The value of any purposive religious or political action is estimated according to its results. Political and social actions may bear their fruit directly, still results may lag behind actions in terms of time. The aftershocks remain to interact and leave their traces long after the key events have taken place.

The impact of a given political or social event may be temporary and limited in place and time. Sometimes he impact may extend over a long period and extensive area.

Hussein's (AS) uprising was certainly a great one, with limitless impact and divergent objectives. It was not confined purely to taking power, though political power was of extreme importance in the view of Hussein (AS), for positively changing the social conditions and reforming the community.

His mission had several short-range and long-range objectives. He viewed political power as his father did: "O Allah, You know that what we have done was not a contest to take power, or aimed at seeking to possess he remnants of worldly trivia. We wanted, indeed, to restore the lost aspects of Your faith and revive Your laws that were being ignored, so that the oppressed may feel secure".

Imam Hussein (AS) had the following goals in mind when he started his uprising:

1. Changing of the political conditions, the ruling system and the way of administering civil affairs, and treating the ummah in accordance with the divine standards set forth by Islam.

2. Awakening the political conscience of the ummah and making a powerful oversight body out of it, lest the ruler deviate or neglect Islamic laws.

3. Emphasizing the legality of militarily opposing the unjust ruler.

4. Reeducating he ummah in line with Islamic laws.

5. Rectifying deviation and putting into practice the Shariah.

6. Breaking the wall of fear and terror that was imposed on the ummah and stirring the spirit of revolution and sacrifice in it.

As soon as Hussein (AS) stood against the regime, he was sure that his movement would not succeed militarily, but that it would be the starting point of large scale opposition. Accordingly, explosions and upheavals commenced and the regime reached the edge of collapse. The government swayed and lost the last threads connecting it to the ummah.

It then resorted to oppression and terror as a means to silence any opposing voice and suppress liberties. The ummah began to feel the weight of having abandoned Hussein (AS) to the hands of the oppressors. A series of armed uprisings sprouted, weakening the Umayyads and ending finally in he fall of that regime. Hussein's (AS) blood was thus the key element in precipitating its downfall.

His revolt smoothed he way for Abdullah bin al-Zubayr to move at Makkah, declaring war against the regime. His movement almost engulfed Makkah before it was defeated at the hand of the Umayyads.

A statement, recorded by history, vividly describes the wide-ranging effects of Hussein's (AS) uprising. Al-Ya'qoobi mentioned that, a man said: "Once I went to see Abul-Malik bin Marwan. I saw him with the head of Musa'b bin al-Zubayr placed in front of him".

"O commander of the faithful", I said, "I have seen in this place something astonishing." "What did you see?" asked Ibn Marwan.

"I saw the head of Hussein bin Ali (AS) put in front of Ubaidullah bin Ziyad and I saw the head of Ubaidullah bin Ziyad put in front of Mukhtar bin Ubaidah and I saw the head of Mukhtar bin Ubaidah laid in front of Musa'b bin al-Zubayr and I saw the had of Musa'b bin al-Zubayr placed in front of your!"

The people of Madinah rose against the governor of Yazid in Madinah, Uthman bin Muhammad bin Abi-Sufyan. They turned him out of the city along with his entourage. As mentioned, Abdullah bin Handhalah bin Abi Amir, I the one washed by the angels', lead the people of Madinah. But the Syrian army attacked the city (166) and this led to the shedding of blood and violation of the sanctuaries. The city of the Apostle of Allah (PBUH) was violated. Al-Ya'qoobi summed up the awful sequences of he uprising at the hands of the Umaayyads, in the following words:

"...great numbers of people were killed and he sanctuary of the Apostle of Allah (PBUH) was allowed for the soldiers, so much so that virgins gave birth to babies whose fathers wee unknown. The people were forced to give their pledge of allegiance as slaves to Yazid bin Mu'awiyah". (167)

Those events expose how much the people understood the nature of the character of Yazid, and reminds us of the statement of Abdullah bin Muti' to Imam Hussein (AS): "By Allah, should you be killed, we would be enslaved after you."

At Kufa, there was the movement of the Tawwabeen (repentants) led by Sulyman bin Sird al-Khuza'i and Al-Musayyab bin Najbah al-Fazari.

Shortly after that there were the uprisings of Al-Mukhtar bin Ubaidah al-Thaqafi and Ibrahim bin Malik al-Ashtar in 66 A.H. They adopted the slogan Vengeance for Hussein's (AS) Murder'. They tracked the killers of Hussein (AS) and killed all of them, including Ubaidullah bin Ziyad, Hossyn bin Numayr and Umar bin Sa'd.

The opposition continued its armed actions till he Abbassids overthrew the Umayyad regime. They called for propaganda reasons only, for the restoring of the rule to the household of the Prophet (PBUH).

Imam Hussein (AS) kindled the flame of revolt against the Umayyads till their destruction. They wanted to destroy him but lost their power due to that very crime.

Imam Hussein (AS) remains forever: a slogan for the revolutionaries, a lighthouse for the free and a source of struggle and liberation.

Peace be on him on the day he was born and on the day he was martyred and on the day he is raised to life.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the world.