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Ceremonies of commemorating Imam al-Husayn’s Martyrdom
By: Ayatullah Shaheed Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim
Besides expressing loyalty to the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) in general and Imam al-Husayn (‘a) in particular, the ceremonies of commemorating Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom, as well as the anniversaries appertaining to the Holy Infallibles (‘a), are actually meetings which discuss doctrinal, moral, social, historical affairs, and issues related to the daily and current affairs of Muslims. In one aspect of their content, the social aspect, these ceremonies resemble the Friday Prayers during which Muslims gather to listen to the sermons delivered by the preacher who usually discusses various aspects of their current affairs and reminds them of Almighty Allah.1 In another aspect, these ceremonies are held to deliberate knowledge and ethics.
We have previously discussed the ceremonies commemorating Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom in the Second Book of this series which discussed the cultural aspect of building a virtuous community. We have also discussed the philosophy of such ceremonies, their spiritual, cultural, and political outcomes, rituals recommended by the Holy Imams (‘a) and, other rituals invented by people.
Although the ceremonies commemorating Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom, represent an anniversary of one of the Holy Imams (‘a), an independent chapter has been dedicated to discussing this anniversary due to its significance and particularities. The Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) gave this anniversary so much importance and consideration that it has turned into a cultural, spiritual, and behavioral school for building a virtuous community.
Hereafter, I will briefly discuss the ceremonies and the times when the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) solemnly commemorate Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom. These ceremonies can be classified into five major classes:
1. The First Ten Days of Muharram
The followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) hold special ceremonies on the first ten days of Muharram (the first month in the Islamic Calendar). Wherever they are, the individuals of the virtuous community gather to condole with and weep for Imam al-Husayn (‘a) as well as discuss current cultural and doctrinal issues. For them, the commemoration of this anniversary is almost a doctrinal duty, since some individuals of the virtuous community may not participate in any other doctrinal celebration the whole year, but never miss commemorating this anniversary. During this commemoration, they concern themselves with serving others with food dedicated to this occasion, meeting together, and expressing their grief for Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom by a demonstration of sorrow.
The focus of the individuals of the virtuous community, in commemorating this anniversary, varies according to the variety of their cultural, intellectual, and social levels as well as the surrounding political circumstances. Therefore, some of them hold ceremonies and spend large amounts of money to gather as large a congregation as possible. They select the most skillful orators, speakers, and lecturers. At the same time, the virtuous community attends and participates in such sessions to benefit culturally, spiritually, and emotionally.
At the same time, there is immense desire to become close to Imam al-Husayn (‘a) by presenting oneself at his holy shrine or, from afar,2 by offering him salutations and greetings, complaining to him about personal problems, pledging allegiance to him, and renouncing his enemies, cursing them, and rejecting their barbarian acts.
On such days, both the ordinary and the elite media of the individuals of the virtuous community weep for Imam al-Husayn (‘a) and demonstrate grief and pain on the cruelties perpetrated upon him and his companions in Karbala.
Another practice that manifests itself particularly in this season and on these days is the pubic serving of food and drink dedicated to Imam Husayn (‘a) in remembrance of the three days and nights of his thirst and hunger.
Traditions from the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) report these practices in the first ten days of the holy month of Muharram.
Some other practices through which the Ahl al-Bayt’s followers express their grief for Imam al-Husayn’s tragic saga bear no supportive evidence from the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a). They are:
• organizing public processions and marches
• roaming in streets to express loyalty to and grief for Imam al-Husayn (‘a)
• holding theatrical performances aimed at representing some aspects of Imam al-Husayn’s tragic saga—his journey to Karbala, the burning of the tents of the women and children after massacring his companions, the journey of those who were taken as captives after the battle, or other grievous events to which Imam al-Husayn (‘a) was exposed—or all the events that took place in Karbala
All of the above are inventions of ordinary people to express their emotions and feelings.3
On the tenth day of Muharram, these rituals and ceremonies attain their climax when markets are shut down and almost all the individuals of the virtuous community participate in the condolence ceremonies and food is prepared to feed all the participants.
2. The Months of Muharram and Safar
The rest of the days of Muharram and Safar (the second month in the Islamic calendar) have a secondary place of importance for holding sessions for condolence ceremonies of Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom. Public condolence meetings are organized by individuals and communities in private and public places. Each ten days of these two months are taken as a new term similar to the first ten days of Muharram, dedicating each day and night to a certain occasion for which its special ceremonies are held.
These terms end on the twentieth of Safar, the day of Arba’in, which is the fortieth day after Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom. Hence, the last ten days are dedicated to the occasion of the arrival of the captives in Madinah, followed by the demise of the Holy Prophet (S), which falls on the twenty-eighth day of Safar and which we shall mention later.
The general mark of the ceremonies held on the rest of the days of Muharram and Safar is the holding of assemblies (majalis; sing. majlis). The ceremonies on the day of Arba’in, include processions and marches organized and destined for the two holy shrines in Karbala, Imam al-Ridha’s holy shrine in Mashhad, the shrine of Lady Fatimah, the daughter of Imam Musa al-Kazim (‘a) in Qum, or for public places of worship, such as mosques, Husayniyyahs, and religious places. These processions and marches are organized for the purpose of commemorating Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom, pledging allegiance to him, and commemorating the anniversary of the captives’ return to Karbala, as maintained by some reports.
3. Weekly Sessions
The third category are weekly or monthly assemblies that the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) hold regularly in public places or in their houses, as a response to the Holy Imams (‘a) who, according to many traditions, called their followers to hold such sessions and meetings.
The issues of Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom and loyalty to the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) have become the pivot of these sessions, as instructed by the Holy Imams (‘a). However, discourses in such sessions can also be about a variety of doctrinal, ethical, behavioral, historical, erudite topics, etc.
Communities and individuals choose a certain day or night in the week or the month for holding such sessions as much as their conditions allow. These sessions and meetings have thus become a continuously open school throughout the year. The individuals of the virtuous community and the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) arrange days and times among them so that everybody can benefit from these meetings although the majority may choose Thursday nights and Fridays because these nights and days enjoy a special significance among the other days of the week.
By virtue of these meetings, social relations among the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) become well-established and positive and many religious and worldly benefits are gained. For instance, after orators mention the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) and discuss religious topics, the sessions for knowledge-seekers turn into scientific researches, for men of letters into literary forums, and for merchants into exchange of commercial viewpoints.
4. Sessions in the Month of Ramadhan
The fourth category of ceremonies commemorating Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom are assemblies during Ramadhan, when nights of this blessed month of devotion turn into educational seasons. During the public sessions, the most distinctive feature is the remembrance of Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom in addition to discussion regarding, most comprehensively, Islamic issues and topics concentrating on ethical, spiritual, and behavioral issues, the laws of Islam and the recitation of the Holy Qur'an. However, intellectual, doctrinal, and historical issues are also discussed in such sessions.
From a cultural aspect, there can be found an equipoise between the sessions of Ramadhan and the sessions of Muharram and Safar. The latter sessions concentrate on political issues and the uprising against oppression, tyranny, and corruption, and their historical goals, factors, and causes, in addition to the sentimental and emotional aspects of Shi’ite beliefs. The former assemblies concentrate on ethical and spiritual issues, laws of Islam appertaining to human behavior, especially the issues of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and the like. In addition to the recitation of the Holy Qur'an, doctrinal aspects regarding the fundamentals of religion, such as monotheism, Prophethood, divine revelations, and eschatology are discussed. The common points between these two types of sessions pertain to the general conditions of the virtuous community and the issue of Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom and uprising.
5. Private Occasions
The fifth and last grouping include assemblies held on special occasions to commemorate Imam al-Husayn (‘a). The Holy Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), in their plan of building a virtuous community, took great interest in the issue of holding meetings to gather their followers on various occasions. In these meetings, discourses revolve around the issue of Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom and uprising. For instance, in funeral eulogies ceremonies are held for solacing the relatives of the deceased. In these ceremonies, the Holy Qur'an is recited and the tragedy of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) and his companions is mentioned to seek nearness to Almighty Allah and alleviate the grief of the bereaved.
On other occasions, such as returning from the Hajj Pilgrimage or long journeys, moving to a new house, opening a private or public foundation, recovering from a disease, or private issues that socially require the holding of a meeting, assemblies are held to seek nearness to Almighty Allah, to gain blessings by mentioning Imam al-Husayn (‘a) and to commemorate Imam al-Husayn (‘a). Thus, such meetings have become one of the distinctive features of the virtuous community.
1. - Of course, meetings that are held for commemorating Imam Husayn (‘a) can never be substitutes for the Friday Prayers that include discourses and performance of prayer. Yet, they can represent an extension of the ritual content of the Friday Prayer in which we can find the root and the Islamic line of these rituals.
2. - In the coming chapter about the ritual of ziyarah, we will refer independently to the formulas of ziyarah of Imam Husayn (‘a) as well as the other Holy Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) that are recommended at certain times from both near and afar.
3. - Unfortunately, such activities, sometimes performed by individuals of the vulgar or non-religious class of the community in violation of good public sense, are basically disallowed and are in whole or in part too far from the goals intended by the Holy Imams (‘a). They believe that such activities inappropriately express sentiments and emotions (such as the practice known as tatbir which entails striking the head with sharp instruments so as to make blood flow as an expression of mourning for Imam al-Husayn (‘a) whose blood was shed on such days).
The scholars, the jurisprudentially mindful people, and the well-aware segment of the virtuous community do not participate in such incompatible activities; rather, they deny them through their statements, words, and lastly in their hearts when they cannot find anybody to hear when they anticipate sedition, discrepancy, or dispute which make the harm greater than the benefit.
Because of certain political circumstances through which these rituals passed when the tyrannical and unjust rulers worked towards annihilating them to uproot them from their origin, some ordinary people acted fanatically regarding these rituals in the same way they did towards Imam Husayn (‘a). At the same time, some scholars kept silent or even permitted the practice of these rituals for the endurance of the commemoration. This was because the public represented the popular power that stood against the tyrannical rulers.
In addition, scholars could not find any point of evidence proving the forbiddance or the illegality of practicing such rituals, so they deemed them legal according to the general jurisprudential rule of the legality of all things unless there is an evident proof demonstrating the opposite. Furthermore, under such circumstances, the practice of these rituals achieved an advantage or repelled a disadvantage not to mention the fact that they were the best way to gather and attract the attention of the masses towards commemorating Imam Husayn’s martyrdom.
However, the correct stand, towards the practice of such rituals, taken by Ayatollah Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim, Imam Khumayni, and his successor, Ayatollah Sayyid ‘Ali al-Khamana'i, in addition to many Shi’ite master scholars, was that the disadvantage caused by such rituals to the virtuous community has become greater than their advantage nowadays. They deform the portrait of the virtuous community and act as an obstacle between the guidance of the Holy Imams (‘a) and the genuine understanding of Islam on the one hand, and the general Muslim masses on the other.
Besides, the practice of these rituals arouses a spurious issue that is forbidden by Islam, because some people consider the practice of these rituals to be a devotional act intended to seek nearness to Almighty Allah, while there is no authoritative evidence (i.e. mentioned in the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah) proving this either particularly or generally. Such practices fall under a general topic, and all its parts are considered acts of worship. However, Almighty Allah best knows the truth.
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