership challenges after the Prophet Muhammad’s passing, leading to Abu Bakr’s selection as the first caliph despite support for Ali and sparked the Sunni-Shia divide
The Iraqi clergy took a leading role in defeating ISIS by employing religious symbolism as Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa urging men to resist and led to a surge in volunteers for the Popular Mobilisation Force
Zainab bint Ali witnessed first-hand her brother Imam Hussain’s bravery in the Battle of Karbala, upholding Islam’s foundational ideals of egalitarianism and justice, refused to be silenced, challenged tyrant Yazid in his court and played a key role in memorializing her family’s sacrifice with resilience and eloquence, symbolising strength and defiance against tyranny
Mukhayyam al Husayni Mosque, over 400 metres from Imam Hussain’s shrine, stands at what is believed to be the site of the encampment of the Prohet’s grandson and his family during the Battle of Karbala
The Prophet’s grandson, Imam Hussain, opposed the undermining of basic Islamic values of egalitarianism, justice, and equity, triggering the Battle of Karbala that ended with his massacre along with 72 of his companions and family members in the month of Muharram
The strength people drew from Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussain, who laid down his life fighting an unjust ruler in the seventh century, played a key role in seeing Iraqis through in the war on ISIS
Millions of devotees symbolizing defiance against oppression march through Iraq to the holy city of Karbala to mark the end of the 40-day mourning period of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussain, making Arbaeen the world’s biggest annual pilgrimage
Karbala, where the shrine of the Prophet’s grandson Hussain has stood for centuries as a symbol of resistance against tyranny, became the nerve centre of the war on terror group ISIS
Karbala symbolises for Muslims the foundational Islamic values—egalitarianism, justice, and equity— the Prophet’s Muhammad favourite grandson, Imam Hussain, laid down his life there in the seventh century resisting Umayyad ruler Yazid violating these ideals
Ahl al-Bayt (people of the Prophet Muhammad’s household) are known as nur-e-Muhammadi, or the bearers of his light, as well as his trustees ‘privy to his esoteric and religious knowledge’
