AMI RESEARCH SEMINAR - The Best Explanation of Karbala by Dr Ali Fanaei
Dr. Fanaei spoke about the various approaches, among Shi’i circles,  to the event of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. The presentation opened with a critique of more traditional approaches to the event, which tend to focus on the undeniable tragic and calamitous aspects of it. Dr. Fanaei opened by suggesting that a more wholesome and beneficial appreciation would require an exploration of its positive ramifications of it.

The presentation’s main body sought to explain how various explanations for the event of Karbala, fall short in that they do not help in deriving universally applicable principles. In doing so, Dr. Fanaei’s talk problematised mythical, mystical, political and jurisprudential understandings behind the reasons of the event. Some of the mentioned endeavours to explain the event have been purported by prominent names, like Dr. Ali Shariati (political) and  Ayatollah Shaheed Motahheri (jurisprudential). All of them, however,  were either rebutted by the historical contexts or were insufficient explanations due to them not being universally imitable. In conclusion,  Dr. Fanaei suggested that the underlying reasons behind the event of  Karbala could only be explained using the moral lens; in that Imam  Hussein’s uprising was necessary to uphold the moral principles of justice and dignity.