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For the Shiites of the world, the anniversary of the battle of Karbala is manifested through a multitude of rites and chants mourning the death of martyrs fallen on the battlefield, the most notable of whom is Imam Hussein. The commemoration in question is Ashura, celebrated on the tenth day of Muharram.
Each year, in the first days of the month of Muharram, believers resort to a series of rituals to reenact what may be considered as the founding myth of Shiite Islam, namely the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad and middle child of Ali, the first Imam. Accompanied by his family and a small of group of 72 people, Imam Hussein left Mecca for Kufa to join his partisans in an attempt to reclaim power from the Umayyads. The latter laid siege to his camp and cut off access to the waters of the Euphrates. Despite mounting pressure and several negotiation attempts, no agreement was reached, as the Imam refused to pledge allegiance to the caliph Yazid I, who had just succeeded his father, Mu’awiya I.
The battle started at dawn on the tenth day, the Day of Ashura. Imam Hussein’s companions fell one after the other, and the last one to perish was his step-brother, Abbas. It was subsequently Imam Hussein’s turn. The heads of the vanquished were severed and placed on pikes, while women and children were captured and led to Kufa, then to Damascus. As for the inhabitants of Kufa themselves, most of them had chosen not to intervene, thus leaving their Imam to his fate. Hussein’s martyrdom epitomizes self-sacrifice, the struggle of good and evil and the fight against oppression and injustice. It represents the defense of Islam’s ideals.
This particular subject was mostly underwritten and misunderstood by many Muslims; Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah’s discourse on Imam Hussein aimed to raise awareness on the topic and clarify the facts and objectives of his cause. It is now brought up in a more modern way aimed at eschewing sectarianism and bigotry while favoring the present, the future, the openness of Islam, and the universal aspect of the human values it promotes.
The anniversary of Ashura plays an important role on a multitude of levels: the present cannot be cut off from the past. On the contrary, the man who seeks to assert himself and realize progress and self fulfilment sees history as a provider of light. To him, reverting back to history is crucial if one seeks to shed light on shrouded areas and draw lessons relevant to mankind’s entire existence, not to a specific period of time.
Limiting the Emotional Aspect
Imam Hussein’s cause must be kept within the framework of a popular emotional mobilization combined with a rational and intellectual one. Encouraging a humanistic and emotional approach, rationally, helps react to the tragedies of Karbala and the countless brutal massacres perpetrated in many countries of the world. In this regard, Sayyed Fadlallah clearly stated, “We must rationalize this emotion, reform it, and channel it, so that it reinforces the cause and serves the message.”
A profound critic is marked by the literary and poetic rhetoric dominated by the emotional aspect, even in positions where strength and dignity must be demonstrated. In the beginning, Ashura was a conscious movement, until it became a tradition where tears of protest became cold tears that one appropriated because one did not live the incident per se. Poets who write about Ashura drench the Shiite population in tragedy and lament by fueling the emotion of a group instead of shedding light on the heroine – Sayyeda Zeinab – who mobilized an entire nation. In the collective subconscious – and even possibly in the higher spheres – Sayyeda Zeinab has become the symbol of a tragedy, instead of a cause.
In the Ashura-related discourse, miracles attributed to Ahl al-Bayt (the family of the prophet Muhammad) are enumerated with no verification of or regard to possible exaggeration. This has affected the way Shiites treat Ahl al-Bayt and the manner in which their cause and life action are understood; we exclusively link them to tragedy, and when we mention their aspirations, we evoke the realm of miracles and the supernatural. We have isolated them from the dynamics of life and have boiled down the immense effect of their actions to mere tears. A number of researchers spoke of the consequences of tolerating a narrative that promotes a distorted version of the events; this is precisely what many do each year, not realizing the danger that their deeds constitute. The people who recount Ashura compete for recognition of the most emotionally provocative discourse.
Similarly, Sayyed Fadlallah and other ulama criticize certain practices perceived as being an integral part of the Ashura ritual. These bear no relation to Islam or the cause of Imam Hussein, be it from a jurisprudence point of view, or based on a historical, social, or journalistic analysis. In fact, they serve to alter the image of an otherwise sacred revolution. Sayyed Fadlallah’s fatwa to prohibit self-mutilation (Tatbeer) revisits the entire celebration by conducting a deep, objective study of the current situation. Many customs and traditions pretend to honor Imam Hussein: among them is the act of striking oneself on the forehead with a sword. Such a gesture has no basis whatsoever in biographies or the lore of Imams.
Developing the Ashura Discourse
It is saddening to see that only a handful of the people who recite Imam Hussein’s biography are aware of its scope and true meaning in the greater cause. The world needs a knowledgeable person capable of managing emotions; mankind has evolved. Our poetic styles have changed since pre-islamic times, so did our way of expressing emotions. The tragedy of Ashura might be limited when it comes to historical proof – and orators themselves don’t have the means to generate emotions and bring people to tears – but a well-read orator knows how to use words and organize a speech in a way that would fuel emotions and tears without a change of voice, let alone a poetic quote.
It is necessary to portray Imam Hussein on the theater stage and in film by writing a creative, artistic and humanistic biography that any human being in the world can relate to.
