Today
was Ashura here for me, although my wife, as a muqallid of a different marja,
observed it yesterday. Because we wanted to do Ashura together,
though, we both decided to observe it on both days.
Yesterday, in the morning, we went to the shrine of Sayyida Ruqayah's (as), also known as Bibi Sakina in the Indian Subcontinent. We were told Ashura amaal would be held at her shrine, although when we got there, we didn't see it happening. Instead, the haram was packed to the brim with caravan after caravan of Iranian pilgrims dressed in black who had come to the shrine. After reciting the ziyarat of Bibi Sakina (as) and touching the zarih where her body lay, my wife and I joined a large majlis that several of the Iranian caravans were jointly holding in Farsi about the events of Ashura.
The speaker, a
middle-aged Iranian man, passionately and emotionally narrated the events of
Ashura. He was up on a stage, surrounded on all sides by the crowd,
describing various events that took place at Karbala. Thankfully he used
lots of hand gestures while speaking, so it wasn't impossible to understand him
despite the language barrier. At one point, when describing the shahadat
of Hazrat Ali Asghar (as), the speaker went into the crowd, grabbed a young infant,
and held him high in the air. He repeated the words Imam Hussain (as)
said to Umar ibn Saad's army when Imam Hussain (as) held Hazrat Ali Asghar (as)
in his arms.
After the majlis, we
visited Yazeed's darbaar. It's known as a historic Umayyad mosque now,
but it was the same palace to which the women of Ahlul Bayt (as) were dragged
in handcuffs and chains. Inside the darbaar is an enormous courtyard with
marble flooring and huge, awe-inspiring architecture. Walking through
this palace made me think of how the Ahlul Bayt (as), the oppressed, must have
felt while dragged powerless into the court of the Pharoah of their day.
Inside the darbaar,
we saw the place were Yazeed sat - it was an elevated wooden platform, about 30
feet in the air. We also saw the area where the ladies of the Ahlul Bayt
(as) stood while Sayyida Zaynab (as) delivered her historic, bone-chilling
sermon in front of Yazeed. We then saw the mimbar on which Imam Zayn
al-Abideen (as) stood when delivering his own sermon in Yazeed's court.
The most inspiring
place for me inside Yazeed's darbaar was the mehraab, or prayer niche, of Imam
Zayn al-Abideen. This was a closed off area inside the darbaar - only big
enough to fit one person in sujood - where Imam Zayn al-Abideen made prayers.
It was humbling to see the ground on which the Imam - the pinnacle of
worshippers - offered prayers and connected to God. As I pressed my hand
against the glass, I could feel the spiritual aura emanating from this area.
Walking out of the
darbaar, we walked through bazaar-e-Shaam, which was the bazaar the Ahlul Bayt
(as) were paraded through on their way to the darbaar, and where stones were
hurled at the ladies of the Holy House while they were unveiled. The
bazaar has two levels - open stores and shops on the ground floor, and
apartments and storage areas with windows on the second floor. As we
slowly treaded the bazaar's long and narrow path, I thought of what the Ahlul
Bayt (as), the captives, must have felt as the residents of Shaam jeered at and
insulted them.
Today, I started the
day with fajr prayers at the haram. Before entering the haram, it is
customary to recite the "Idn ad-dukhl," a short du'a in which one
asks God and the holy personality buried there for permission to enter.
Other recommended acts for visiting the shrine include walking slowly and
deliberately, reciting dhikr of Allah (swt) as one walks, and wearing one's
cleanest and nicest clothes to the shrine.
The inside of the
haram was packed - it seems many people come for fajr prayers and visit the
zarih immediately afterwards. I barely found a place to sit in the room
in which the zarih is located. After reciting some du'a and Qur'an, I
went outside and sat in the courtyard of the haram for some time. The
courtyard is incredibly peaceful in the morning, as one sees families with
young children walking to and from the haram, a few trees planted in the
courtyard, and groups of birds flying overhead. While sitting there, I
thought of how fortunate I was to be visiting this holy personality. I
thought of how insignificant my challenges and difficulties in life seemed
compared to those of this woman. I thought of how little it all mattered,
how the only thing that really mattered was the extent to which I could follow
in the path of Sayyida (as) and live my life the way she lived hers.
Before dhuhr prayer,
my wife and I joined a group of desis from the US and the UK who were
performing the Ashura amaal in the courtyard of the haram. Again, it was
incredibly spiritual and uplifting to recite these du'as in the open air and in
the presence of one of the greatest personalities of Karbala, Zaynab al-Kubra.
Prayer niche of Imam Zayn al-Abideen (as) |
Courtyard inside Yazeed's darbaar |
Bazaar-e-Shaam |
Courtyard inside Sayyida Zaynab (as) shrine |
Zarih in Sayyida Ruqayyah (as) shrine |
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