تحلیل گفتمان نامه های امام حسین(ع) به کوفیان در جریان واقعه عاشورا (مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)
درجه علمی: نشریه علمی (وزارت علوم)
آرشیو
چکیده
واقعه عاشورا در نیمه دوم قرن اول هجری به ارائه گفتمان دینی و ایدئولوژی انجامید که در آن، ضمن تقبیح حاکم ستمگر، وظایف و ویژگی های امام را در مقام پیشوای مردم مطرح کرد. این گفتمان با آگاهی بخشی و روشنگری به مردم، بر مشارکت و مسئولیت پذیری آنان در مقابل دستگاه حاکمیت تأکید می کرد. چنین گفتمانی در اساس با گفتمان حاکمیت که در تلاش بود با استفاده از نظریه خلافت الهی و اهتمام به سنّت های عربی به هر طریق مخالفان را با خود همراه کند، در تقابل بود. ناهمسویی این گفتمان ها، بستر لازم را برای تقابل گفتمانی امام حسین(ع) و یزید در متن نامه های آنان فراهم آورد. مقاله حاضر تلاش دارد با استفاده از روش تحلیل گفتمان لاکلا و موفه (Laclau & Mouffe, 2014) که گفتمان را فراتر از ساختار زبانی در عرصه های سیاسی، اجتماعی و فرهنگی دانسته، این پرسش ها را بحث و بررسی کند که تقابل گفتمانی امام حسین(ع) و یزید در متن نامه های یزید به والیان خود و نامه های امام حسین(ع) به کوفیان چگونه بود؟ تلاش هرکدام از گفتمان ها برای تثبیت معنا و هژمونی کردن گفتمان خود، براساس چه نقاط کانونی و دال های پیرامونی صورت گرفت؟ یافته پژوهش نشان می دهد که یزید با استفاده از نظریه خلافت الهی و اهتمام به سنّت های عربی در ظاهری دینی تلاش کرد به هر طریقی امام حسین(ع) را به عنوان مرجع دینی با خود همراه کند و مشروعیت حاکمیت خود را استحکام بخشد؛ اما امام حسین(ع) با طرد چنین خواسته ای، بر اصلاح دینی حاکمیت تأکید کرد. نتیجه چنین تفکری در نامه ها، گفتمان عدالت محورانه مبتنی بر اسلام حقیقی را در مقابل هدف های قدرت طلبانه یزید که مبتنی بر اسلام انحرافی بود، نمایان ساخت.Analysis of the Discourse in Imam Hussein's Letters to the Kufans During the Ashura Event
The event of Ashura, occurring in the latter half of the first century AH, gave rise to a religious discourse and ideological framework that, while unequivocally denouncing the oppressive ruler, delineated the roles and attributes of the Imam as the legitimate leader of the community. This discourse, through fostering public consciousness and enlightenment, underscored the imperative of civic participation and accountability in relation to political authority. In its essence, it stood in fundamental opposition to the dominant ruling discourse, which, by invoking the theory of divine caliphate and emphasizing Arab traditions, sought to co-opt dissent and legitimize its hegemony by any available means. The discursive dissonance between these two paradigms provided fertile ground for the discursive confrontation between Imam Hussein (AS) and Yazid, a confrontation distinctly observable in the textual exchange of their respective letters. This study employs the discourse analysis framework of Laclau and Mouffe (2014)—who conceptualize discourse as extending beyond mere linguistic structures into the political, social, and cultural spheres—to critically examine the following two research questions: 1) How did the discursive conflict between Imam Hussein (AS) and Yazid unfold within the texts of Yazid’s letters to his governors and Imam Hussein’s letters to the people of Kufa? 2) Upon which nodal points and associated signifiers did each discourse endeavor to fix meaning and establish hegemonic authority? The findings of the study reveal that Yazid, under the guise of religious legitimacy, sought to consolidate his rule by invoking the theory of divine caliphate and emphasizing Arab traditions, endeavoring to align Imam Hussein (AS)—a central religious figure—with his regime. In stark contrast, Imam Hussein (AS), by firmly rejecting such overtures, emphasized the necessity of religious reform within governance. Consequently, the letters reveal the emergence of a justice-centered discourse rooted in authentic Islam, standing in direct opposition to Yazid’s power-centric aims predicated upon a distorted interpretation of Islam. Keywords : Letters of Imam Hussein (AS), the Kufans, Ashura, Discourse Analysis. Introduction The letters of Imam Hussein to the people of Kufa constitute some of the most significant historical and religious documents in Islamic heritage. They reflect Imam Hussein’s profound commitment to the Muslim ummah and his dedication to rectifying its affairs. Composed during a critical and volatile period preceding the event of Ashura, these letters responded to the persistent invitations from the Kufans, who sought Imam Hussein’s leadership against the Umayyad regime. According to primary historical sources, three such letters are recorded. A discourse analysis of these letters sheds light on Imam Hussein’s ideological position, clarifying his refusal to cooperate with Yazid’s governance and his intention to challenge it. By identifying the discourse embedded in these letters, a deeper understanding of Imam Hussein’s objectives and motivations during the Ashura movement can be achieved. Although a comprehensive analysis of the Imam’s motivations requires an examination of his broader oratory and actions, focusing on these primary historical documents allows for a study untainted by the political or sectarian biases that often permeate later historiography. This method provides a more objective basis for understanding the Imam’s decision to accept the Kufan invitation despite the grave risks involved. In gathering the letters of Imam Hussein (AS) to the Kufans, this study draws upon Shi'a historical and narrative sources up to the mid-fifth century AH. These sources are critical not only for their chronological proximity but also because they constitute the foundation upon which subsequent historiography was built. It is also essential to note that these letters were written in direct response to the Kufans' appeals. Given Imam Hussein’s character and his responsiveness to the needs of the Muslim community, such a reply was a natural and expected course of action. This pattern of responding to the requests of the people is consistently observable in the leadership styles of Imam Hussein and other Imams and merits independent research. The content of Imam Hussein’s letters is recorded in major primary sources such as al-Ṭabarī’s (1967) Tārīkh al-Rusul wa-l-Mulūk , which relies on Abu Mikhnaf’s accounts of the Karbala events — a source esteemed among both Shi'a and Sunni scholars. Abu Mikhnaf, citing eyewitnesses or near-eyewitnesses, provides a narrative closely aligned with the temporal context of Ashura. Moreover, these letters are not isolated reports transmitted by a single narrator; they are corroborated across multiple authoritative early sources, including al-Balādhurī’s Ansāb al-Ashrāf and al-Dīnawarī’s Akhbār al-Ṭiwāl . According to the principles of hadith criticism and historiography, when a report is consistently transmitted through multiple early independent sources, its credibility is greatly strengthened. Additional references to these letters appear in works such as Ibn Aʿtham’s (1990) al-Futūḥ and Shaykh Mufīd’s (1993) al-Irshād . The repeated citation of these letters in primary sources, combined with their thematic content emphasizing religious reform and guidance, strongly indicates their authenticity and justifies their selection for discourse analysis. Several studies have addressed the broader topic of Ashura. For instance, Ashura Studies Esfandiyari (2023) investigates the objectives of Imam Hussein’s uprising, categorizing various scholarly views and offering a structured presentation of each. Based on this research, seven theories concerning the Imam’s goals have been identified: 1) refusal of allegiance (defensive stance), 2) governance and martyrdom, 3) mystical martyrdom, 4) duty-bound martyrdom, 5) redemptive martyrdom, 6) political martyrdom, and 7) the establishment of governance. Esfandiari, in his treatment of Ashura’s objectives, explicitly asserts that Imam Hussein sought to establish justice and combat corruption, even at the cost of his own life and that of his family. Certain works have focused exclusively on the collection of Imam Hussein’s correspondence, including Makātīb al-A ʾ imma by Ahmadi Mianji (2005), Makātīb al-A ʾ imma by Sulaymanzadeh Afshar (2011), and Mawsū ʿ at Kalimāt al-Imām al-Ḥusayn (AS) . Additionally, Hosseini’s (2016) The Letters of Imam Hussein (AS) offers a compilation and summary of these communications. Other research has engaged in content and structural analysis of the letters, such as Content Analysis of the Correspondences and Negotiations of Imam Hussein (AS) during the Ashura Uprising (Fattahi-Zadeh & Babazadeh, 2018) and Content of Imam Hussein’s Letters to His Opponents (Fakhraei & Namvar, 2022). The present study, by concentrating specifically on the letters addressed by Imam Hussein (AS) to the Kufans, seeks to extract and elucidate the discourse therein—one derived from the Imam’s religious and ideological vision during the Ashura uprising—set against the backdrop of the dominant hegemonic discourse propagated by the Umayyad regime within the Islamic society. Materials and Methods According to the discourse analysis methodology developed by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, all social phenomena can be examined and analyzed through discursive instruments. In this theoretical framework, elements and signifiers that do not naturally belong together are articulated into a new assemblage, thereby acquiring a new identity. The articulated concepts within a discourse are organized around a central signifier (nodal point), through which their meanings become stabilized. Within this discursive field, however, floating signifiers remain unsettled and ambiguous until they are fixed. In Laclau and Mouffe's (2014) theory, every discourse necessarily requires a competing discourse for its existence. Discourses are constituted through opposition and differentiation; thus, the identity of discourse is contingent upon the presence of the 'Other'. Consequently, discourses continually engage in the production of alterity. The concept of 'otherness' is inherently associated with the processes of foregrounding and marginalization. In this process, the signifiers and strengths of one’s own discourse are accentuated, while the signifiers and strengths of the opposing discourse are marginalized. Furthermore, the processes of exclusion and emphasis are critical factors in the establishment and decline of hegemonies. In discursive struggles, each discourse seeks to maintain and perpetuate its hegemonic position by highlighting its own strengths and the weaknesses of its rivals while downplaying its own weaknesses and the strengths of competing discourses. The processes of foregrounding and marginalization lead to the polarization of discursive chains and texts, structuring them around two poles: 'us' and 'them'. The positive pole is always aligned with 'us', and the negative pole with 'them'. The methodological model of Laclau and Mouffe’s (2014) discourse analysis can be briefly summarized in two main steps: Describing the discursive semantic system, identifying signifiers, articulations, and discursive fields. Investigating the theory of the discursive community, which involves analyzing the processes of foregrounding and othering between discourses, and exploring the interrelations among text, meaning, and social practices in the dynamics of exclusion, emphasis, and construction of otherness. In the present study, these two steps form the methodological foundation of the research. Research Findings A discourse analysis of Imam Hussein’s letters to the people of Kufa demonstrates his strategic endeavor to foreground his religious discourse while delegitimizing that of Yazid by delineating the corrupt nature of Yazid’s rule. Imam Hussein seeks to reinforce religious authority and divine guidance, asserting that the legitimate Imam is one who acts in accordance with the Qur'an and justice. Furthermore, he promotes the discourse of supporting truth and justice, presenting divine reward as immense for those who champion the truth and calling upon the Kufans to pledge their commitment to this cause. Throughout these letters, Imam Hussein challenges and seeks to marginalize Yazid’s discourse—founded upon oppression and corruption—while advancing a narrative centered on religious legitimacy and obedience to God. He underscores his close kinship with the Messenger of God (AS and his family) as a testament to his rightful religious authority and emphasizes key Islamic values such as “guidance” ( hudā ), “truth” ( ḥaqq ), “the covenant of God” (ʿ ahd Allāh ), and “the tradition of the Messenger of God” ( Sunnat rasūl Allāh ). Simultaneously, he exposes and condemns the injustice and corruption characteristic of Yazid’s governance. In several instances, Imam Hussein also accentuates his political discourse by affirming his legitimate claim to the caliphate—a right that had been usurped from him and the Prophet’s family (Peace Be Upon Them). In doing so, he further undermines and sidelines the discourse of Yazid and the Umayyads. Discussion of Results and Conclusions This analysis ultimately leads to the conclusion that Imam Hussein’s letters to the Kufans are imbued with a robust religious discourse, illustrating that, for the Imam (AS), the primacy of truth superseded any pursuit of political power. His movement was fundamentally reformist, aimed at restoring the authentic principles of Islam, as he viewed Yazid’s government as a source of profound deviation from the true teachings of the Prophet. Significantly, these letters contain no indication that Imam Hussein’s objective was the mere acquisition of political authority; establishing a government inherently requires political and military preparations, including the mobilization of armed forces—an endeavor Imam Hussein notably did not undertake. Rather, he remained steadfast in emphasizing religious values and the deviation from them by Yazid, thereby striving to marginalize Yazid’s discourse while advancing his own religious narrative. Thus, this discourse analysis underscores that the event of Ashura should not merely be understood as a historical occurrence but as a profound transformation within the Islamic discursive tradition.
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