The commemorations, however, are not restricted to this day but rather take place on the first 10 days of Muharram culminating on the Day of Ashura. Rituals are also carried out till the 40th day when it is customary for millions of Shiite Muslims to converge on the holy city of Karbala to visit the shrine of Imam Hussein.
With much sorrow and great passion, Shiite Muslims have been commemorating the incident of Ashura with many rituals.
According to Ignác Goldziher, a Hungarian Muslim scholar “Ever since the black day of Karbala, the history of this family … has been a continuous series of sufferings and persecutions. These are narrated in poetry and prose, in a richly cultivated literature of martyrologies …”.
For example, people congregate in mosques or Hussayniahs to listen to Majlis, which is the narration and retelling of the tragedy of Imam Hussein as one aspect of public rites of remembrance. Tears are shed as the calamity is recited and sermons about martyrdom, the persona of Imam Hussein and his deeds, are delivered. Mourners also lament to the harmony of beating drums, beating their chests in unison to express remorse. Chants of “Ya Hussein” and “Labbayka Ya Hussein” among others are repeated in public processions as a display of grief. Most Shiites are seen clad in black attire, the symbol of grief.
“Primarily, the reason for upholding the commemoration is based on the recommendations of our holy Imams(as). We have received news through Hadith that it was their custom to mourn the tragedy of Hussein(as) for the first 10 nights of Muharram and the 10th day would be a day of calamity for them, recalling the massacre and stances of their grandfather and they would command poets to recite poetry and eulogies regarding the occasion,” Moutaz Al-Wahwah, a Lebanese Hawza Student, explains Alwaght correspondent about the origin of these rituals.
The shrine of Imam Hussein has become the Kaaba for Shiites as during Muharram and Safar millions converge on the holy city of Karbala..
Plays are also performed to reenact the Battle of Karbala and relive the pain of the household of the Seal of Prophets, Muhammad (PBUH). Mosques and volunteers also hand out free meals and sweets which are considered blessed with the name of Hussein.
Although customs and rituals may differ from one country to another as a result of varying cultural backgrounds, the essence of the remembrance of Imam Hussein is one and the same.
Author Kamran Scot Aghaie has expressed that “The symbols and rituals of Ashura have evolved over time and have meant different things to different people. However, at the core of the symbolism of Ashura is the moral dichotomy between worldly injustice and corruption on the one hand and God-centered justice, piety, sacrifice and perseverance on the other.”
On many occasions, some Shiites observe mourning through self-flagellation, an act they claim will preserve the revolution of Imam Hussein.
The use of swords, bladed chains, or knives to make cuts in the mourners body, however, has been banned by several Muslim leaders such as Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Irans Supreme Leader, as an act of self-harm.
The fatwa states: “Any practice that causes bodily harm, or leads to defaming the faith, is haram (religiously forbidden). Accordingly, the believers have to steer clear of it. There is no doubt that many of these practices besmirch the image of Ahlul Bayt’s (a.s.) school of thought which is the worst damage and loss.”
To confront this dangerous phenomenon Shiite communities around the world have been organizing blood donation events as a non-violent alternative.
“This act has become a trend more than the cause of actual grief. Even if grief was the motive, Imam Hussein was a preacher of patience and therefore we must abide by that. Another thing is that all that blood that is lost couldve been donated instead,” said Zeinab Alawi, a Lebanese-American Shiite Muslim to Alwaght.
Another Shiite, Hadi Safa, also dismissed self-flagellation as unrepresentative of the school of Karbala, saying “It is clear that this practice by some Shiites causes people from other sects and religions to completely turn away from and even castigate Shiite Islam. The heavenly school of Ashura, the epic of Imam Hussein, could be explained with one word, as Lady Zeinab had described it: beauty. As for self-flagellation, on the other hand, it is anything but beauty”.
The memory of Imam Hussein is immortal. It lives in the minds and hearts of his followers and those who call his name.
It is believed among the Shiites that a single tear shed for Imam Hussein can wash away a hundred sins. And so they shed their tears when Muharram casts its black veil over time.
“The month of Muharram is a reminder of supreme sacrifice of Imam Hussein (a.s). Its a time for us to weep and appreciate this great sacrifice. The tears we cry cleanse our souls, and create a yearning within us to strive toward Allah, in the same way Imam Hussein (a.s) did,” believes Fatima Mallah, a Lebanese-Canadian follower of the Shiite sect.
Many Shiites maintain that the battle of Karbala is the reason Islam survived under the pressure of time and the corruptness of leaders and dynasties that only spoke in the name of Islam but did not act on its principles.
“The pure blood of these martyrs watered the tree of Islam so that it may be preserved, at a time when Islam was on the verge of being uprooted. Commemorating Ashura means commemorating humanity itself, as the eternal spirit of Imam Hussein represents all excellent human values and qualities,” Hadi Safa said.
“Hussein(as) in Karbala was the embodiment of David vs. Goliath, the near sacrifice of Ishmael, the Patience of Job, Moses story of Salvation, the revolutionary spirit of Jesus and the Universal reform of Muhammad (peace be upon them all).”
To this day, millions of Shiite Muslims from all walks of life commemorate the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammads grandson in a show of solidarity with the oppressed giving rise to the saying that described the Battle of Karbala as “the victory of blood over the sword.”
New images on social media show the extent of the scorched-earth policy pursued by the Saudi regime against residential areas in the Shiite- populated in Al-Awamiyah, especially al-Mosara neighborhood on daily basis.
Saudi forces started their brutal attack on Awamiyah town on May 10, using helicopter gunships and heavy weapons. The Saudi regime claims the aim of the raid is to allow ‘renovation’ of the historic al-Mosara neighborhood to make way for a planned a new project.
Awamiyah, a town of 30,000 in the Shiite Muslim-majority Qatif district in the Eastern Saudi province, was the home of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a high ranking Shiite scholar who was unjustly hanged in January last year for demanding the legitimate rights of the region’s residents. The residents of Awamiyah are actually facing some sort of collective punishment by the Saudi regime for being the home of martyred Sheikh Nimr and the current crackdown is also meant serve as a warning to other Saudis especially Shiites.
Awamiyah town is now virtually besieged by Saudi regime forces conducting a brutal operation against residents of the region where no journalists are allowed.
Since the operation began, at least six security officers, and several civilians have been killed in a series of clashes and bombings with forsaken locals continuing to resist the regime’s brutality.
Last month, Saudi regime forces shot and killed Amin al-Hani the president of the local Quran council as they torched his vehicle during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Saudi Arabia’s forces who had started the holy month of Ramadan by killing Fadhil al-Hamada and Muhammad al-Suimal ended the month of the Quran by assassinating al-Hani, a prominent Quran activist. Activists have condemned the brutal killing of the Quranic figure as an indication of Saudi authorities’ lack of respect for the lives of innocent people and civilians.
The planned “renovation” of the historic 400-year old Almosara district has been highly controversial. In April, the United Nations called on the Saudi government to halt the project, warning that it threatened “the historical and cultural heritage of the town with irreparable harm”.
“Residents have been pressured in many ways, including through power cuts, to vacate their homes and businesses without adequate alternative resettlement options, leaving them at best with insufficient compensation and at worst, with nowhere to go,” said the UN Special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha.
Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, particularly Qatif, has been the scene of peaceful demonstrations since February 2011. Protesters, complaining of marginalization in the Wahabbi-ruled kingdom, have been demanding reforms, freedom of expression, the release of political prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination in the oil-rich region.
Riyadh has responded to the protests with a heavy-handed crackdown, but the rallies have intensified since January 2016, when the Saudi regime executed respected Shiite scholar Sheikh al-Nimr, an outspoken critic of the regime. According to conservative estimates, Shiite Muslims in Saudi Arabia are about 10 and 15 percent of the kingdom’s population.
Since the beginning of the reform-seeking rallies, Al Khalifa regime responded to the popular motions with excessive violence.
Despite regime’s iron fist in the face of the rallying public, the demonstrations remain ongoing while they are now more than half a decade old. The people do not seem to have forgotten what they started their uprising for.
The revolt against Al Khalifa erupted in opposition to the religion and ethnic injustice and sought to get things right through demands for political reforms. But so far the campaign failed to go anywhere as the government generally responded with an iron fist to the peaceful gatherings while having the support of its regional patrons such as Saudi Arabia.
The spirit of the movement remains firmly alive among the revolutionary Shiite Muslims of the country who account for a majority of the island kingdom’s population. The erosive crisis that keeps influencing the country has never been beneficial to the Bahraini people nor to the regional peace, something making it necessary to find an appropriate solution to address the people’s rights and resolve the crisis.
The regional actors have different views of the crisis. While Iran, a country with interests in the Persian Gulf region, insists that people should be allowed to determine their fate through political negotiations and elections, Saudi Arabia, another major actor and rival of the Islamic Republic, prefers to help Bahrain regime put down the Shiites’ demonstrations.
In the past few days, Bahrain saw new security developments. The security forces on Tuesday raided the home of the top Shiite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim who was recently given one-year suspended jail term. The attack on the home village of Sheikh Isa Qassim also targeted the sit-inners who protested the court ruling. The raid left at least five people dead and many injured.
After six years of the regime’s violence and while the protesters still insist on their demands realization, Al Khalifa’s recent measures will have negative consequences, including:
Bahrain is a small country with small population with diversified religions. However, the majority of the nation is Shiite Muslim. The government during the years of uprising has tried to sectarianize the popular demands, and paint the Shiite Muslims as main triggers of the violence. Such a measure, the analysts suggest, not only failed to yield results to the Al Khalifa dynasty but also had a share in polarization of the Bahraini society and drawing lines between the Shiites and Sunnis. Such a policy, the experts warn, can carry grave ramifications for the nation in the long run.
The recent attack on the prominent cleric’s home and putting him under house arrest not only provokes the Shiites’ anti-regime sentiments but also gives rise to a kind of pessimism among the Shiites against the Sunnis of the country. On the other hand, the heavy anti-Shiite propaganda will promote Sunni hate against the Shiites. The violent responses to the protesters and disrespecting their religious leaders only deepen the religious gaps, and in the long run add to the already-accumulated problems in the country.
Five years of the regime’s violent repression campaign against the protesting people will automatically contribute to radicalization of Bahrain politically and socially. The fresh round of crackdown on the people gathering around home of the top cleric in solidarity with him and putting him under house arrest by the security forces can even double the radicalization process, the analysts warn. They add that it can pave the way for extremist behaviors in the Bahraini community. Several reports now suggest that many Sunni Bahrainis have joined the ISIS terrorist group. This will pose direct threats to Bahrain and spread radicalism across the region.
All of the Al Khalifa’s repressive measures against the people are devoid of legal bases. For example, the recent court verdict of Sheikh Isa Qassim was unveiled to simply satisfy the ruling regime, without any legal backgrounds. This act, beside a harsh clampdown against the sit-inners, raises further questions about legitimacy of the Al Khalifa rule, and tarnish the regime’s image in the eyes of the public opinion both at home and on the international stage. The Al Khalifa rulers are now encouraged by their regional and international backers to take action against the protesters, but at the end of the road the government will lose credit nationally and globally as an anti-public regime.
On Sunday, a Bahraini court sentenced, Sheikh Qassim, spiritual leader of the country’s Shiite Muslims majority, to one year in jail suspended for three years. The court further ruled to confiscate properties managed by Ayatollah Qassim worth 3 million Bahraini dinars (almost $8 million) and two of his homes.
The court also ordered Ayatollah Qassim, who is in his mid-70s, to pay 100,000 Bahraini dinars ($265,266) in fines over the charges, which emanate from the collection of Islamic tax called Khums, which in Shiite Islam is collected and spent by a senior cleric in the interests of the needy.
In Shiite Islam, Khums is part Furu’ al-Deen which means the branches of religion, it is one-fifth of the amount of a year’s savings, (after deducting all the lawful expenses from the earnings of that year).
Therefore, in a country such as Bahrain where the majority of Muslims adhere to Shiite Islam, criminalizing the collection of Khums is tantamount to suppression of religious beliefs and obligations. The Manama regime has not only criminalized the collection of Khums but has gone ahead and grabbed properties worth $8 Million acquired from contribution by Shiite Muslims in the Persian Gulf Kingdom for distribution to the needy.
In reaction to the repressive verdict, Bahrain’s senior Islamic scholars have said that the trial and conviction of Sheikh Qassim, represented a major shock. They believed it also represents “the persecution of the Shiite Islam and its beliefs”, while warning that the verdict which disenfranchises Shiites will have grim repercussions.
In a statement, the senior Islamic scholars noted that “Ayatollah Qassim has a distinguished place in the public’s sentiment”, stressing that violating the belief in Khums is considered a flagrant violation of the Shiite teachings.
Shiite Muslims have been denied the right of having Members of Parliament, their media outlets have been closed while their main political party, Bahrain have been denied the right to have any media outlet while al-Wefaq National Islamic Society has been banned.
Most of the leaders of al-Wefaq have seen their citizenship revoked or jailed, including its spiritual leader Sheikh Qassim, and its secretary general Sheikh Ali Salman.
By confiscating finances managed by Ayatollah Qassim and seizing his properties while prohibiting him from collecting Khums, the Bahraini regime intends to cripple his activities and prevent him from assisting marginalized Shiite Muslims while curtailing the spread of Shiite Islam in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.
The Bahraini regime was expected to issue a tougher verdict against Ayatollah Qassim but could not dare execute such a move in fear of far reaching repercussions. Masses in Bahrain have shown the ability for consistency in their resistance against the western-backed Al Khalifa regime. Since the beginning of the Islamic awakening uprising in February 2011, Bahrainis have demonstrations on an almost daily basis demanding that the Khalifah dynasty relinquish power and a just system representing all Bahrainis be established. Despite the presence of Saudi and UAE troops assisting regime forces in the crackdown, the masses have persisted in their resistance. Anti-regime demonstrators have also been staging sit-in protests in Diraz village since June outside the residence of Sheikh Qassim to express their solidarity with the 79-year-old cleric since authorities revoked Sheikh Qassim’s citizenship last year.
The jailing of Sheikh Qassim on the day US President Donald Trump met Bahraini ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa in Riyadh sends a message that Washington fully backs the Manama regime in its suppression of Shiite Muslims in the tiny Persian Gulf Kingdom.
Trump told the Bahriani ruler that, “We’re going to have a very, very long-term relationship. I look forward to it very much – many of the same things in common.”
Trump’s White House decided this year to pursue a $5 billion sale to Bahrain of 19 Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft and related equipment, which was held up last year by human rights concerns.
Washington is throwing its weight behind the brutally repressive Al Khalifah regime, because Bahrain serves as the base for the US Fifth Fleet.
We are committed to keeping the Islamic world for tomorrow and beyond, and alongside that, we guarantee that important Islamic frameworks are our priority. We are committed to protecting the Islamic world and, accordingly, we recognize knowledge as an important factor in the ability and consider the media one of the most important means of expanding it. Accordingly, our fields of activity are the Islamic principles and the interests of the Ummah of Islam. We seek to raise awareness in the international arena and will work hard to achieve it. It is our duty to be dynamic in the period when foreign aggression against Islamic countries, especially the Islamic Republic, has continued and we are on the path to defending Islamic values. We believe in the progress and prosperity of the Islamic world for unity, integrity, justice and wisdom, and we hope we can move on to advance and advance it.
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