Martydom of Imam Hussain rta

[DocW]

Martydom of the grandson of prophet Muhammad pbuh is without a shadow of doubt the darkest chapter in Islamic history. However I also believe that for a Muslim death is not the ned of life but a new beginning. Shaheed has the ultimate honour and will be among the foremost group on the day of judgment and the first ones to enter the highest honour in Paradise.

My query to SHia Muslim brothers is about Matim every muharram for the martydom of Hazrat Hussein. What is the basis and reasons? It starts from religious meetings with narrations and then goes to self beating and even taking out a procession with a horse.

It is not a criticisim but I am trying to understand the reasons behind the action. As Muslims I would have thought that Hazrat Hussein has the ultimate honour as a martyr and Muslims look at shahadat positively and not in the form of mattam. It is the ultimate honour and the best death possible. I also refer to my recent post in thought provoking about throwing away the dates by Abdullah Rahim on the issue of shaheed.

Please do not think I am being critical but would like to understand the issue from shia Muslim perspective as to how we justify mattam for a shaheed.

[Hannahh]

The Shia do this to express their own sense of guilt because the people of Kufa at the time did not assist Hussein in his resistance against the brutal regime of Yazid.

[shaad_lko]

The Shia do this to express their own sense of guilt because the people of Kufa at the time did not assist Hussein in his resistance against the brutal regime of Yazid.

Salam,
What you wrote above is what Sunni ulama state about the Shia practice- but surely this is not true from their perspective as well ? Any ref. from Shia sources would help clarify the truth.

[Hannahh]

Why would Sunni scholars differ about this? It is in the history of Islam and I don't think they do differ about it. On the other hand, they don't advertise it and some of them actually praise Muwaiya and Yazid...which is a whole other ballpark.

I don't know what you mean about "clarifying" the truth brother. The truth doesn't need clarification. That's what makes it the truth.

Perhaps you are saying that the practice is "unIslamic" or something? Um hmm. Maybe I missed that. Spit it out you know...it won't hurt my feelings.

It is true from the Shia perspective and there is no doubt about it amongst Shia. It is something that many Shia are proud to participate in and it is exactly that sense of cultural preservation (started by the laments of Hussein's sister Zainab,read pbut) that is considered a fundamental part of Shia tradition.

It is not something that is fundamental to the practice of Islam. Perhaps you have mistaken that or you have read 'somewhere' that Shia participate in it as part of their Islamic practice. That is not the case. Not all Shia participate in it and probably a significant number of them who don't, don't even know what it is about. Sadly enough. It isn't though in any way, a "requirement" like fasting, praying, etc.

I am thinking that you have also read that this is one of the reasons Sunni consider Shia to be heretics, infidels or some other thing. Like combining prayers and praying two of them early. Um hmm. Yes. I've heard all those things too.

Seriously though......any person who cares to learn about these things cannot ignore the fact that having any sort of allegiance to Muwaiya and/or Yazid creates a conflict of interest with the Ahl Bayt itself and in essence, with Islam as well.

That's why these are important questions for anyone to consider and I'm glad that Doc continues to consider these and asks such interesting questions.

Peace


***Oh and Doc, Zuljanah is the name of the horse and there is a beautiful tradition about that horse. When the prophet purchased the horse (the horse lived over seventy years), the man accused him of not paying for it. There were no witnesses so when the owner accused the prophet, another man witnessed that although the transaction was not physically witnessed by any human, the fact that the prophet was the prophet was witness enough and he offered his own witness to testify to that. The matter was closed. Later, when Hussein was just a child, a companion of the prophet noticed that he was watching his grandson with tears in his eyes and Zuljanah lowered his back so that the tot could climb on. The companion asked why the prophet was crying (i.e. that it was a happy moment not a sad oe) and he said that if only he (the companion) could see the day when Hussein would be killed and Zuljanah would lower his grandson's body to the ground (at Kerbala). That's my poor paraphrasing but I think it is one of the most beautiful stories out of so many beautiful stories.