EVERY DAY IS ASHURA AND
EVERY LAND IS KARBALA
Would that people understand this meaning and observe, in every land they stay and every day they live, the right of Islam for which Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) were martyred!
If they did that, the face of Muslims in the world would change and they would be the masters instead of being slaves. However, the majority understood from the revolution of Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) just weeping, wailing, beating themselves with iron chains and knives, dramatic performance in few hours of the year on the anniversary, and imitating some things like a parrot, and then after that every thing would be forgotten. Most of the Sunni criticize the Shia for these doings that are practiced on the day of Asura which cause their bloods to bleed.
Western and Arabic media in this age have spared no effort to show the Shia in Iran, during the season of Asura, as predatory beasts knowing nothing but violence, and admiring nothing better than to see bloods flowing from human beings. Though the Shia in India and Pakistan practice that and worse than that, the media, especially TVs, do not focus except on the Shia of Iran for a special purpose which is clear to everyone watching the events in the world and especially the affairs of Islam and Muslims.
The media do not show the Friday Prayer in Tehran where more than two millions gather to offer the prayer congregationally behind the president (as the imam of the prayer). The media do not show the wonderful reverence covering millions of Muslims while reciting the du'a of Kumayl at the nights of Friday when streets become fully crowded, avenues are closed, and traffics
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stop. Here, you see men, women, old, young, and children supplicating their Lord humbly in the calmness of night and asking for forgiveness in the dawn.
These media are only concerned in showing the rituals of Asura focusing on the beating of heads with knives and chains and the scenes of bloods on some few persons!
It is true that what some of the Shia do during these rituals is not from religion at all, even if mujtahids give fatwas to say that there are great rewards in such doings. These doings are but habits, traditions, and emotions that overcome some people and make them behave unusually, and little by little these habits become as part of the folklore inherited by a generation from another in blind imitation and senselessly. In fact, some ordinary people feel that the shedding of blood by beating oneself is a deed that brings man closer to Allah, and that whoever does not do that does not love Imam al-Husayn (a.s.).
When I ponder with myself and in spite of my being Shia, after knowing satisfactorily that Shiism is the true creed, I am not satisfied with those ugly scenes that alienate souls and sound minds, especially when someone unclothes himself and beats himself with an iron tool in crazy movements shouting out too loudly: Husayn, Husayn!
The odd thing in this matter that makes you doubt it is that you see those persons, who behave very unusually and whom you think that the sorrow for Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) has affected terribly, a little after the end of the rituals, jest, laugh, and eat sweets as if everything ends with the end of the rituals. And the oddest of all that is that most of these persons are not religious or pious. Therefore, I permitted myself to criticize them directly many times and said to them that what they did was just folklore and blind imitation.
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1 These doings are doings of ignorant and underdeveloped people, but they are a way of expressing their love and allegiance to Imam al-Husayn (a.s.)
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May Allah have mercy on the martyr Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr who helped me much in this calamity when I asked him before my converting a Shia. He said to me, "The beating of bodies and shedding of bloods that you see is from the practices of ordinary and ignorant people. No one of the ulama ever practices it. In fact, they always prevent and prohibit it."
I hate heresies and fight them wherever and with whomever they are. We must make the Shia be aware to give up heresies and make the Sunni understand that these practices cannot be obstacles preventing them from knowing the truth and following the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). They have not to observe the practices of ordinary and ignorant Shia that are unfounded in true Shiism.
Anyhow, we have to imitate our great example the messenger of Allah (a.s.). His uncle and protector Abu Talib died and he felt
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as they think. Once, one of them said to a religious authority that he served food for al-Abbas (a.s.) and all the time he did not take off his shoes. The alim (scholar) asked him how he performed wudu and prayers then, but he paid no attention, thinking that he would get his reward from al-Abbas (a.s.).
On the other side, we find the circles of dhikr (remembrance) near the Sunni with their different methods like Qadiriyyah, Naqshabandiyyah, and others, as shows for nothing but to be close to the chief of the creed (method). These shows are done by inserting nails in the head and eyes, and daggers and swords in the body with tambourines and smokes and shaking the heads and bodies in harmony with the melodies. Some of them rotate for continuous hours. We knew some of them well that so-and-so drank intoxicants, so-and-so did not offer prayers, so-and-so was impious... did not refrain from abusing Allah and His messenger...committed adultery or sodomy...etc. However, those persons were invited by the chief (Sheikh) to attend the circles. They did not leave except when blood came out of their bodies, and then the Sheikh cried out: "Get out! Either you have not washed after janaba (sexual intercourse), or you have come here while having drunk wine ...!"
I say that these things are recent heresies, which the colonists have emphasized on and fed for certain purposes. They are about to vanish among the Shia; so would they be so among our Sunni brothers?
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great sorrow for him. His most beloved wife Khadijah died. And then he terribly suffered the lose of his uncle Hamza who was martyred and maimed and his body was found torn into pieces with no liver which was taken out and chewed by Hind the wife of Abu Sofyan. He felt great sorrow, but in all cases, he just wept out of mercifulness for them.
He wept for his son Ibrahim, for his grandson al-Husayn (a.s.) when Gabriel told him that he would be murdered, and wept for his brother and cousin Ali (a.s.) when he foreknew that the most wretched of people would dye his (Imam Ali's) beard with the blood of his head.
The Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) often wept, and he ordered Muslims to feign crying if they could not cry. He sought the protection of Allah from the eye that did not shed tears. Nevertheless, he prohibited Muslims from being excessive in showing their sorrow, beating their faces, or tearing their clothes. Then, what about beating one's head or body with iron tools until bleeding?
Our first imam, after the Prophet Muhammad (a.s.), Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) did not do anything like that when his brother and cousin the messenger of Allah (a.s.) died. After a short time of six months, his wife Fatima (a.s.) left to join her father in the better world. Imam Ali (a.s.) felt great pain and sorrow, but he did never do anything unusual as what ordinary people do nowadays.
Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Husayn (peace be on them) did nothing of that when they lost their merciful grandfather Muhammad (a.s.), and their kind, loving mother Fatima (a.s.), nor when their father Imam Ali (a.s.), who was the best of all human beings after the Prophet Muhammad, was killed by the cursed ibn Muljam in the mihrab.
Imam as-Sajjad (a.s.), as well, did nothing unusual when he did saw scenes that did never happen anywhere at all. He saw with his eyes the massacre of Karbala when his father, uncles, brothers,
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cousins, and companions were murdered, and after the terrible event, he faced great difficulties and sufferings that even mountains would not bear.
History did not record that any of the infallible imams (a.s.) did something of that or ordered their followers to do it. The only thing they did was that they liked to hear from some poets elegies about the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) where they wept and felt sorrow and ordered people to weep and be sad for the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). In fact, this is a recommendable thing if it is not obligatory.
I myself attended many occasions of Asura in many countries and did not find anyone of the ulama doing that at all. Scholars and learned people of the Shia hate that and try, to refute and forbid it.
We, after having become Shia, do not imitate ordinary people of the Shia in all what they do without researching and being certain of its truth. We celebrate the anniversary of Asura by reciting the maqtal (the story of Imam al-Husayn's martyrdom) and the tragedies that the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) faced. We weep and feel sad for that. The point is that the heart should react and weep with the eves, and then all man's entity should submit to the remembrance of Allah the Almighty and to the truth that He has revealed. The hearts should promise their Lord to follow the path of Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) which is the same path of the messenger of Allah and all the Ahlul Bayt (peace be on them all).
Asura, with its consolation, sorrows, weeping, celebrating of its memory, and taking lessons from its situations and heroes, remains pure for the loyal Shia who are abide by the true Sunna of the Prophet (a.s.) and the instructions of the infallible imams (a.s.), whereas the doings and practices of ordinary Shia people remain liable to criticism and fabrication by those who fish in troubled waters to distort the beliefs of the Shia and separate them from the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), and then consider them as disbelievers.
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Praise be to Allah Who has made us from the discerning Shia who has been guided to the truth through studying and researching, and not from the imitating Shia.
Thus, readers have to be exemplar in abiding by the true Prophetic Sunna transmitted by the infallible imams (a.s.).
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1 It is well known that many ulama like Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin and nowadays Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamanaei, Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Husavn Fadhlullah, and many others have given a fatwa that these practices (beating oneself with iron tools) are not permissible. Those, who say they are permissible, mean some things else, that one of scholars has said, "The swords that the Shia unsheathed in the face of oppressors are used today to strike their heads with." It is so that the British gave some swords to the processions of the Shia on Asura! These traditions came from the nations of Asia and India where there were groups practicing such rituals in their celebrations. When they gathered in Karbala, every group (procession) showed its way in expressing emotions. It is worth mentioning that different colonies lived in Karbala and kept on imitating their ancestors that made others admired what they practiced. Therefore, these things became as a part of the rituals of Asura ...
In addition to that, some people, who love Imam al-Husayn (a.s.), think that the issue of Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) shall die out if there is no shedding of blood ... etc.
The pressures against the Shia in the past, during the Ottoman reign, and then during the oppressive rule of the Iraqi tyrannical regime that prevented military men, placemen, and state officials from going to Karbala on Asura, and punished (if did not hang) them if they went there, made people warmly practice these traditions.
Nowadays, these practices have become limited because of wide comprehension and the fatwas of the religious authorities. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, these practices have abated 98%. So have they in Iraq, Lebanon, and in different percentages in India, Pakistan, and other places according to the milieus surrounding them. In fact, these practices are practiced by the ignorant among ordinary people who think that the cause of Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) to them is greater than the fatwas of so-and-so of ulama!!!
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THE SHIA AND THE PRAYER
Some young Sunnis criticize the Shia of what they call as "the confusion in prayer and lack of submission".
In congregational prayers, some of the Shia do not care for the rows and do not impact them well that there are always gaps left between the praying men. It is often noticed that the first row is not yet complete whereas there are great masses of people offering the prayer behind the imam in the other rows without caring for the order of the first row. It is also noticed among the Shia that some people come in and go out of the mosque during the prayer, passing between the praying ones. They often pass between a praying person and the place of his prostration in the direction of the qibla, which annul the prayer according to the beliefs of the Sunni.
It is true that the prayer of the Sunni is more orderly than the Shia's. When you offer the prayer with the Sunni brothers, you see the imam, before beginning the prayer, turn towards the people coming to offer the prayer behind him and order them to straighten and impact the rows saving to them, "Be orderly (in your lines), may Allah have mercy on you! Impact your rows and do not leave gaps for Satan, because the impacting of rows is from (the conditions of) the prayer."
Therefore, you see the praying ones press together until their shoulders and bodies stick together and see that they compete to fill the gaps.
1
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1 These things are true and real, but we see that the Sunni mosques are built very big and adorned with ornamentations and decorations and great
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When the prayer is being offered, they do not permit anyone to pass in front of a praying one, even if the prayer is recommendable and not obligatory. They believe, according to some traditions they narrate in their sihah (books of Hadith), that the prayer is annulled when someone passes in front of a praying one. In some of their traditions, it is said that the one, who passes in front of a praying one, is a devil who must be repelled and pushed away.
As for the Shia, they do not care for such things during their prayers. I offered prayers behind many Shia imams
1 most of whom were from the known religious authorities and in many countries, but I did not see anyone of them turn to the people,
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monies from inside and outside their countries are spent on them, besides that their ulama too much breach and emphasize on these matters. However, we find that the Sunni do not care much for the matter of purity and impurity. We find this in their creeds and especially the Hanbalite School. I thought before that wearing gold by Sunni men was permissible, because many of their men did that, but it appeared that all their creeds prohibit it. They invite to pray behind every good and bad man (as the imam in the prayer). You may find in the row of prayers a disbelieving, secular ruler and his mercenaries, and this is a very doing of Satan!
As for the Shia, they see that mosques are Allah's...and they are shelters for all Muslims, and that the building of a mosque is something spontaneous, simple, and with no constrictions. The Shia pay very much attention to mosques not to be impurified. Mosques for the Shia have many strict rulings that must be observed, and they are often breached by the Shia ulama. Anyhow, this problem can be solved through a lecture or by hanging a poster on the wall.
Are we not invited to (make it easy and not difficult and not to make others alienate the religion)?
How often I find Sunni youth, who do not go to mosques, for either they have been shocked and driven away, or because of those difficult rituals!
We the Shia think that the important thing is the coming of people to mosques first, and then to be educated in it, and not to shout at them just because they pass in front of us. Let us deal with others through the Islamic morals and manners and not through disgusting nomadic fanaticism.
1 "Imam" here refers to the one leading others in offering a prayer.
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who had come to offer the prayer behind him, before the beginning of the prayer to ask them to regulate their lines or fill the gaps between them. I also saw no one, whether an imam or a led praying one, prevent others from passing in front of a praying one.
I am convinced that the school of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) does not say that the prayer become null when someone passes in front of a praying one. This is in accordance with neither reason nor traditions, because the things that annul the prayer arc limited and known to the Shia and the Sunni, and certainly, the passing in front of a praying one is not one of them.
Al-Bukhari himself mentions in his Sahih that once it was mentioned before Aa'isha that a dog, a donkey, and woman (when passing before a praying one) would annul the prayer. She denied that and said, "You have compared us (women) to dogs and donkeys! By Allah, I saw the messenger of Allah (a.s.) offer the prayer while I was on the bed between him and the qibla ..."
1
This is a strong proof and a convincing argument showing that the prayer is not annulled by the passing of man or animal between the praying person and the (direction of) qibla even to the Sunni.
2
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1 Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 1 p. 130.
2 This matter is like the matter of building a mosque or offering the prayer where there is a grave. The matter is based on the rule of "the preventing of excuses" for fear that the matter may develop to be as worshipping the one in the grave. Certainly, we have not found since 1416 years ago (the hook in Arabic was published in 1416 AH) until now even one Muslim who worshipped a grave!
According to this precautionary basis, sonic of the Sunni destroyed the graves of their saints or separated them with high fences. They, and especially the Wahabis, criticized impudently the Shia for making graves inside the mosques. Once, one of my friends was in Hijaz. Sonic Sunni people from different Muslim countries gathered around him asking, "Why do you make the graves of your imams as mosques?!"
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However, not everything permissible is recommendable or praiseworthy. If a Muslim is careful not to pass over the necks of praying people, lest he treads on them while prostrating for Allah, it is a recommendable and praiseworthy morality that Islam prefers and public tradition acknowledges, for it shows reverence and respect to the prayer and the praying one who is before his Lord solemnly supplicating in a very high spiritual state. So is it acceptable from anyone to interrupt a praying one's submissiveness and state of spirituality?
Do you not see that the messenger of Allah (a.s.) has prohibited to sit in the public ways where there is embarrassment for passers and especially women who feel shy and embarrassed to walk in a way where there are men sitting in it?
Since we talk about and seek the truth in all our studies, and since we know that Allah does not feel shy of the truth, we say that the Shia should benefit from their Sunni brothers in this morality that gives praying ones sanctity and holiness as long as they are standing, bowing, or prostrating before the Lord of the worlds.
Once, I said this to some imams of the Shia and they confessed their shortcoming in this concern, but one of them objected to
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Since the passing in front of a praying one does not annul the prayer for the two sects (the Shia and the Sunni) and since they depend on Hadith, so this is refuted and they (the Wahabis) have no right to impose it on any Muslim. In fact, they harm and accuse other Muslims of different accusations because of silly rulings.
This reminds me of an event where someone was committing an impermissible thing inside a mosque. He saw someone else spit on the ground of the mosque. He got up and beat him why he spat on the ground. The other one resisted and beat him saying to him, "Is your committing of sin is worse or my spitting on the ground?"
Would that they care for purity, the prostrating on permissible things, refraining from wearing gold (by men), wearing foreign leather clothes (coming from non Muslim countries), standing before Allah (during prayers) while their stomachs are filled with impermissible meat (of unlawfully slaughtered animals) ... etc.
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me saying that these matters were superficial and the advantage lied in the essence. I replied, "These matters are not superficial, but they arc systematic that brings gravity and reverence and make others respect us. Surely, our religion is a religion of systematicity that loves orderliness and hates confusion. Allah says:
Attend constantly to prayers and to the middle prayer and stand up truly obedient to Allah. 1
Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks as if they were a firm and compact wall. 2
The Sura, in which this verse is, has been called 'the sura of asSaff; rank', since rank is too important near Allah.
Perhaps, the problem of the Shia concerning the congregational prayer throughout history has found in them some unseriousness and indifference because of the severe conditions they faced throughout history. It was very difficult for them to offer congregational prayers behind Sunni imams who changed the rulings of prayer and were used to abuse Imam Ali (a.s.) and the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) in their prayers. On the other hand, they avoided offering the prayer in a special congregation, because this meant that they would be accused of being "rawafidh; rejecters" and this would lead to doing away with them.
Therefore, they often offered congregational prayers with the Sunni out of Taqiyya
3 and they immediately leave the place after the end of the prayer, and most of them might offer the prayer again when they would be in their houses.
We may conclude from this too that the dissenters of the Ahlul Bavt (a.s.) have called themselves "the people of the Sunna and congregation" because the majority of Muslims followed them
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1 Qur'an, 2:238.
2 Qur'an, 61:4.
3 Precautionary concealing of one's real belief.
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and offered the prayer in their congregation, whereas the Shia offered their prayers behind their own imam, and thus they were minority, like a white spot in a black dress, after their appearing as a special sect.
After their having appeared as a special Islamic school adhering to the jurisprudence of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), the Shia bound themselves strictly by the praying behind a just, knowledgeable, abstinent imam according to the religious texts in this concern on the one hand, and on the other hand, as a reaction to the Sunni who permit the praying behind every good or corruptive man. This is, too, affected the congregational prayer of the Shia that you see when someone of them comes into a mosque and does not know the imam of the congregational prayer, he offers the prayer individually in one of the mosque's corners. It is because he does not know the imam, so he does not trust in him (as to be just or not).
On the other side, the Sunni are wasteful in this concern that they permit the prayer behind anyone whether good or bad, pious or impious, abstinent or corruptive. We have talked before about Abdullah ibn Umar who offered prayers behind Yazid ibn Mo'awiya, al-Hajjaj ibn Yousuf ath-Thaqafi, and Najdah alKhariji, and all of these three were openly corruptive and dissolute.
The same thing can be said about the Shia that some of them do not consider it permissible to offer prayer behind anyone except when he is known, by the praying person himself, to be just and pious. Some of the Shia are not satisfied to see tens of Muslims offer prayer behind so-and-so imam except that when they themselves become certain of his justice and piety, and then they may offer the prayer behind him.
All this is because of precaution in the religion and carefulness to offer the prayer in the best way that Allah may accept. It is as if the Shia think that their prayer shall not be accepted if it is offered behind an unknown imam, and as if Allah has ordered
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them to inquire very accurately about the affairs of religion,
1 and as if they always think of this verse:
... and you deemed it an easy matter while with Allah it is grievous.
I believe that Islam is the religion of nature, and nature is the most moderate of affairs. Allah the Almighty says:
And thus We have made you a medium (just) nation. 2
The messenger of Allah (a.s.) says:
The best of affairs is the medium one. There should be neither excessiveness nor wastefulness.
So the Sunni's belief, which is too much indifferent to a degree that it permits the offering of the prayer behind every good or bad person, is excessive, and the Shia's belief, which is too excessive to a degree that they do not permit the prayer except behind the just imam who is unique of his kind, is wastefulness.
The true Islam stops in the middle between the two in this concern; it does not agree with those who say it is permissible to
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1 Since the Shia were exiled from the stage of the Muslims' life, their fatwas are very strict and precautionary. For example, you see that they arc very careful and strict to the precedents of the prayer such as purity, ghusl, and wudu to a degree that you cannot see one of their mosques empty of some scrupulant men to purity, recitation, or the number of rak'as of the prayer. Some stipulate conditions for the imam of congregational prayer as if they are conditions of a high religious authority. However, most of the recent ulama, including Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadhlullah who criticizes in his lectures this excessive strictness, consider the matter easy with no complications. This fact results from carefulness, precaution, and perfection of deeds. But as for those who say "even though"...in any how the wudu is performed, to offer the prayer led by a pious or impious person, to he indifferent to impurities that stain one's body and clothes...to say 'everything is alright' and 'everything is permissible'...it is a very serious matter that requires much pondering!
2 Qur'an, 2:143.
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imitate a corruptive, and on the other side, it stipulates in the justice (honesty) of an imam not to commit corruption openly, and this is enough for others to offer the prayer behind him.
The Prophet (a.s.) often recommended his companions and all Muslims by saying:
Make it easy and do not make it difficult. Give good news and do not make (others) alienate (the religion).
Do not complicate it for yourself, lest Allah makes it more complicated for you, as He did to the children of Israel.
Since we are talking about excessiveness, it may be useful to mention what some excessive Muslims do. You may see some ones, during performing the wudu, move from this side to that side under the lamp while turning their hands and arms up and down to see if there is a needle-eye-spot untouched by water to repeat the wudu again just because of doubt (though, to the Shia, doubt does not annul certainty). You see when they come to the prayer and begin reciting the sura of al-Fatiha, their tongues begin stuttering and they become unable to pronounce the words, and then they repeat "welladh dhalleen" four or five times, and this happens to them in every rak'a.
Once, I attended (the congregational prayer) with one of them, and then I regretted my praying behind him, because that prayer became boring in the way he offered. Later on, I spoke to him frankly and mentioned to him, before a group of other friends, the saying of an American man who had become Muslim and written a hook, saying in it, "Praise he to Allah Who has made me know Islam before I knew Muslims." I added, "If I had known such a kind of Shia, I would have alienated them and not bothered myself with all these researches."
Certainly, Islam is the religion of easiness, simplicity, and leniency. I do not mean by this to be indifferent to the rulings of the Sharia; God forbid! I myself disapprove the schools that interpret the religion of Allah according to their own opinions.
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However, when you see that all excessiveness and exaggeration is from the human beings themselves, your soul may alienate the religion.
1
You recite these sayings of Allah:
... and has not laid upon you any hardship in religion. 2 Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire for you difficulty. 3
While you see the sayings and doings of such people, who make the religion of Allah as nightmare and all hardship that ordinary man cannot bear. This makes you doubt and suspect everything, and then pave the way for Satan to enter your heart.
The most dangerous disease is when a Muslim becomes too scruple that he does not know how many rak'as he offers, or he has or not, or when he has offered the prayer. Satan plays with him in every worship and ritual, and this may exceed worships to come to the dealings and relations with people, and then one's life becomes unbearable hell, from which may Allah protect you and us.
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1 The Shia say that the imam (the leader of prayers) is to offer (as) the prayer of the weakest of the praying ones that means to pay attention to the old, weak, or sick persons. Nevertheless, some people, and because of often precaution, seek perfection in worships, wudu, and purity, especially when they read that their infallible imams (a.s.) did not perform wudu except with pure water, did not wear except permissible (well gotten) clothes, and even did not carry a sword belt if it was from leather that was unknown whether or not the animal was legally slaughtered, and that when they stood before Allah, they would shake and change color ...
Therefore, our jurisprudents see that such people are sick of scruple, and they often blame them for this. A scholar, who wants to do so (being excessive or scrupulant) is not to lead congregation or give a fatwa in these matters. Our thought is the same about Sufis, Salafites (puritans) and others who have violated the right path. Whoever wants to practice such things has to practice them inside his house and away from people, because such things are from Satan, whereas our religion is a religion of easiness and a civilizational way of life for all humankind.
2 Qur'an, 22:78.
3 Qur'an, 2:185.
