The Doyen of the Martyrs (Imam Hussein (a.s.)) staged an uprising with some of his companions, family members and the ladies of his household. As it was for God, they destroyed the very foundations of that wicked person's monarchy. On the face of it, he was killed, but, in reality, he extirpated the foundations of that monarchy; one that intended to turn Islam into a tyrant form. The danger that Muawiyah and Yazid posed for Islam did not lie in their usurpation of the caliphate; this was a danger less than that of their attempting to turn Islam into the form of a monarchy. They wanted to render spiritualities into a tyrant form. By calling themselves the successors of the Messenger of God, they wanted to convert Islam into a tyrant regime. This was the important issue. The two of them wanted to do, and did, so much harm to Islam that their predecessors had not. They tried to misrepresent the basic principles of Islam to the utmost. Theirs was a monarchy. There was drinking and gambling at their parties. The successor of the Prophet attending parties where wine was being imbibed? And present at gambling sessions? And the Prophet's successor would also attend congregational prayers, such things notwithstanding! All this greatly menaced Islam. The Doyen of the Martyrs averted this danger. The issue did not concern the usurpation of the caliphate only. His uprising was against the tyrant monarchy itself; the one that wanted to show Islam in a way such that; had they succeeded, Islam would have become something else. It would have become like the 2500 year old monarchy. When Islam appeared, it wanted to put an end to the monarchies and such regimes, and to establish a divine government in the world. It aimed to destroy tyrant and replace it with" Allah". They, however, wanted to remove Allah and install tyrant instead- the same issues of paganism, the same problems of the past. The Doyen of the Martyrs being killed did not constitute a defeat as it was for God; rising for Him never ends in defeat.
God, the Blessed and Exalted, says: “All admonishments aside, I have only one that I wish to make. The Noble Prophet is the intercessor; God the preacher; the people, the ones being preached to. I do not have more than one admonishment to make, and that is rising for the sake of God.” Rise for God when you see the divine religion in danger. The Commander of the Faithful (Imam Ali (a.s.)) rose to defend the faith when he saw it in danger as Muawiyah was misrepresenting it. The Doyen of the Martyrs, likewise, rose for the divine school. This is not a one-time matter; God's admonishment is for always. You must rise for God whenever you see them act against Islam, against Islam, against an Islamic-humane regime, against a divine one; whenever you see them misrepresent Islamic principles and crush Islam in the name of Islam. You should not be afraid of, perhaps, failing; of the possibility of defeat. There is no question of defeat about it.
Sahifeh, Vol.8, Page: 10-11
Speech, May 29, 1979