The blood that drew the line

The blood that drew the line

This year, Ashura feels different to me.For years I had studied the story of Karbala. I had listened to scholars recount it, read books about it, and shed tears in its remembrance. But recently, Allah (swt) granted my family and me the opportunity to visit Iraq. Three generations made the journey together—my father, my mother, my sister, myself, and my nine-year-old daughter, Tajalli. As we stood in Najaf, Kufa, and Karbala, I found myself refle…