Azadari Is Sunnah
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So far our discussion was based on the premise that Azadari is a 'new thing' and inspite of this we have proved its legitimacy and its rewardable nature. Now I shall say that Azadari is definitely not a 'new thing'. On the other hand it is
from the established prophetic practices. However to accept it as `Sunnah' the other questions are applicable that we reply as follows:
Q.2. If it is Sunnah, please let us know whether it is the Sunnah of the Prophet or Sunnah of Imams?
Ans. Some rituals are Sunnah of Prophet and some are Sunnah of the Imams.
Q.3. If it is prophetic Sunnah, is it practical or verbal? Ans. Some things are practical and others, verbal.
Q.4. If it is verbal Sunnah, please prove that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) ordered 'chest beating', chain lashing, mourning processions, black dresses and taking out horses.
Ans. Why have you limited the rituals of Azadari to these only? Azadari also has Ta'ziyah, Majlis, Nauha, weeping etc. Apart from this, the grief for Husain (a.s) is itself unlawful according to you, however limited it may be. As your Imam Ghazzali has given the true reason:
"It is prohibited to speak about the killing of al-Husain because it leads to the hatred of companions."'
Thus this verdict of Ghazzali clearly shows that the martyrdom of Husain (a.s) had some connection with the misdeeds of some companions of the Prophet whom Ahl alSunnah consider more important that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) himself and his Holy progeny!
Anyway, most of the things in Azadari are verbal Sunnats, whose details shall be presented in the forthcoming pages.
Q.5. If it is practical Sunnah, did the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) commemorate the remembrance of the past prophets?
'Imam Ghazzali quoted in Sawaiqul Mobreqa, 'brie Hajar Makki
Ans. What significance the calamities of the past prophets had in comparison to the calamities of our Prophet and his Ahl alBayt (a.s) that their commemoration should have been made incumbent on the Ummah? You are probably still holding firmly to the practice of Umar, who used to bring copies of Torah in the presence of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) and read from them. Even though the Holy Prophet (s.a.w), was having the most perfect manners he used to scold him severely for such behavior.
Respected Sirs! The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) himself performed most of the Azadari rituals in remembrance of his relatives and of those the greatest significance is that of Imam Husain (a.s). That even before the arrival of calamities, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) expressed sorrow and grief as shall soonbe explained and you would understand that most of these rituals are from the practical Sunnah.
Q.6. If it is from the practice of the Imams, prove that His Eminence, Ali (r.a.) after the passing away of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) had constructed the replica of the Prophet's tomb and performed Ma'tam.
Ans. What was the need for His Eminence, Ali (a.s) to construct a Ta'ziyah? Because a Ta'ziyah is a replica of the tomb; and what is the need for replica when the actual tomb was always before him? Moreover the condition imposed by you is that it should be exact replica of the tomb. But even if Ali (a.s) had made a replica it would not have had a dome over it since at that time the tomb of the Prophet had no such dome. Thus how could he have made it into a replica of a building? It would have been different from the present Taziyahs. Very soon we shall inform you that Amir alMu'minin (a.s) himself had made the replica of grave, please wait!
Now `Ma'tam' remains. I would describe the sorrow and grief that the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s) suffered at the passing away of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) after I briefly reply to your objections.
Q.7. Did any Imam perform such an act after the martyrdom of Sayyidna Husain? If it is so, prove it from your books and for every tradition collect 100 as reward. Otherwise make an announcement that Azadari in its present form is against Islamic law and is an innovation.
Ans. Yes, indeed! After the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s) all succeeding Imams (a.s) always observed Azadari to keep the memory of the oppressed Imam fresh. They tried their utmost to clarify the significance of this grief inspite of the oppressive regimes of your Bani Umayyad caliphs. But you should remember that in those times the conditions of the Imams (a.s) was same as the circumstances of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) before Hijrat among the infidels of Mecca and the seriousness of the circumstances was of the same level. Therefore, just as absence of publicly held prayers during that time cannot disprove its obligatory nature, in the same way absence of openly held mourning ceremonies during Banu Umayyah and Bani Abbas period does not prove that it is now against Shariah.
In connection with the style of our Holy Imams (a.s) you have clearly written that we should furnish our proofs from our books. At least your attachment to the Holy Imams (a.s) is merely verbal though you seem to have accepted that the Twelve Imams are necessarily worth emulating. As far as their sayings and actions are concerned, books of Ahl al-Sunnah are completely blank about it and their claim of holding fast to the 'Two weighty things' is a claim without any proof.
Another sleight of hand that you have shown is by issuing thechallenge: "In lieu of each tradition take 100-100 rewards." You have been clever enough not to specify 100 what? That whether you would give 100-100 blessings or 100-100 abuses!
Now as far as your statement that if we 'fail to present the traditions we should declare that present Azadari is against the Shariah and an innovation' is concerned, I have already replied to this in the beginning itself that even if just for the sake of argument we accept that it is a 'new thing' it does not mean that it is unlawful. Rather, it is a recommended and preferable deed and is according to divine will and is a rewardable action. What can be said about you, even if all the scholars of your community unite to refute it, they cannot succeed?
But if you do (it) not and never shall you do (it), then be on your guard against the fire of which men and stones are the fuel; it is prepared for the unbelievers.1
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal has mentioned a detailed narration in his Musnad. It is quoted from Amir al-Mu'minin Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s) as follows:
(Sunni Tradition): His Eminence, Ali (a.s) said: One day I came to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w)
and saw tears in his eyes. I asked, "Has someone angered you?" Why are there tears
in your eyes?" The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) said, "A little while ago Jibraeel told me
that Husain shall be slain at the banks of Euphrates. Jibraeel asked me if I would like to get
the soil of that place so that I can smell it. I said, 'Yes.' Thus Jibraeel
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1 Surah Baqarah 2:24
extended his hands and then gave me a handful of soil, due to which tears flow from my eyes."
The Ahl al-Sunnah Imam, Shafei has also mentioned this narration. Two points are noteworthy in this tradition:
Firstly: The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) wept on the incident of martyrdom even before its actual occurrence and he often used to weep upon it as seen in many traditions recorded in the Shia and Sunni sources. This shows that if the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) had been alive after the martyrdom how much more he would have been aggrieved? And from this you can understand the rewardibility of mourning for Husain (a.s).
Secondly: The love and affection the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) had for Imam Husain (a.s) is known to all clearly. And Husain (a.s) was present before the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) at that time. Inspite of this, he did not weep merely upon hearing the news of martyrdom. Rather, Jibraeel gave him the soil of Karbala. At that time his condition became such that "tears flow from my eyes..." Thus when a sign was needed for the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) to take him to the point of weeping, it is all the more needed for us to have such signs before us because indeed we are not having the same affection for Imam Husain (a.s) as the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) had and we are also removed much further away in time.
Before the martyrdom there were only two things that could lead to create the imagination of martyrdom. The personality of Husain (a.s) himself and the land of Karbala and the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) gathered them at one place and allowing his imagination a free rein, he wept upon it. Therefore we also follow the verse:
...in the Apostle of Allah is an excellent exemplar ...1
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1 Surah Ahzab 33:21
We also keep all the things and signs connected with the tragedy of Karbala before us and we visualize those events. And this action of ours is exactly in accordance with the divine command:
...Whatever the Apostle gives you, accept it ...1
As I have already stated, the above narration clearly proves the legality of various replicas (Ta'ziyah, Taboot, Alam, Cradle, Mashk, Tauq, Zanjeer, Kafan,2 Zuljana3). It is so because all those things give impetus to the emotion of grief and they help in imagining the events of Karbala like the soil of Karbala did for the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w).
Not only the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) only acted upon it he also emphasize upon the community to act thus. Rather our traditions inform us that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) also exhorted the people to observe the Azadari of Husain (a.s).
(Shia Tradition): When the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) informed Lady Fatima (s.a.)
about the impending martyrdom of Husain (a.s) and told her what calamities were to befall
them, she wept severely and asked, "Dear father! When shall this come to pass?"
The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) replied, "At a time when neither I, nor you or Ali
shall be there." So Fatima (s.a.) wept more and asked, "Dear father! Then who
shall mourn for my son and who would establish his mourning?" The Holy
Prophet (s.a.w) told her, "0 Fatima! The ladies of the community shall weep upon the
ladies of my Ahl al-Bayt (a.s) and their men shall weep on the men of my Ahl al-Bayt (a.s)
and generation after generation, every year
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1 Surah Hashr 59:7
2 Shroud
3 A horse taken out as a duplicate of the horse of Imam Husain (a.s.)
they shall keep the grief and mourning fresh. Thus when the Day of Judgment arrives, you Fatima, shall intercede for the ladies and I shall intercede for the men. And for those who weep in the grief of Husain (a.s), we shall hold their hands and make them enter Paradise ... and so on.1
The Holy Imams (a.s) have urged the people to establish the Azadari of Husain (a.s) and themselves also put it into practice.
(Shia Tradition): Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a.s) said: 0 Abu Harun! Recite an elegy (Marsiya) of Husain for me. Abu Harun says that he, obeying the Imam's command recited the Marsiya ...2
Hence, we also come to know that the Holy Imam (a.s) himself requested for the recitation of Marsiya and himself listened to it. This is the practice of the Imam and his verbal instruction also. After presenting this brief justification, I present a tradition each for each of the items associated with Azadari.
Leave alone the narrations in which the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) is
reported to have wept on the demise of his son, Ibrahim, or the
serious condition of the son of Zainab, or at the time of the burial of
Umme Kulthum or at the illness of Saad bin Ubadah, and the Ahl al-Sunnah book of
Mishkatul Masabih is full of such traditions.3 The weeping of
the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) on the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s) has
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1 Biharul Anwar, Vol. 10, Reward of weeping on calamity
2 Biharul Anwar, Ibid
3 Chapter of Burial of the dead and weeping on the dead
already been mentioned in the tradition of Musnad Abmad Hanbal. In addition to all this, please pay attention to the following tradition of Mishkatul Masabih:
(Sunni Tradition): The aunt of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) (wife of His Eminence, Abbas Ibn Abdul Muttalib), Ummul Fadl narrates (leaving the beginning events): Thus one day I came to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) and placed Husain in his lap. Then I glanced elsewhere, and when again I glanced at the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) I saw that a flood of tears was flowing from his blessed eyes. When I asked him about it he said that Jibraeel had arrived to him and informed him that: "My people shall slay this son of mine." Ummul Fadl asked, "This son?" "Yes," he replied, "then he brought to me the red soil of that place."1
Further discussion on this report is uncalled for, because it is self-explanatory.
In addition to this the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) has himself
explained that weeping on the dead is actual mercy and sign of the
sorrow of the heart. (Sunni Tradition): In connection with the events of the
death of Ibrahim the Prophet's son, Anas is reported to have said that they
entered the house with the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w)...and Ibrahim was on
the verge of death. Thus tears were flowing from the eyes of the Messenger
of Allah (s.a.w). Abdur Rahman bin Auf said, "0 Messenger of Allah (s.a.w)!
You also weep?" The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) replied, "0 Ibn Auf! This is
actual mercy, after Which weeping also occurs." Then he said, "The eye weeps
and the heart is aggrieved but we do not utter anything against Divine will
and 0 Ibrahim, we are indeed aggrieved of your separation."2
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1 Mishkatul Masabih, Chapter on the virtues of Ahle Bayt (a.s.)
2 Mishkatul Masabih, Chapter on Weeping for the dead
