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Published: February 11th 2006
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Seen in an Ashurkhana
This very phrase was repeated to me often by Shi'as I met The commemorations of Muharram and the Karbala battle reach a peak during the 9th and 10th days of Muharram. Spending these days with my Shi’i guide, Maliheh, and her family have been truly extraordinary. On the 9th of Muharram we first went to a ladies’ majlis in the morning, and we spent the afternoon paying a visit to some of Hyderabad’s most important ashurkhanas. These included ashurkhanas that were built hundreds of years ago by the Nizams, the name of the Muslim rulers of Hyderabad when it was the capital of a separate, predominately Muslim kingdom.
Some of the alams I saw in these ashurkhanas were over two hundred years old. Many of them were adorned with the finest jewelry and gold; some of them were larger than lifesize. Alams that are shaped like a hand represent the protective hand (panjeh) and also signify five important figures in Shi'a cosmology. During the showing of alams it is customary to touch them (if you have bathed that day) for good luck and respect to the Karbala martyrs. At one of the most important ashurkhanas, called Bibi ka Alwam, the rush to touch the alams was a crowd that I had never
The Bibi ka Alams Upclose
On the night before Ashura experienced before: a throng of perhaps two hundred people pushing and squeezing to make it to the alams. Maliheh insisted that we push our way through, and I’m telling you I have never been so squeezed in my life. Eventually it took us 45 minutes to go 20 feet!
The night before the 10th of Muharram is very busy for Shi’as. Maliheh took me to several ladies’ majlis, and afterwards we were served a simple dinner. During the poetry recitation in the majlis, all of the lights were turned off and the only light was from a few lit candles. During a majlis the ladies gather in a circle around the main poetry speaker (marziyeh khan) and in front of the home’s ashurkhana. The poetry that is spoken recounts the events of the battle when the Imam Husayn and his family were massacred, and each day during Muharram the events around one person who was killed in the battle are commemorated.
On this night, the death of one of Imam Husayn’s children is recounted; these events are particularly anguishing for these women, many of whom are parents themselves. As the ceremony progresses the narrator’s voice becomes more and
From a Nizam's Ashurkhana
These alams are very large more urgent; at the same time, the women present weep louder and harder. After the sermon is finished, the women all stand and perform sineh-zani (chest hitting) as a symbolic gesture of lamentation for Imam Husayn and his family. As a gesture of respect, I join the women in doing sineh-zani at the majalis that I attend.
After sleeping little on the night of the 9th, the 10th day (called Ashura) began very early with a majlis in Maliheh’s house at 6 am. Following that, we attended several neighborhood majalis and visited a few ashurkhanas. On Ashura, perhaps the most prominent event for Hyderabad is the Bibi ka Alam procession, which is a parade that runs through Hyderabad’s Old City. The alams that are housed in the Bibi ka Alam are believed to contain a sacred relic, and because of this importance they are the only alams that are shown on Ashura. In this procession, the alams of Bibi ka Alam are held by several men who sit upon an elephant, and the parade watchers give offerings to the alams, such as rupees, gold, and flowers.
Another feature of the procession are the matam guilds. In Hyderabad the
Shi’a men often join a Shi’a group, or guild, and during the parade these guilds march together and perform matam (self-flagellation) in a public show of mourning. In Hyderabad there are hundreds of guilds, yet only about twenty will march in the parade. Young men and boys are the primary public performers of matam; I have heard that sometimes a woman will cut her forehead in public as well, however I have not yet seen this.
For many who are unfamiliar with the tenets of Shi’ism and the events of Muharram and Ashura, these acts of self-mortification may seem incomprehensible. And indeed to the many Shi’as I have met so far I have posed questions that try to understand the reasons why someone would do such a thing to themselves over a battle that happened 1,400 years ago. Of all of the answers I received one stands out among the rest. To answer my question, a young man, Shabaz, said to me the following:
“You have to understand, this is our family. And what would you do if something so unjust and so tragic happened to your family? You would cry to God and you would hit yourself
The Procession Crowd
Just a small snapshot in order to express your pain. Imam Husayn and his family are important because they are our connection to God—they are our intercessors. We have to protect and show respect to them. Therefore, we do matam. Nobody forces us to do it, we want to do it, to show our love and respect.”
There is much more for me to share; yet I think this entry is long enough! I hope all is well and I will write more soon.
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