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Today is our national Heroes day, a day to celebrate the people who make Zimbabwe great.

Indeed, our national heroes, heroines, our academics, athletes, artistes and musicians, political forefathers, security forces, farmers, civil servants and front-line workers contribute to making Zimbabwe a better place.

Our heroes of the past have built a legacy for us today that we must acknowledge and be grateful for. We must never allow their contributions to be forgotten.

We must teach our young people the history of our nation; so that they can take pride in the resilience of our ancestors and be inspired to emulate their greatness.

This year our national Heroes day by God’s Grace has coincided with the day of Ashoora meaning the tenth day of the Islamic lunar month called Muharram.

On Heroes Day we celebrate and honour of the heroic Zimbabwean stalwarts who, through pride and resilience, sacrificed their blood, sweat, tears, and lives to ensure that all Zimbabweans today enjoy political independence, and freedom to strive for our economic independence.

While the day of Ashoora marks the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad.

Fourteen centuries, ago, Imam Hussein, his family and companions totalling 72 stood up against thousands of soldiers of the oppressors’ army, in land of Karbala, in modern day Iraq.

Even with this imbalance of fighting power, the tyranny’s army used the most vicious and dishonourable methods in fighting this tiny army of men, women and children.

Imam Hussein and his companions and family were denied water for a week and kept them for three days tortured in the burning heat of the desert.

However, the firm faith of Imam Hussein and his followers in their cause was never shaken.

Thus they set an ever-shining torch of resistance against deviation from divine conduct and destroyed the myth of keeping allegiance to rogue regimes.

After all these centuries, the sacrifice of Imam Hussein and his family and companions only continues to shine through the darkness of oppressive regimes and corrupt elites.

Imam Hussein made sure to teach the world that Ashoora is not just a tragic event and that Karbala is not just a geographical location, they are both an eternal message from the brave men who gave their lives for the revival of human dignity, justice and peace.

Even for those who do not know anything about Islam, yet they recognise the notions of freedom, justice, dignity, elevation, and lofty human values, in Imam Hussein.

Imam Hussein and his people were vastly outnumbered, but fought with courage and without compromise is a One of the great African revolutionary, Nelson Mandela, while he was in jail at Robben Island, according to one of the writings, he wrote:- I (Nelson Mandela) has spent more than 20 years in prison, then on one night I decided to surrender by signing all the terms and conditions of government.

But suddenly I thought about Imam Hussein and Karbala movement and Imam Hussein gave me strength to stand for right of freedom and liberation and I did.

Mahtma Ghandhi of India also said about Imam Hussein “If I had an army like the 72 the soldiers of Hussein, I would have won freedom for India in 24 hours.”

It is known great spiritual leaders are known to make great sacrifices, but at Karbala, common men and women with infants at their bosom, their hearts and souls aflame with righteousness, chose death rather than evil and weakness.

Such was the greatness of Imam Hussein: such was his spiritual power, which could uplift common mortals to heights of supreme courage and sacrifice, a timeless and borderless hero for humanity.

SHEIKH ABDALLAH R, MAKWINJA