Shia Ithna'asheri Jamaat of New York

By Dr.Raza Dungersi

The month of Muharram ushers in the New Year for the Muslims. Whereas in other cultures, the New Year is welcomed by fun fare and joyous celebrations, for Muslims with affinity to their Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny, the New Year brings in the sober memories, laced with grief. This is because it was on the tenth of this month, commonly known as Ashura, that the Prophet’s beloved grandson, Imam Hussein, peace be upon him was brutally killed, along with his family members and friends, on the plains of Kerballa, Iraq.

Our eighth Imam, Ali Reza, peace be upon him, is reported to have said that where as the pagans had a respect for the month of Muharram and would cease any battle taking place among themselves, the so called Muslims mercilessly murdered the grandson of the Prophet, violated the rights of the family of the Prophet, treating them like common prisoners. In memory of the martyrs of Kerbala, Imam Musa Kazim would not be seen smiling with the sighting of the moon of the month of Muharram. On the day of Ashura, he would spend the whole day weeping and remembering the martyrs of Kerbala.

Following the footsteps of our Imams, it behooves us to welcome the month of Muharram with “AZA” of Imam Hussein and the other martyrs of Kerbala. Come the day of Ashura, we should put aside our daily activities and focus on the remembrance of the sacrifice of Imam Hussein and his companions that they made for the pleasure of Allah. At the end of the day, we should read the salutation that sends our consolations to the Imam of the time, Hazrat Hujjat Ibnul Hasan, may Allah protect him and hasten his reappearance.