Ashara - A Time for Remembrance, Reflection & Rejuvenation
09 October 2015
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
من بكى او ابكى او تباكى على ولدي الحسين وجبت له الجنة
'Whosoever weeps for my grandson Husayn, or moves another to weep, or endeavors to weep, is assured paradise.'
(Rasulullah SA)
This article was written by Ra'sul Hududil Mayameen Janab Syedi Aziz Bhaisaheb Qutbuddin in 2015.
The first ten days of Muharram (Ashara Mubaraka) commemorate the unparalleled sacrifice and commitment that Imam Husain AS, the grandson of the prophet Mohammad SA, and his family and close companions (numbering 72), demonstrated on the plains of Karbala, Iraq. They died fighting against the oppression, the injustice, the fear, and the persecution perpetrated by the rulers of the time. In the year 61 Hijri (680 AD), they reached Karbala on the 2nd Day of Muharram, held out for ten days and then were brutally massacred on the tenth day of Muharram known as Aashura.
The first ten days of Muharram are among the most auspicious and spiritually uplifting periods for all Shia Muslims around the world. In our community, the occasion is observed by holding gatherings in mosques and centres around the world. From the 2nd of Muharram, waaz sermons are delivered, which include lessons from history, philosophy, tradition and literature of the community, culminating with the remembrance and mourning of the tragedy which befell the family of the Prophet and their close companions. These sermons and community gatherings culminate on the tenth day, Ashura, where sermons and prayers start in the morning and continue till the end of the day.
Since the last 900 years, the Fatimid Imams in Egypt observed Muharram and so did the Dais in both Yemen and India. The 51st and 52nd Dai’s especially encouraged their followers to participate as much as possible in this occasion to renew their spiritual energies and enhance their depth and understanding of the faith at what is the beginning of the Islamic calendar year.
Remembrance & Reflection – The purpose of Muharram Part 1 of 2
The remembrance of Imam Husain SA is rewarded with Jannat, as Rasululullah’s Hadith quoted above asserts. Remembering Imam Husain SA and his unequalled suffering and ultimate sacrifice, causes us to pause and reflect. It forces us to reflect on the reasons for which Imam Husain SA chose to sacrifice his companions, his family and his life. Imam Husain did so to for the sake of Truth and as a result of his unwavering belief in Allah Ta’ala’s promise. It is narrated that on the way to Karbala, Imam Husain SA related to his son Ali Zainul Abedeen SA that in his dream the previous night, a speaker said, “you are walking, and death is walking with you to Jannat.” Upon hearing this dream, Ali Zainul Abedeen asked Imam Husain SA, “are we not on the path of Truth” (awalasna ‘alal-haqq), to which Imam Husain replied, “we are on haqq indeed.” Ali Zainul Abedeen then said, “then we do not care about death” (izan la nubaali bil-mawt).
Through our Hudaat Kiraam’s tradition of narrating the events of Karbala, we relive those fateful days in which Imam Husain SA was martyred, and in our limited capacity, relate to that ultimate sacrifice for the sake of Truth.
