Comments on this article by: (1) Mirza I Ashraf (2) Dr. Fayyaz Sheikh (3) Dr. Shoeb Amin (4) Syed Suhail Rizvi (5) Noor Salik I read this article in Dawn on 24th of Nov. I discussed this with a friend Dr. Mullazam Khan a well informed moderate shia Muslim, while we were sitting together on 10th of Muharram at a wedding in Watertown. We discussed this article and both believe that this is all fiction. I am really surprised that the editorail board of Dawn would permit the publication of such an article which has no historical standing. What about this:
I must point out to an amazing version of these events that an Indian historian, Chawala, has come up with. It says that one of the wives of Hazrat Imam Husain, the Persian princess Shahr Banu, was the sister of Chandra Lekha or Mehr Banu, the wife of an Indian king Chandragupta. We know that he ruled over Lahore. When it became clear that Yazid ibn Muawiya was determined to eliminate Hussain ibn Ali, the son of Hussain (named Ali) rushed off a letter to Chandragupta asking for assistance. The Mauriyan king, allegedly, dispatched a large army to Iraq to assist. By the time they arrived, the Tragedy of Karbala had taken place. Chandergupta was of Mauriyan Dynesty who ruled 320-260 BCE. How can a Mauriyan king send help to Imam Hussain when even the Prophet of Islam was born in sixth century CE. Mirza I Ashraf ….. I agree with Sohail. Whether story true or myth, the point of story is respect for each others’ beliefs. It should be posted. Fayyaz We should look for things which bring us together that are examples of tolerance and goodwill towards each other. Nasik Elahi’s e-mail was timely in this respect. I am in favor of posting even though it is rigorously not Thinker Forum stuff. Sometimes back I sent you something on Hindu-Muslim-Christian cooperation and resistance on bringing out the Tazia in Trinidad over more than a century ago. That was a great example of people of Indian Subcontinent banding together.*****Suhail …… There are a lot of things in this that may resemble mythology but no harm in putting it on our blog. Shoeb ……. My personal view is that the contents of original article in Dawn are highly improbable. nSalik
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Well only these lines represent the true spirit of Shia-Sunni-Hindu brotherhood. “IN our school and college days we all loved to assist friends set up ‘sabeels’ alongside Lahore`s traditional ‘Ashura’ procession, providing cold drinks to the thousands who mourned. Sects and beliefs never mattered then. But then neither did one`s religion.”…But the myth is baseless and is distorting history and can misguide the modern generation. The reference of Chandergupta is evidently wrong and baseless. This can damage the image of Thinkers’ Forum as supporting a view which cannot be connected with the tragedy of Karbala. Myth as well as fiction is knowledge only when there is some probability. But here we have an impossible link which reflects that the Forum members and editors are not well informed. I would say this should not have been posted only on the basis of the few lines cited above.
Mirza
A BLOGGER ON THIS ARTICLE HAS TRIED TO CLARIFY AS:
This is in response to history lover from India. There were two Chandragupta: I. Chandragupta Mauriya who ruled India 320-298 BC and 2. Chandragupta Vktrmaditya( also called Chandragupta II ), whose rule was 318-413 AD. Dawm made a mistake by publishing Mauriya. I hope it clears the confusion.
BUT IT IS STILL NOT POSSIBLE THAT EVEN THE SECOND CHANDRAGUPTA HAD ANY CONNECTION WITH THE TRAGEDY OF KARABALA, AS PROPHET MUHAMMAD (pbh) WAS BORN IN 570 CE, i.e. 157 years after the death of Chandragupta II.
Mirza
The concerns by Mirza Sahib are well founded, but the writer is trying to tell the story of his childhood and buttressing it with different stories which run in families like many other myths-and they point to good old days of respect of each other’s beliefs. In order to make his point, the writer starts the story with his school days and also ends it with school days.
Unfortunately the story is neither well written nor well edited by the Dawn. The writer is not careful enough with his words, sometime he sound like telling a myth and other times presenting facts.
If the article was written by one of our Participant, then Editors of TFUSA has the direct responsibility to ask the writer for verification before posting or ask the writer to make clear that these are myths and not facts. As the posting was attributed to Dawn, I think posting it with skeptical comments by almost everyone was appropriate.
Fayyaz
Reportedly Arabs used swords that were imported from India and it is possible some Indian traders then present took part in the battle.