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Today
Muharram
The commemorations in Karbala today?
Shi'a Mulsims observe the month of Muharram, especially Ashura as a vital means
of recalling one of the most important events in their history. Iraq, a country
where approximately 65% of the population is Shi'a, (some 7 million people),
contains the holy city of Karbala which was the site of the Ashura massacre.
This year for the first time in nearly 30 years, millions of Shi'a can commemorate during Muharram freely without fear of persecution from the regime of Saddam Husayn and his Ba'th party.
Last year, at the end of Muharram immediately following the fall of Saddam, more than two million Muslims from mostly Iran, Iraq and Lebanon descended on Karbala to celebrate Mared al-Rass, which marks the 40th day after Ashura and the official end of the mourning period.
This year, the people of Karbala are expecting even more visitors for the commemoration of Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram. Denied the chance to commemorate Ashura for decades, eager visitors booked out every hotel in Karbala two years ago in the hope that 2004 would see a lifting of the restrictions.
Where do they come from?
The majority of Shi'a visitors to Karbala will come from Iraq and Iran where they
form the majority of the population. But others are also expected from Bahrain,
Lebanon, Azerbaijan and India who also enjoy large Shi'a populations.
The commemorations and their meaning
Five major rituals have developed over more than 12 centuries around the battle
of Karbala, where Husyan and his followers were massacred by armies loyal to the
Umayyad dynasty.
These rituals include memorial services, plays representing the battle of Karbala, public flagellation, mourning processions through the streets of Karbala and the visitation of Husayn's tomb particularly on the occasion of the 10th day (Ashura) and the 40th day (Mared al-Rass) when Muslims mourn their dead.
Journey to Karbala
With temperatures of more than 30°c expected tens of thousands of Shi'a Muslims will walk to Karbala, some of them barefoot over long distances to demonstrate their faithfulness. The marchers include men and women of all ages; the men clad mostly in white robes and headbands signifying the shrouds of a corpse, and the women cloaked from head to toe in traditional black dress (abaya). Many arrive carrying black (for mourning) and green (for Islam) banners, paying homage to Husayn. Some will hold graphic pictures depicting Husayn's death and his severed head on a pike. They will cry out to Husayn to try and explain why they have not come before.
Street Processions
The faithful parade through the streets in groups and stop to chant, jump, and beat their chests. Young men spray water on the visitors to cool them off. Merchants set up stalls to sell cigarettes, ice cream and prayer beads. Weary marchers, most of whom are men, rest on carpets on the side of the street. The women stand on the curb side imitating the rituals and weeping with religious fervour.
It is during these street processions that millions of Shi'a unite in a public ceremony of grief that forms a central part of the Muharram commemoration. This is accompanied by the most curious ritual of all, that of self-flagellation. The face slapping and the weeping are also an integral part of the Muharram rituals, seen as a sacred tradition by Shi'a. This is all intended to recall Husayn's memory and enhance religious solidarity as well as bolstering the position of Shi'a Muslims amongst the non-Shi'a community.
These processions, which occur in the first 10 days of Muharram and 40 days after the commemoration of the battle at Karbala (20th Safar) often carry a replica sarcophagus and represent a funeral procession for Husayn.
The clerics (Mollahs) stationed in pulpits mournfully sing sacred hymns and lamentations
which are joined by chanting and prayer from the marchers. The procession winds
through the streets and the bazaars of Shi'a holy places and shrines in Baghdad,
Najaf, Kufa and Karbala chanting eulogies to the martyred Husayn while rows of
men beat themselves rhythmically with sticks, chains and swords until the blood
flows from their backs and foreheads. This self-flagellation can be seen in all
parts of the Shi'a world. Whilst face-slapping has been a traditional symbol for
expressing personal grief and pain in Arab societies, the practice of flagellation,
which is more cultural than religious, is a more modern phenomenon established
in the last 100 years. The flagellation includes the use of swords, and knives
for head cutting, chains swung against bare backs accompanied by vigorous breast
beating. The cutting of the head with a sword is considered the most violent form
of flagellation and is most widespread in Pakistan and India rather than Iraq.
Enactments
Throughout the procession, enactments (shabih) depict the different stages and events leading to the final battle on Ashura and its grisly aftermath. These pageants include camels and horses and are acted out in full costume with each of the city's neighbourhoods or districts participating in a specific parade. They have been compared to Christian passion plays as adults and children enact an episode of the story of Husayn and his family's last days. Sometimes professional actors play the parts of the men and women in Husayn's camp and ibn Zayid's army. They are often accompanied by musical instruments including drums, cymbals and trumpets. The residents on the procession routes provide drinking water in pottery jugs (hibbs) for passers-by.
Visitation of the shrines
On entering Old Karbala Shi'a visitors head for the main gold-domed mosque housing Husayn's shrine. The visitation of the shrines, carry the highest importance in Shi'a Islam. Unlike the Hajj, the visitation of Husayn's shrine at Karbala is not an obligatory right that must be performed by Muslims at least once in their life time. It is however greatly encouraged and is regarded as especially auspicious at the time of Muharram.
To visit Husayn's shrine acknowledges the Imam's authority as leader of the Muslim community (and some would say rightful Caliph) and to maintain the contact and understanding between the Shi'a worshipper and their Imam.
As testimony to its new-found religious freedom, the portrait of Saddam Hussein that hung on the Shrine of Imam Husayn is gone. This year as Muslims gather for Muharram, a month of mourning that immortalises a leader who refused to condone the tyranny of an oppressive force, the parallels with the more recent history of Iraq, the overthrow of the Ba'th government, will not be far from anyone's minds.
Memorial Service
On Ashura (10th Muharram), the height of the commemoration, most Shi'a attend informal religious gatherings (ta'azyah) typically in a private home, mosque or at the shrine itself. This centres around a recital of the sufferings and martyrdom of Husayn. The ta'azyah host sends invitations to friends and work colleagues, organises an orator (khateeb) and provide refreshments such as sweets, tea, or a full meal consisting of rice and curry. The goal of the khateeb is to evoke weeping and lamentations from his audience, some will even beat themselves on the chest and call out to Husayn as the narration climaxes.
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