Badilisha Lugha: Swahili

Sincerity

The phrase ‘…having made up his mind to meet God’ denotes sincerity. Here the Imam (as) points to two other issues in his call, sincerity and mental preparation, which constitute the fourth and fifth points. Both issues are necessary for the great revolutionary project which Imam Husayn (as) was carrying out. The Imam was hinting at the issue of sincerity when he said: "… having made up his mind to meet God5 and requesting anyone who wanted to accompany him on this trip to prepare their minds only to meet God and for no other purpose: any other aim was worthless on this journey.

The following text is the first narration recorded by al-Bukhari in his Al-Sahih that the Messenger of God (S) said: "Actions are judged according to intentions and for every man is what he intends. He whose migration was for the sake of worldly gain or a woman he might marry, then [the reward] of his migration is that for which he migrated."6

The relationship with the Imam is an affiliation that mediates his companions’ relationship with God, and not an end in itself. The real end of work is to earn the pleasure of God and He is the beginning of the chain of allegiance. If any link in that chain should break away from God the Exalted, it would fall and lose its worth.

The centres of focus for allegiance are bridges and pathways that lead to God. This fact is alluded to in the supplication of Ziyarat al-Jaamiah al-Kabirah, some of which reads:

‘Peace be on the places by which God is known …..Peace be on those who summon towards God, are guided towards His pleasure, and are firm in God's affair.’

And, lest we imagine that the expression: ‘for our sake’ which is contained in Imam Husayn's (as) speech was an end in itself, he quickly added: ‘…having made up his mind to meet God’.This is what is meant by sincerity and unity of loyalty.

5 - Sheikh Abdullah al-Bahrani's Al-Awalim pg. 127

6 - Sahih al-Bukhari vol: 1, chapter on how the revelation to the Messenger of God started.