Outnumbered, tortured and threatened, yet as strong-willed as ever – that is the legacy of Hussain ibn Ali which the Battle of Karbala teaches us. The strength to continue fighting for the cause that you believe in, no matter how impossible the odds are in your favour.

For as long as human societies have existed, good has countered evil. It is only through the power of good and the strength of those who side with it, that human societies not only continue to exist, but also grow and prosper. In every such contest, those siding with the truth and righteousness have been few and far between for one simple reason: it is harder to challenge an existing status quo than to comply with a tyrant system. Resistance brings crackdowns and often – violence, but it is through this resistance alone that existing injustices are done away with.

The Battle of Karbala is a tragedy of the highest form, and a display of the extent to which those in power can go in order to maintain their positions. When it comes to power, even the grandson of the Prophet becomes a challenge. The tragedy is too big whether it is looked at from a religious perspective, or even a human perspective. The denial of food and water to children and women, and attacking them in such a vulnerable situation is an act that is wrong from any objective standpoint.

However, the reality of the Battle of Karbala is that 1400 years later, it is Hussain (RA) and his companions who are remembered in the course of history – their valour, their uprightness and their support of the truth. The real lesson from the tragedy of Karbala that is necessary for all of us to learn is that the fight against injustice is often long and painful. It often doesn’t yield instant results, but it is a battle which is mandatory to fight in order to sustain humanity and the dignity of mankind.

Today, we live in a world filled with injustice and brutality all around us: wars, oppression, hunger, polarization and much more. Billions are forced to live in imposed conditions of depravity and cruelty – a mirror to Hussain and his supporters. While those in power have sieged these helpless individuals from all sides – similar to the armies of Yazid – decapacitating them through hunger, poverty and debts so they can never achieve the true human potential for which they were created. Every year, we lose millions of future doctors, engineers and humanitarians to such horrific situations.

The human race stands at a cross-roads: will the future be one led by the armies of modern-day Yazid, or will resistance to this status quo shape a more equitable future?

Rizq is just a small pebble in ensuring this human potential is realised to its fullest. However, there is much more that needs to be done – that too, urgently. And it is a battle we can win, only if we remain focused and steadfast against the challenge. Just like Rizq aims to resist the existing status-quo which normalised poverty and hunger in Pakistan, and has been widening its sphere of impact for the past 10 years, others need to step-up as well.

Pakistan is a young country, with over 60% of our population being under 30. This provides Pakistan with the unique ability to channelise this youth energy and innovation into undoing the existing system of injustice and efficiency, and building a just society where all live in harmony. The potential of this youth is beyond our imaginations, if only this potential is allowed to materialise in a productive manner.

Hussain – the designated leader of the youth and a symbol of resistance – is an example our youth needs to be reminded of, and made to follow. His legacy remains one that will shape history for generations to come, and we should be the first ones to take inspiration from it.

Karbala is a reminder that injustice dies out and the tyrant is never successful for long, however, it is those who side with the truth – no matter at what cost – who are held in high regard by history.

As the popular saying goes,

“Yazid tha, Hussain hai.”

This is a reminder to all those reading: do you want to become another name in history, or do you want to be the one who writes it?