Ashura and Muharram 2016 Mourning Ceremony With the Attendance Of Imam Khamenei

The second night of Muharram Mourning was held at the official house of Imam Khamenei which is called “Imam Khomeini Hussainiyeh” and Imam Khamenei , the grand leader of Islamic community attended it.

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Ashura infants on the international day of Hazrat Ali Aghar

Today, Iranian Shia Muslims marked the international day of Hazrat Ali Asghar, Imam Hussain’s six-month-old son who was martyred violently on the day of Ashura in Karbala. Each year in Muharram,  women with their infants participate in the great mourning ceremonies to commemorate his martyrdom.

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Muharram 2016 mourning ceremonies photos

Each year during the first ten days of Muharram, Muslim people worldwide dressed in black, gathering in mourning ceremonies for the martyrdom anniversary of the prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussain. In Iran, the ceremonies are held in mosques, the holy shrines and even in the universities in which students can participate easily. Listening to the speech, mourning for the Imam Hussain, praying for the reappearance of Imam Mahdi are the main parts of a usual mourning ceremony. Nazri food are also usually distributed among mourners at the end of a ceremony.

 Muharram 2016: listening to the speech in a mosque at a university of Tehran, Iran

Women participating in the mourning ceremonies

Why did Ashura happen? The three causes of Imam Hussain revolution

In the previous post, I made an image about why Imam Hussain (PBUH) rose up as stated in his will, but that was not the only reason for Imam Hussain to revolt.

The holy shrine of Imam Hussain (PBUH) in Karbala, Iraq. A photo taken in Muharram 2016

There are three main causes explained in Martyr Mortaza Motahhari’s book written according to the Islamic quotes for why Imam Hussain rose up against Yazid’s government and why Ashura happened.

1-Imam Hussain rejected to pledge allegiance to the immoral and non-Muslim man such as Yazid who wanted to be a ruler of Muslim community despite the threatens made by Yazid’s government because swearing allegiance to Yazid indicated not only accepting Yazid as a ruler but also accepting the wrong way of succession determination was being established for the first time by Yazid’s father in the Muslim community. The thing that was not permitted in Islam and both Shia and Sunni sects.

2-About 100,000 people of Kufa sent 18,000 letters to Imam Hussain and invited him to come to Iraq and re-establish an Islamic government, although they forgot their invitation and leave Imam Hussain to be alone against the 30,000 people of Yazid’s Army and even they helped the Army!  This invitation cause Imam to have no choice other than to accept their request

3- Reforming the Muslim community and promoting virtue and preventing vice was the third and the main reason for Ashura uprising. Imam Hussain had found about his cousin, Moslem (the son of Aghil), martyrdom on the way to Kufa, therefor Imam could have refused the invitation sent by the people of Kufa and come back to Mecca,  but he did not stop going to Kufa until Yazid’s Army stop him and his companions in a land called Karbala. Imam Hussain himslef stated this main reason openly in his will to his brother before traveling to Kufa. You can see a part of Imam Hussain will in the following image:

“I did not rise up for the cause of wickedness, amusement, corruption or oppression, but I rose up to reform the Muslim community of my grandfather [Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)]. I want to promote virtue and prevent vice.”

اني لم اخرج اشرا و لا بطرا و لامفسدا و لاظالما انما خرجت لطلب الاصلاح

في امة جدي و اريد ان امر با لمعروف و انهي عن المنكر

Bihar Al-Anvar: V.44, P. 329

 

-Read more explanation in this book (The Truth Hussain’s (A.S) Revolt) which I found on the internet and It is an English translation and abstract of the original book written by martyar Mortaza Mutahhari, an Islamic philosopher who Imam Khomeini invited all the people to read his books.

 

First night of Muharram 2016: A Quote about Muharram by Imam Reza

Tonight is the first night of Muharram in 2016.

Although Imam Hussain (PBUH) and his family and companions have not arrived yet to Karbala in such day but mourning ceremonies have got started at all over the cities in Iran as well as other countries by Shia Muslim people to follow Imam Reza’s mourning style for the martyrdom anniversary of the holy prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussain. Read more about Imam Reza’s style at here

Imam Reza, the 8^th beloved Imam, said about his father, Imam Musa (Moses) Kazem (PBUH):

“No one could have seen my father’s smile when the month of Muharram came. Sadness was increasing in his face day by day till the tenth of Muharram [day of Ashura] and when the tenth day of Muharram would dawn, it would be a day of grief and weeping for him.”

Why Did Imam Hussain Rise Up on Ashura? A Quote By Imam Hussain 3

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Imam Hussain (PBUH) explained his revolutionary goal as a will which he wrote to his brother, Muhammad bin Al-Hanifiah. The text in the above image is a part of Imam Hussain’s will:

اني لم اخرج اشرا و لا بطرا و لامفسدا و لاظالما انما خرجت لطلب الاصلاح في امة جدي و اريد ان امر با لمعروف و انهي عن المنكر

“I did not rise up for the cause of wickedness, amusement, corruption or oppression, but I rose up to reform the Muslim community of my grandfather [Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)]. I want to promote virtue and prevent vice.”

Ref.: Bihar Al-Anvar: V.44, P. 329.

 

Ashura 2016 is coming

Ashura 2016 is on Wednesday, the 12th of October.

Day of Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram, is the martyrdom anniversary of the prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussain (PBUH).

Accept Apologies Like Imam Hussain – Imam Hussain Quote 2

“If someone vilifies me in my right ear and then apologizes for it in my left ear, I will surely accept his apology because I heard Imam Ali (PBUH) narrate a saying from my grandfather, the Prophet of God, that

The one who does not accept apologies, whether the apology is true or not, will not pass the pond of al-Kawthar.”

Ref. : Ehqaq Al-Haq: V. 11, P.431; Mizan Al-Hekmah: V. 1, P. 330

 

قال َحُسَینِ بن على(علیه السلام): لَو شَتَمَنى رَجُلٌ فى هذِهِ الاُذُنِ، وَ أَومى إلىَ الیُمنى، وَ اعتَذَرَ لى فىِ الاُخرى لَقَبِلتُ ذلِکَ مِنهُ، وَ ذلِکَ أَنَ أَمیرَ المُؤمِنینَ (علیه السلام) حَدَثَنى أَنَهُ سَمِعَ جَدى رَسُولَ اللهِ (صلى الله علیه وآله)یَقُولُ: لا یَرِدُ الحَوضَ مَن لَم یَقبَلِ العُذرَ مِن مُحِقٍ أَو مُبطِل

(إحقاق الحقّ: ج 11، ص 431)

Day of Ashura in the Grand Bazaar of Tehran in Iran

The Grand Bazaar is a great historical market in the capital city of Iran.  This market has several corridors with more than 10 kilometers in length.

On the day of Tasua and Ashura, the  The Grand Bazzar are closed and shopkeepers and other people attend in the mourning ceremony held inside the market’s corridors for the martyrdom anniversary of the holy prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussain (PBUH).

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Day of Ashura : A Quote about Imam Hussain by Edward Gibbon

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A quote about Imam Hussain by Edward Gibbon, an English historian and a member of parliament, during a mourning ritual on the day of Ashura in London.

“In a distant age and climate the tragic scene of the death of Hussain will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.” – Edward Gibbon.

When is Ashura 2016?

Ashura 2016 is on Wednesday, the 12th of October.

The day of Ashura (/ʌʃuːrʌ /) is the 10th day of Muharram(/Mohærræm/) which is the first month in the Islamic calendar. As the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and the Georgian calendar is a solar one, therefore each year, the day of Ashura falls in a different day in the Georgian calendar.

There is no day like Ashura. Day of Ashura marks the day in which thirty thousand people who consider themselves as the followers of the holy prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and who call themselves Muslims, gathered around the prophet’s grandson, Imam Husayn, shed his blood and all 72 of his companions and captured their women and children in more than 14 centuries ago in a land called Karbala.

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People mourning and crying for the Imam Hussain’s martyrdom on the day of Ashura  in the holy shrine of lady Fatima Masumah in the city of Qom, Iran. The text written on the placard is “Oh! Husayn was killed”

Ashura At All Times : The instruction by Imam Khomeini

Imam Khomeini who was the founder of Islamic Republic of Iran had described Imam Hussain’s instruction in his speech:

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“…They do not know that weeping for Imam Husayn (A) means

Ashura Shi’ite infants – 2

There were a six-month-old baby who was violently cut his head by Yazid Army on the day of Ashura in Karbala. He was in Imam Hussain’s hands when a three-branched arrow was thrown to him by Harmaleh. His name was Ali Asqar, the youngest Imam Hussain’s son who was martyred in thirst.

Therefore, each year during Muharram and Ashura, Muslim people participate in mourning ceremonies to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussain and all 72 of his companions and family members while they preferably dress their infants in such a way to memorize Ali Asqar (PBUH).

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Ashura: Why Shia Muslims do not fast on the day of Ashura?

Ashura is the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. Shia muslims consider Ashura a day of sorrow and grief as the holy prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussain, and all 72 of his companions were martyred on this day in Karbala. Therefor it is recommended not to eat or drink on Ashura till noon to mimic the one with a great sorrow, but fasting on the day of Ashura is disapproved (Makruh) according to religious opinions (Fatwas) of Shia scholars such as Imam Khamenei.

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Although Ashura is a day of sorrow for Imam Hussain lovers but it was a celebration for the enemies of the prophet Muhammd’s grandson. They fast on this day and even built some mosques to show their happiness. That’s why Shia Imams recommend us not to fast on the day of Ashura:

Asking Imam Reza (the 8th Imam of Shiite Muslims) about fasting on the day of Ashura; Imam Reza replayed: “Do you ask about fasting of Marjanah’s son? The day of Ashura is a day in which Ziyad family’s wicked members fast for the happiness of Imam Hussain killing…” [1]

Ashura self-flagellation with knives or chains!!

Self-flagellation is forbidden (Haram) in Islam. Great Shia scholars such as grand Ayatullah Khamenei who is the leader of Islamic Republic of Iran and Ayatullah Sistani, the Shia Leader in Iraq, have prohibited any self-mutilation such as self-flagellation with knives or chains (Tatbir) and even walking on fire. You can see their Fatwas (religious opinions) on tatbir.org

Previously I made several images about this prohibition and now I made some other images which contains the photos of some Shiite scholars who have prohibited such practice.

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“Practicing Tatbir (i.e.self-flagellation) is one of the wrongdoings. I know that some people would say: “It was better for him not to mention Tatbir.” They would say: “Why do you