CHITRAL: Every year in the month of Muharam, muslims mourn the cruel way in which the grand son of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his family were martyred by the controversial and accursed caliph of the time, Yazeed. The mourning of the event is central to all Muslims but the Shia sect takes the scale further north by getting fully involved physically and mentally by organizing mourning sessions where narrators (zakireen) paint tragic picture of the event and bring the audience to emotional highs resulting in weeping and wailing in sympathy for the family of the Prophet (PBUH), at the least.
On the 9 and 10 of Muharam each year, a complete holiday is declared in the country and life comes to a stand still. Emotionally charged processions are taken out by the shia community passing through the thickest populated areas and roads of the town. In earlier times when population density was low, this was relatively feasible and would be carried out smoothly, but now when even in normal days one has to struggle to walk through the busy streets of the old cities, a fully charged procession passing through could be a vulnerable target for those who want to conduct a disruptive activity.
It is therefore appealed to Shia religious leaders to revisit the practice of taking out charged processions passing through the thickest part of the cities. Mourning observance could be considered to be confined to four walls or to an area away from the city center.
Remembering Imam Hussain (RA) and in turn cursing the abominable Yazeed who personifies as a symbol of a cruel, wretched dictator, can much better be done by adopting the character traits of Imam Hussain i.e being truthful, upright, brave and principled. Unfortunately we Muslims remember the day of Karbala with all our heartfelt respect and emotions but the very next day we forget everything and revert to the lifestyle of Yazeed, in adopting a routine of greed, lies, hypocrisy, and all the ills that Yazeed possessed.
Best way for all Muslims especially the Shia Muslims who want to pay respect to Imam Hussain and the Martyrs of Karbala, is to adopt the life style of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) by way of being virtuous, brave, selfless, honest and compassionate, and vehemently reject the ways of Yazeed ie being greedy, lier, dishonest, ill-intended and unkind. The Shia Ulema can do well to preach on these lines, for the holistic betterment of the entire society. .. CN report, 17 July, 2024
4 thoughts on “An appeal to Shia religious leaders”
In para 1 instead of the word North I wish you had used the word South.
Good article. Here in Chitral I noticed today that all shops and businesses are wide open. But all government offices and banks are closed. Why should that be?
A very difficult topic and one has to be careful as an inch to the left or right can get you in trouble.
The tragic incident of Karbela has divided the Muslims i.e Shia and Sunni Muslims.
As for today we see five super powers Israel, France, Germany, United Kingdom and America joined together to eliminate a hand full of Hamas fighters. No Muslim Sunni country has come out against the genocide committed by these 5 super powers against the enclaved residents of a small stretch of land called Gaza.
The Sunni Muslims are busy saving their governments and their rotten wealth piled up in the west.
It is again a handful of Shia Muslim fighters HEZBOLLAH backed by a Shia country IRAN who have taken up the task of saving the very foundations of Islam.
Seeing all this it makes a lot of sense when it is said
“ISLAM ZINDA HOTA HAI HER KARBELA KE BAAD.”
Very rational editorial on Moharam and I hope some religious leaders take cognizance though I doubt it because in Pakistan religion and politics have joined hands and both milk such occasions to the maximum. I am happy to note that in Chitral commemoration of Karbala does not inflict any inconvenience to the public by keeping business as usual, in Islamabad this was the first time that even petrol stations have shut down . Your next reminder should be about the unchecked exploding population which at our present rate will surely sink us no matter what else.
Very well written.