On the one hand, Ashura unifies not only the followers of the school of Ahlul-Bayt (A), but all Muslim people and, on the other, it bestows daring and bravery on the fervent followers and fans of Imam Husayn (A) and teaches them a lesson in rising up against tyrants.
The following is Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi’s message on the occasion of the onset of the month of Muharram:
In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
If one searches the whole world, one will not be able to find another incident like Ashura with such vast and extensive reverberations through time and space, and which has become even more extensive in its various dimensions over time, though it is the nature of time to make the events of this world be forgotten.
Moreover, no other historical event has ever had such enlivening effects. On the one hand, Ashura unifies not only the followers of the school of Ahlul-Bayt (A), but all Muslim people and, on the other, it bestows daring and bravery on the fervent followers and fans of Imam Husayn (A) and teaches them a lesson in rising up against tyrants. It is also a means of self-purification and moral training and a way of penance and return to God Almighty.
The conditions are indicative of the fact that the mourning ceremonies that are going to be held for the martyrdom of the fifth member of the People of the Cloak (A) on the day of Ashura this year are going to be much more majestic and magnificent than those of the previous years. I hope that the dear mourners, respectable preachers and eulogists would take note of the following important issues:
1. Everyone should try to hold the mourning ceremonies in their traditional form which were, and still are, approved by the Infallibles (A), and to refrain from holding them in disrespectful ways which are inconsistent with the honour and the dignity of the great martyrs of Karbala.
2. The respectable mourners should do their best to become more familiar with the purposes and aims of the uprising of Imam Husayn (A) and his companions along with their mourning for the martyrs of Karbala and the respectable preachers and eulogists should also help them in this regard.
3. The respectable mourners and, in particular, the youth, should not allow some people to take political advantage of the commemoration ceremonies or mourning processions. They should also avoid taking actions that would create schism among the Muslim people or would give the enemy a pretext to mount an assault on Islam or the Muslim people; it is particularly advised that they refrain from tatbir (self-flagellation), doing serious harm to their body, or offending the religious sanctities of others, as these actions would entail huge costs for the world of Shi’ism and such things would be widely exploited as pretexts by the enemies around the world.
I sincerely pray for all the respectable preachers and eulogists, who earn the best of spiritual and moral benefits from this great historical event, and particularly for the youth, who take part in these ceremonies more than the others; beware that Imam Husayn’s (A) heroic martyrdom on the day of Ashura is a thorn in the side of all of the enemies of Islam. May God bless you all and may his bounties be upon you.
Naser Makarem-Shirazi
October 31, 2014
R111/112/C