The Image of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him): Between Sanctity and Orientalist Perspective (Donaldson as a Case Study)

Abstract

        This research examines the mechanisms of the vision of the American Orientalist, Dwight Donaldson, who, through historical accounts describing the physical characteristics of Imams al-Hasan and al-Husayn (peace be upon them), to deny their connection and prophetic lineage to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), portraying them as merely physical traits unrelated to the religious aspect. Thus, he portrayed Imam al-Hasan as a lover of pleasures and food, while  Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him) as an ambitious man seeking power, and thus one who loves war and bloodshed, just like his father, Imam Ali (peace be upon him), who  prefers Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and continues to propagate this distorted image, deliberately stripping the revolution of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) of its substance and reducing it to a mere political struggle for power, while exonerating Mu’awiya of making the caliphate hereditary and attributing it to Mu’awiya’s son, and claiming that Mu’awiya implemented that As for Al- Mughirah ibn Shu'bah, given the changing realities and their necessities, Imam Al-Hussein’s uprising was nothing more than a quest for power. As for the letters from the people of Kufa to him and their pledge of allegiance, they were nothing but myths fabricated by the Shiites to cast doubt on Imam Al-Hussein, peace be upon him, by suggesting he was hasty in his uprising, whereas Mu'awiyah was portrayed as a wise and prudent man and possessed knowledge, foresight, and piety, advising his son Yazid of the necessity to spare Imam al-Husayn’s blood because the blood of the Messenger of Allah flows in his veins, whereas the evidence indicates that he did not hesitate to shed blood, even if it were the blood of the son of the Messenger of Allah’s daughter; for he killed Imam al-Hasan (peace be upon him) in collusion with his wife Ja’da and bribed the commanders of Imam al-Hasan at Nahrawan, among other allegations mentioned in the study that cannot be detailed here. In summary, Dondelssen’s work was not based on scientific or academic principles but rather stemmed from his hatred of Islam and his animosity toward its sacred symbols.

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