Dr. Bushra Hanoon Mohsen

I have often heard and read this phrase, but it didn’t stop me for long: “Be free.” Or are we not free?
We are free, but this is a matter that was uttered by the infallible, a reminder and a call not to be slaves. So, we must pause for a moment to reflect on this. What does it mean? Are we slaves?
Indeed, we are not free; we are slaves. Slaves to the world, to money, to position, to desires, and to ourselves. We are slaves to this and that, and we are not free as I once thought.
Where does our freedom lie?
True freedom lies in freeing ourselves from attachment to everything related to this world. Only then can we truly be free. Freedom is to have the stance to say no to oppression, no to corruption, no to desires, and no to everything that enslaves you. To be free is to liberate yourself from all that enslaves you so that you are not weak before it.
Here, Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) sets an example of freedom for us. He freed himself from everything — from status, position, wealth, and children. He sacrificed everything that could have enslaved him, to be free in this world and the hereafter.
He did not fear the blame of the blamers. He left his family, bidding farewell to life, heading towards an irreversible journey without fear, with a steadfast heart and a noble soul. He raised his voice high, declaring freedom: “I did not leave in arrogance, nor to cause corruption or injustice, but I left to seek reform in the nation of my grandfather.” This cry is the declaration of freedom.
Let us be free as Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) instructed us.