In an interview with Hawzah News Agency, Hojatoleslam Ruhollah Ilka stated that tears shed for the suffering of Imam Hussein are not merely an emotional release but a sign of deep love that strengthens devotion to the Imam while intensifying rejection of his enemies. He noted that the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) placed special emphasis on encouraging believers to weep for the Master of Martyrs, as such grief elevates the human soul and serves as a path to divine forgiveness and spiritual perfection.
Imam Hussein: The Human Face of the Quran
The cleric argued that just as the Quran is a complete divine blessing—offering healing, mercy, guidance, and the path to paradise—Imam Hussein (PBUH) represents the living, human face of the scripture. "Imam Hussein is another face of the Quran," he said. "He heals, and his healing is swift. He is the agent of forgiveness." The scholar noted that love for Hussein is felt instinctively, even from the time one is in the mother's womb.
He employed the title "Rahmatullah al-Wasi'ah"—the Vast Mercy of God—for Imam Hussein (PBUH), stressing that anyone, regardless of religious affiliation, can draw near to this conduit of divine grace. "The doors of divine grace through Hussein are not restricted to Muslims; they transcend religion and sect," Ilka stated, adding that anyone who forges a deep connection with the Imam will achieve tremendous results.
The Shortcut to Ultimate Truth
The scholar outlined that while Satan has ceaselessly worked to divert humanity from seven essential truths of servitude, Imam Hussein (PBUH) is the divinely ordained shortcut to reaching those truths. "If there were no Imam Hussein, among 124,000 prophets and the other eleven Imams, this shortcut would not exist," Ilka declared. He described the Imam as the center of the circle of divine knowledge, the focal point through which all other prophets and Imams can be understood.
Knowing the Imam is Obligatory
The scholar emphasized that recognizing the Imam is an obligatory duty—not by force, but as the key that unlocks the treasure of worldly and eternal happiness. "If we do not know the Imam, with which compass shall we navigate toward the Straight Path?" he asked, adding that the complexities of the Quran—its clear and ambiguous verses, its subtleties and truths—can only be unlocked through the Imam's guidance.
He cited the companions' testimony, including a narration from the Sunni tradition in which the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), when asked about the meaning of the Straight Path, placed his hand on the shoulder of Imam Ali (PBUH) and declared: "This is the Straight Path."
The Knowledge of Hazrat Abbas
The scholar concluded by affirming that to truly know Imam Hussein is to know all prophets, to know prophethood itself, and to know God. "This is the recognition that Abbas (PBUH) felt with his entire being, accepted, and defended with his last drop of blood," Ilka said.
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