Understanding Karbala- Hard cover

This beautifully illustrated book by renowned artist Siddia Juma is an introduction fro children aged 10+ to the events of Ashura. This book highlights events of 'Ashura, and lessons from Karbala before and after. The events of Karbala reflect the collision of the good versus the evil, the virtuous versus the wicked, and the collision of Imam Husayn (a.s.) (the head of virtue) versus Yazid (the head of impiety). Al-Husayn was a revolutionary person, a righteous man, the religious authority, the Imam of Muslim Ummah. As the representative of his grandfather Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Imam Husayn's (a.s.) main concern was to safeguard and protect Islam and guide fellow Muslims.

On the other hand, the staying power of the rulers (Mu'awiya and his son Yazid) depended solely on the might of the sword. They used brute force to rule over the Muslim empire even by all possible illicit means. Imam Husayn as head of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) never recognized Mu'awiya nor his followers. Before him Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) had fought battles against Mu'awiya because Mu'awiya continuously violated the Islamic principles. Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.) had to swallow the bitter pill of making a peace agreement with Mu'awiya, in order to safeguard the security of the Ummah which was at stake. Imam Husayn was quick to realize that giving allegiance of loyalty to Yazid would serve no purpose but to jeopardize the survival of Islam.

To safeguard and protect Islam, therefore, the Imam had no choice but to confront and collide with Yazid's ruler ship irrespective of consequences. Since Yazid had ordered his commanders to seize the Imam's allegiance of loyalty at any cost, even by brutal force, the commanders had to assemble a relatively large army, surrounding Imam Husayn's (a.s.) camp in a desert called Karbala. This goal was to let the truth triumph over falsehood eventually, and he did that brilliantly.