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MUHARRAM |
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“Muharram, or the “sacred month”, marks the
beginning of the Muslim year. From the advent of Islam a number of important
events have been commemorated on the tenth of this month. One of these was the
deliverance of Moses and the Israelites from the tyranny of Pharaoh. The month
is now primarily associated with the period of mourning the Shias observe in
commemoration of the martyrdom of ‘Ali’s son and Muhammad’s grandson Husain.
(‘Ali and his elder son Hasan are also remembered during this period as having
suffered and died for the cause of righ-teousness.) |
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“On the tenth
day of Muharram Husain was brutally murdered by troops of the Ummayyad Caliph
Yazid (d. A.D. 683) after having refused to take the oath of fealty to him. He
left Medina for Kufa in Iraq with a retinue of his women and children and close
relatives. As Husain and his following approached the plains of Karbala, they
were intercepted by Yazid’s troops under the command of ‘Ubaydullah, the
governor of Kufa. On the morning of the fatal day, 10th Muharram, Husain fought
brave]y till he was slain, the last on the battlefield. His violent death to
this day awakens the sympathy of the faithful who com-memorate his martyrdom
with sorrow and indignation.” |
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The Celebrations
“Among the Shi’as in India the following ceremonies are
common, although considerable differences in detail may be observed according
to regions. As soon as the new moon appears, people assemble in the imam bara
(lit, enclosure of imam), a permanent meeting place built in stone or, as
mostly in southern India, they assemble in the ‘ashur khanah (lit, ten-day
house), a temporary structure. There they recite thefatihah over some sherbat
(sweetened, cool drink), rice or sugar in Husain’s name. The cool drink is
meant to remind the faithful of the terrible thirst Husain and his family and
retinue had to suffer. Food and drink are later distributed to the public,
especially to the poor. In some places a pit is dug in which a fire is lighted
every evening of the festival, and young and old people fence across it with
sticks or swords. Or they run around it calling out:
Ya’Ali! Ya’Ali! Shah Hasan! Shah Husain! Dulha! Hae Dost!
Rahiyo! Oh ‘Ali! (Noble Hasan! Noble Husain! Bride-groom! Friend! Stay! Stay!) |
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“The’ashur khanah is
usually draped with black cloth on which texts of the Quran are written. The
imam bara, too, will be decorated. Inside are placed the ta ‘zian-s or tabuts,
wooden structures covered with silver paper, coloured paper and tinsel fringes.
They are made with imagination and artistic sense and are meant to represent
Husain’s mausoleum, erected on the plains of Karbala, or else the Prophet’s
tomb at Medina or even the Taj Mahal of Agra. Nearby are placed imitations of
articles which Husain is supposed to have used at Karbala, e.g., a turban of
gold, a sword, a shield, a bow and arrow. There are also’alam-s or standards of
different shapes, each one having its own special name and history. Often the
‘a lam has the form of a human hand (panjab) fixed on top of the pole. This is
the popular emblem representing the five members of the prophet’s family:
Muhammad, Fatima, ‘Au, Hasan and Husain.” |
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Remembering Karbala
“Every evening people hold gatherings (maflis, p1. majalis)
in the ashur-khanah-s, imam-bara-s or in private homes. These majalis remember
step by step the events from the time Husain received the invitation from the
Kufans to the time of his martyrdom. Dhakir-s give lectures on these themes,
marsiya-go-s recite elegiac poems (marsiya-s) re-counting the events of
Karbala. Following elaborate artis-tic traditions, they narrate the heartless
way in which Yazid’s men killed Husain and his family and retinue. These
recitals which include the nanha h-s (poems of agony) sung by the soz-khwan,
stir up the emotions of the listeners and move them to wailing and weeping.
Repeatedly the assembled faithful rise from their places and with real or
feigned grief beat their breasts (sinah-bazi) crying out: Ya Hasan! Ya Husain!
At the same time Yazid, the caliph responsible for Husain’s death, is cursed.” |
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Processions and Other
Ceremonies
“From the seventh to the tenth of Muharram processions are
held to commemorate the martyrdom of Hasan’s son, Qasim, who was slain shortly
after his wedding, as well as the martyrdom of Husain. Along with the
procession goes a white horse (duldul or dhu’l-janah) which represents the
horse on which Husain rode, or it refers to the bridal horse of Qasim, who was
married to Husain’s favourite daughter Fatimat-us-sughra (as distinguished from
Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad), just before the battle of Karbala. With
this in mind the people shout at intervals: Bride-groom! Bridegroom! On the
eighth day a lance or spear is carried to represent Husain’s head, which was
carried on the point of a javelin by order of Yazid. In addition to these
representations ta ‘ziya h-s or tabut-s and standards of Hasan, Husain and
Qasim are carried. All the time people beat their breasts, saying: Hasan,
Husain! Sometimes the pro-cession halts, and then a group of men and boys,
naked from the waist, beat themselves with a bundle of sharp blades so that the
blood streams down their backs or, forming a large group, they beat their
breasts in a uniform rhythm crying all together: Ya Hasan! Ya Husain! |
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The tenth day is ‘ashara
‘ashurah . On this day the tabut-s or ta ‘ziah-s are either stripped and thrown
into the water, or they are taken to a ground set apart for this purpose
(called Karbala) and literally buried in specially dug graves.
On the evening of the twelfth day people sit up all night,
reading the Quran and reciting marsiyah-s and verses in honour of Husain. On
the thirtieth day a quantity of food is cooked and, after saying the fatihah
over it, it is given to the poor. With this act of charity the Muharram
celebra-tions end.” |
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