The Prophet in the Quran

the leader of the entire Muslim community. His each and every step served as an example for the entire ummah. Whatever he did was to be followed by the Muslims for all time, therefore, when it is a question of taking the initiative at the communal level, the same way would be adopted as that of the Prophet at the time of his emigration. That is, before taking any action, all precautions should be taken, and full concessions made to the situation and circumstances. The principle we derive from this incident of the Prophet’s emigration is that if someone on his own personal basis, wanted to take a dangerous step, he would be allowed to do so. However, there is no doubt about it that an individual’s taking such a step would remain a matter of option or concession and not one of compulsion. But where a group or community is concerned, taking risky steps with no thought for the result is not allowed by Islam. Moreover, the individual enjoys this right solely in his own personal sphere. He is not allowed to instigate people to engage in emotional and ill-considered actions by means of provocative speeches and writings. When an individual enjoys the position of a leader, he has to give proper consideration to the interests of the community. Even if he is not a leader, he has no right to incite people by his pen and speeches to adopt a course, which might imperil them. He may take such a step in his individual capacity, but he is in no circumstances allowed to lead unwary people into danger. The Example of Husain We do not find any examples in the life of the Prophet of his taking an emotional step without caring for the consequences. However, there are some people who justify their own stand on the taking of such steps by citing the example of Husain, the grandson of the Prophet. They maintain that the military strength of Imam Husain was far less than that of the Umayyad forces, yet when he saw that truth was not being upheld, the forces of evil being rampant, he battled with the forces of Yazid, without considering the consequences, and sacrificed his life for the cause. But this image of Husain ibn Ali, being man-­made, is totally unrealistic. It is one promoted by poets and orators, for no authentic history presents this picture of Husain ibn Ali. Authentic records­ - History of Tabari, History of Ibn Kathir, and AI-Bidayah wa-al-Nihayah by ibn Kathir - have all clearly, and in no uncertain terms, stated that when Husain reached Kufa and was informed of the real situation, he was prepared to go back to Makkah. The events tell us that when Husain ibn Ali set off from Makkah to Kufa, he had no intention of fighting the forces of Yazid. He was accompanied only by about 150 people, including women, children and even sick people. No one who goes out to do battle would be accompanied by such a group. The only reason for his leaving Makkah for Kufa was that he had received a message from its inhabitants that he should visit their town, as they were all ready to make him their leader. It was on this basis that Husain had gone there. Al-bidayah wa al-Nihayah (Part VIII) describes this incident in great detail. From this we learn