The Significance and Role of Lamentation in muharram
The Significance and Role of Lamentation in Reviving Islam and the Ideology of the Master of Maryrs
We must all know that, that which unites Muslims is the political dimension of lamentation for the Infallible Imams (a.s.) especially lamentation for the Lord of the Oppressed and the Master of Martyrs, His Holiness Abi Abdullah Imam Hosein (a.s.). It preserves the “nationality” of the Muslims particularly the 12-Imamate Shiites.
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The Infallible Imams (a.s.) have emphasized the necessity of holding lamentation gatherings, for ever, in honor of the Master of, Martyrs. The cry of the oppressed progeny of the Prophet (SAW) and the cries condemning the Bani Omayyad, although they have long been overthrown, are the cries of the oppressed against the oppressor and such cries must continue. Today the blessing of those cries is quite evident in the wars imposed on Iran by the descendants of Yazid.
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Almighty God, having observed that the adventurous men of early years of Islam had shaken the foundations of the Religion and only a few of the faithful had remained, designated Imam Hosein ibn Ali (a.s.) who, by the sacrifice of his life awakened the Ummat. He, also assigned many rewards for those who mourn Imam Hosein (a.s.) so that the Ummat would remain alert and the Event of Ashura which was set up to uproot tyranny and cruelty and to guide men to monotheism and justice, may not become redundant. Thus it is necessary that such awards be granted for lamentation so that people do not abandon it in spite of pressures and imposed hardships.
Otherwise, the efforts of Hazrat Imam Hosein (a.s.) would be wasted in no time at all and that would lead to neutralization of the efforts made by the Prophet (SAW) for the establishment of Shiism. Assuming that the rewards which Almighty Allah grants be deemed as return for benefits gained from such action, such benefit which can be gained will be the survival of the rightful religion and the bases of Shiism which insures the happiness of the entire humanity. And, considering the circumstances of the Shiites at that time and the multi- dimensional pressures brought down on Imam Ali’s followers, the price of such action is far more than we can imagine and the rewards which Allah has decreed are things that no eye has ever seen and no ear has ever heard, and this is justice in the absolute.
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It is the blood of the Master of Martyrs that sets fire to the bloods of all Muslim nations and it is these Ashura bands and passion players that excite the people and prepare them for sacrifice to preserve Islam and Islamic purposes, these mourning demonstrations must be continued.
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Right is the victor, right is the winner! But we must find out the secret of our victory, the secret of the survival of Shia in all the ages from the time of the Master of the Faithfuls, His Holiness Imam All (a.s.) to the present, at certain stages the Shia population was meagre, it has increased, thanks God. We must also learn the secret of the survival of this Religion and of the Muslim countries, the Shiite nations. W@ must learn that secret by heart. One of the major secrets pertains to Hazrat Imam Hosein (a.s.). This secret should be preserved. These lamentation meetings that were arranged in the course of history by orders of the Infallible Imams (a. s.) were not meant for our youth to attend them in order to shed tears, we must not weep anymore! This is a mistake they make!
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He (Imam Hosein – a.s.) has saved Islam to this day. The Prophet (SAW) has said: “I am from Hosein”, meaning that the sacrifice of lives by Imam Hosein (a.s.) has preserved the Religion of Islam and, we, too, must protect it. These youthful people are not attentive enough. Surely, there is a group who are injected with the idea that there should be no mouming for the martyrdom of Imam Hosein (a.s.). This is because lamentation for the martyrs of Ashura moves the people to such extent that they get ready for anything. When people observe that Imam Hosein’s children were cut to pieces, it becomes easy for them to sacrifice their lives. And, the feeling of welcoming martyrdom made our nation advance the cause. This is the meaning, the message that the Ashura event at Karbala has conveyed to all directions and to all nations making them wish martyrdom for themselves, a martyrdom like that of Imam Hosein (a.s.)
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The lamentation for the Master of the Martyrs is a mean by which his ideology (Islam) can be preserved. Those who want us not to observe the martyrdom of Imam Hosein (a.s.) by mouming and lamentation do not understand the ideology of the Master of Martyrs; they do not know that these mouming sessions have preserved this ideology. It is now 1,400 years that these lamentations, elegies and passion plays have kept us alive, have maintained Islam up to now. To these youths who want us to speak the language of the day we say the words of Imam Hosein (a.s.) are the words of the day, it has always been the language of the day. In fact it is the Master of Martyrs who has brought forth the final word for today and left it with us. These lamentations have preserved the Master of Martyrs; his ideology has been preserved by the cries of mouming and by tears shed, by these passion plays, elegies and breast-beatings. If instead of these actions, some saints would stay at home, confined to a room in which they would do nothing but recite Ashura prayers and use rosary beads, nothing would have survived. It requires clamour, every school of thought or ideology demands clamour. No ideology can be saved and maintained unless tears are shed for it and breasts are beaten.
The antagonists merely do not understand, they are like children, they do not know the role of the clergy and of those who preach in the pulpits of Islam. You, too, may not know it. This is a role that has kept Islam alive. It is a rose that has been kept in full bloom by irrigation with tears. It is these recitations of pains and anguish (suffered by the martyrs on Ashura) that has kept alive the ideology of the Master of Martyrs. If someone near to one of us is slain, we cry and mourn and raise black banners; we weep, shed tears and hold mouming sessions. If a (political) party member gets killed, they hold processions, screams are raised to high heavens, meetings are arranged for lamentations.
Our passion plays, recitation of elegies and bemoaning from pulpits and at meetings, are just cries to revive the ideology of the Master of the Martyrs. These cries and lamentations are the things that have kept us alive and have advanced the Movement that could not take one step forward if there was no Master of Martyrs (Imam Hosein – a.s.). The Master of Martyrs is present everywhere “All lands are Karbala!”; all pulpits are thresholds of Imam Hosein (a.s.); all altars belong to the Master of Martyrs. Imam Hosein (a.s.), saved Islam by his blood, should we remain silent while he sacrificed so much to perpetuate the true Islam? We must cry and mourn everyday; we should climb up the pulpit everyday to preserve the movement and the ideology, these moves owe the Master of Martyrs a great deal!
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What is a better coordination than this? Can you name a nation as harmonized as this? Who has coordinated them? The Master of Martyrs has made them harmonious. In all Islamic countries, the Muslim nations on the days of Ashura (10th Muharram) and Tasou’a (9th Muharram), line up in these well coordinated, orderly bands of passion plays and reciters of elegies and mourners. Who is there to duplicate such gatherings? Where on earth can you find such coordinated groups. Travel to India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Iraq wherever you happen to be on these days, you will meet this orderly, well coordinated parades or demonstrations of mourners. Who has harmonized them? Do not give up this coordination and harmony!
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These lamentation gatherings and elegy recitations in honor of the Master of Martyrs who, to please God, sacrificed his own life and the lives of his family and companions, have nurtured our youth in such a manner that they go to the battle-fronts and beg for martyrdom and take pride in attaining to it, feeling unhappy if martyrdom does not come their way. Furthermore, by their influence, parents are so made as to wish they had more sons to send them to the war fronts, if their first offer is honored with martyrdom. It is these lamentation gatherings in honor of the Master of Martyrs, these prayer meetings, the Komail and other prayers that build these gatherings and have built the foundation of Islam on them so that it advances with this idea and program.
Now, a group of people come and tell us not to recite elegies nor arrange lamentation gatherings. They just do not understand the meaning of the lamentations nor do they comprehend their nature. They do not know that the movement of Imam Hosein (a.s.) has developed these gatherings, and the revolutions like ours are rays, reflecting that Movement. They do not know that shedding tears in mourning for Imam Hosein (a.s.) means the survival of his Movement; that a small number of men stood up against a mighty empire and said, “No!”. This “No” must be reiterated every day everywhere. And, these gatherings are to voice this “No” collectively. Let not our children and youths drink that the issue is one of weeping, a problem of the “weeping nation”! ‘Mat is the suggestion of others so that we, too, say so! They fear these tears, for they are shed in honor of the oppressed and in damnation and condemnation of the oppressors. These mourning and passion play processions are uprising against cruelty.
In those days (during the rule of Rex Khan) one of the slogans that had currency was “The Nation of Tears”. This was aimed at disbanding the lamentation gatherings. Such meetings and gatherings were forcefully Prevented by him who used to attend them with all his frolickings and rigmaroles. [45] It wasn’t the turbans, hats or other head gears per se; nor the lamentation gatherings per se that mattered. They had realized that these elements had the influence of preventing them from doing whatever they wanted. When the nation in the months of Muharram and Safar, especially in the Ashura event, clear across the country, gathers together to lament and observe the Karbala martyrdoms, when the clergy climb up the pulpits and recite elegies and recount the tortures that the Infallible Imams(a.s.) have gone through, such recitations and gatherings give the people a single direction in which to move, and Muslims are thus united, some 30, 40 millions or more, in a single front ready for any necessary move and action. This is the political dimension of these gatherings and is above all other aspects.
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They see that in all years and ages these lamentation gatherings, the recounts of cruelties and the crimes against the oppressed reveal the oppressors and condemn them but they fail to see the service these gatherings render the country and Islam. Let not our youth be deceived by the frisks and pranks of these elders, they are traitors who try to inject the slogan of “weeping nation” and the like. They, their prominent men and their masters are afraid of these tears. Reza Khan was an example he was assigned to curb tears and lamentation arranged in honor of Imam Hosein (a.s.). When he left the country the British announced in Radio New Delhi: “We brought him and now take him away.” They were right, they had brought him with orders to prevent lamentation gatherings and to suppress Islam. Our young must not think that by going to the gatherings and preventing the Ashura event to be mentioned, they will be doing the country a service, it is wrong! The glergy must mention the cruelties perpetrated against the Prophet’s progeny, so that people understand what has happened. Such mention must be made every day. This has a political dimension and a social aspect as well!
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The first time they seized and took me away, on the way from Qum some of the agents said they had been sent for me but were frightened by the tents (set up for the Ashura lamentation gatherings) lest the mourners would become aware and, as a result, they fail to accomplish their task. Not only minor elements such as those who had taken me, but even great powers are afraid of these lamentation tents! The major powers fear the organization which, without a single hand to run it, has gathered these mourners together, has welded national elements together, so solidly all over the country, for all times especially in the 2 months of Muharram and Safar. If an issue may serve Islam or if someone wants to make a country-wide announcement, the Ulama and preachers can most effectively and expeditiously publicize it from the pulpit. Under the divine banner, this “Hoseini” standard people converge.
If great powers want to call in a large group of people, they might succeed, after many days or weeks of publicity, in many towns and villages, and with considerable expenses, to bring together a crowd of say, 50 to 100 thousand men to listen to the person who is scheduled to speak. But, as you can see, when the clergy have something the public should know, these lamentation meetings serve as a most effective instrument and, in no time at all, people all over the country are informed; all layers of population and Imam Hosein’s mourners gather together in the shortest time, with least effort and publicity. People get together whenever words of the Master of Martyrs are going to be recited.
