Candles and Love: Shame-Ghariban in Iran

Images: Candles lit for Imam Hussain, his household, and companions on "Shame-Ghariban" or "Evening of the Dispossessed". People all over Iran light candles in streets to remember the tragedy of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram.

From Tabnak.ir

Remember Hussain

An inspiring video. The description says: This is a tribute to Imam Hussain and an invitation to everyone in the world to stand up for truth and justice and to strive together to make our world a better place.



Muharram

More than 13 hundred years have passed since ...
Imam Hussain
the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad(pbuh)
gave the great sacrifice, on the plains of Karbala
in the month of Muharram,
for
God
Islam
Truth and Justice
Human Dignity
for a Better World

Hussain challenged the tyranny and corruption of the ruler
He stood up for justice and truth
His goal was to mark a clear distinction
between
the true Islam on the one hand
and the false ideologies of fatalism and oppression on the other

Hussain sacrificed everything he had...
his loved ones
his dear friends
his own life...

He was inhumanely killed
his body was torn
the oppressors tried everything possible
to disgrace him
to defeat his will
to kill him

but...
he did not die
even after so many years have passed
because...
his message is still alive
Islam is still alive

Hussain is alive in the hearts of millions of mourners
Hussain is alive in the cries for truth and justice
Hussain is alive in the struggles of the oppressed people
every day, everywhere...

Each year Muharram comes with an invitation:

Remember Hussain
Remember his great sacrifice
Remember what he stood for
Spread his message
Inspire hearts and minds
And strive for a better world.

Composed by SalamVision

Latmiya - Zayn al-'Abidin and Karbala

The below short latmiya (devotional elegy) is about Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin's suffering in the tragedy of Karbala. He was the son of Imam Husayn and, among other things, known for his inspiring supplications collected in the book Sahifa-e-Sajjadia. He was taken captive after the oppressors killed Imam Hussain and his companions.



I find this latmiya very moving. It touches one's heart deep inside. I have seen youth recite this latmiya like a marsiya in Muharram commemoration gatherings. You can find the audio online.




Zayn al-'Abidin
sweet Zayn al-'Abidin
forever tears will flow
for you suffered so

from the plain of karbala
you were dragged so far
shackled with wicked chains
inflicted with such pain

never eyes could see
how they tortured thee
how blood fell on your hand
amid the sweltering sand
..........
Zayn al-'Abidin...
.........
for what crime were you taken there
how could they be so unfair
your crime was to go for Islam
for the benefit of mankind

they dragged you from town to town
they strived to bring you down
they tried to break your will
and in your mind did peace instill
........
Zayn al-'Abidin
.......
in the court of cursed yazid
attacked you, they surely did
Zainab protected you
as your illness weakened you

to fight another day
was the only way
to save the message of Allah
you surely suffered so
....
Zayn al-'Abidin
....

for years oppression would stand
forgotten that wicked land
oh loathsome Karbala
where innocents murdered were

no place was ever safe
for the ahlul bayt
so lonely abandoned you stood
for the sake of good
.....
Zayn al'Abidin ...
.....

Marsiya Imam Hussain by Faiz

Here is a marsiya composed by Faiz Ahmed Faiz that describes the scene on Shab-e-Ashur (night before the 10th Muharram) and the day of Ashura (10th Muharram) ending with Imam Hussain's sermon and martyrdom. (The name Shabbir in the marsiya refers to the Imam). English translation by S. G. Abbas.

MARSIYA
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

raat aa'ee hai Shabbir peh yalghaare bala hai
saathi na ko'ee yaar na gham khwaar raha hai
monis hai tow ek dard kee ghaNgoor ghaTa hai
mushfiq hai tow ek dil kay dhaRakne kii sada hai
tanha'ee kii, ghurbat kee, pareshaani kee shab hai
yeh khanae Shabbir kii virani kii shab hai

Night has set in, manifold miseries have Shabbir chained,
No friend, no companion and no well-wisher has remained,
The dark clouds of pain and suffering, are but his soother,
And the throb of his wounded heart, is the only comforter,
It’s the night of a lonely being, stranger, stranded and molested,
It’s the night of Shabbir’s house, which is desolate and devastated.

dushman kii sepah khwaab maiN madhoosh paRi thi
pal bhar kow kisi kii na idhar aaNkh lagi thi
har aik ghaRi aaj qayamat kee ghaRee thi
yah raat bohat aale Mohammad peh kaRi thi
rah rah ke buka ahle haram kartay thay aisay
tham tham ke diya aakhire shab jalta hay jisay

Fast Asleep, the enemy soldiers were senselessly lying,
But this side, non could even wink in a situation trying,
This day, each and every moment was mortifying,
To the progeny of the Holy Prophet, this night was most terrifying,
The house-folks bewailed so, at times but helplessly,
As if the snuffed-out candle, flickers at the night-end slowly.

ek goshay maiN en sokhta samaanoN ke salaar
en khaak basar, KhaanmaaN viraanooN ke sardaar
teshna lab o darmaandah o majboor o dil afgaar
es shaan se beThay thay shahe lashkare ahraar
musand thi, na khil'at thi, nah khuddaam khaRay thay
haaN tan pah jidhar dekhiyah so zakham sajay thay

In a nook there was, the Commander of the deprived creatures [people],
The Chief of those uprooted and molested creatures [people],
Broken-hearted, exhausted, helpless and thirsty,
The Leader was sitting but with great dignity,
Neither was royal cushion, nor robe, nor were the attendants standing,
Multiple wounds were on his body, blood from each was oozing.

kuch khauf tha chahray peh na tashwish zara thi
har aik ada mazhare tasleem o raza thi
har aik nigeh shaahide iqrare wafa thi
har juNbishe lub munkire dastoore jafa thi
pehlay tow bohat piyaar say har fard kow dekha
phir naam Khuda ka liya aur yooN hoay goya

Fear or worry, his face indeed didn't mirror,
To him mattered utmost, Providence's pleasure,
Assured accord each look, his faith in the Master,
Each utterance, a denial of oppressor,
First of all he looked each one, with affection,
Adored God profusely, then made an assertion,

Alhamd qareeb aaya hham-e-ishq ka sahil
Alhamd ke ab subhe shahadat hoee naazil
baazi hai bohat sakht mayaane haq o batil
woh zulm maiN kamil haiN tow hum sabr maiN kamil
baazi hoee anjaam, mubarak ho azizo
batil howa nakaam, mubarak ho azizo

Thanks God, reached have we, our pledged destination,
Thanks God, martyrdom's dawn came with fascination,
Difficult indeed, the course of examination,
Torture their mode, patience our station,
Contest completed, congratulation O friends!,
The evil depleted, congratulation O friends!,

phir subh kee lo aa'ee rukhe paak peh chamki
aur aik kiran maQtale khoNnak peh chamki
naize kii anni thi khas o khashaak pah chamki
shamsheer barhena thi ke aflaak peh chamki
dum bhar ke liyay aa'ena roo ho gaya sahra
khorsheed jo 'ubhra tow laho ho gaya sahra

On his revered face, glow of morn sparkled,
In blood-drenched battle-field, a ray suddenly twinkled,
Lance's point it was, to all sweepings entangled,
Naked was sword, with high heaven it rankled,
For a while, mirror-like became the desert,
With sunrise, into blood's hue did it convert.

par baaNdhay howe hamlay kau aa'ee safe 'aadaa
tha saamNay ek bandae haq yekkah o tanha
har chand ke har ek tha udhar khoon ka pyasa
yeh raub kaa aalam ke ko'ee pehal na karta
kii aanay maiN taaKheer jo laylaae qaza ne
khutba kiya irshaad Imame shudaa nay

For assault came enemy soldiers, as it's known,
Facing them a saintly being, standing all alone,
That side, each beastly being was much blood prone,
None dared attack, so fearful they had grown,
In embracing the leader, as death had delayed,
By addressing them, Imam his message conveyed.

farmaya ke kyooN darpa'e aazaar ho logo
haq walooN se kyooN barsare pekaar ho logo
Wallah ke mujrim ho, gunehgaar ho logo
ma'loom hai kuch, kis kay tarafdaar ho logo
kyooN aap ke aaqaoN maiN aur hum maiN Thani hai
ma'loom hai kis waastay es jaaN peh bani hai

He said, what for you pain-inflictors, O people!?
To righteous, why aggressors, O people!?,
Offenders you are, even transgressors, O people!?,
Do you know? Of whom you supporters, O people!?,
Why is dispute between me and your lord [leader]?,
Have you thought, why the struggle so hard?,

satoot na hukoomat na hasham chahiyah hum kow
aurang na afsar, nh 'alam chahiyah hum kow
zar chahiyah, na maal o diram chahiyah hum kow
jo cheez bhi faani hai woh kum chaahiyah hum kow
sardari kii khaahish hai na shahi kii hawis hai
ek harfe yaqeeN, dolate emaaN hamaiN bas hai

We wish neither power, nor pomp, splendour,
Post of authority, we don't hanker after,
Riches we wish not, if be it gold or silver,
Each mortal thing for us, indeed of no glamour,
Lordship we wish not, nor do mundane sovereignty,
True faith, nothing else, but our sole property.

talib haiN agar hum tow faqat haq ke talab gaar
batil ke muqabil maiN sadaqat ke parastaar
insaaf ke, naiki ke, murawwat ke tarafdaar
zaalim ke mukhalif haiN tow baikas ke madadgaar
jo zulm peh la'nat na karay, aap la'eiN hai
jo jabar ka munkir nahi woh munkire deeN hai

Of righteousness in fact, we the upholders,
No concern with falsehood, of truth we defenders,
Of justice, goodness, love, always we promoters,
Oppressors we oppose, of helpless we supporters,
Cursed is he who imprecates not the oppression,
By not negating suppression, he negates the religion.

ta hashar zamana tumhaiN makkar kahe ga
tum ehad shikan how, tumhaiN ghaddar kahe ga
jo sahibe dil hai, hamaiN abrar kahe ga
jo bandae Hur hai, hamiN ahraar kahe ga
naam ooncha zamanay maiN har andaaz rahe ga
nezay peh bhi sar apna sar afraaz rahe ga

Till Dooms Day, vile plotters you would be called,
Oath-breakers you are, traitors you would called,
Conscientious, faith's defenders we would be called,
By each free soul, freedom-lovers we would be called,
Throughout ages, our place none would deny,
Even on lances, our heads to be high.

kar khatm sukhan, mehve dua ho ga'ay Shabbir
phir narae zanaaN, mehve vigha ho ga'ay Shabbir
qurban rahe sidq o safa ho ga'ay Shabbir
khaimooN maiN tha khoh'raam, juda ho ga'ay Shabbir
markab peh tane paak tha aur khaak peh sar tha
es khaak talay jannate firdos ka dar tha

After his address, for followers Shabbir prayed,
With a war-cry, thick fight Shabbir assayed,
At truth's altar immolated, Shabbir undismayed,
Within tents lamentation was, Shabbir was slayed,
On horse back sacred body, forehead upon dust,
Heaven's door beyond doubt, lay beneath that dust.

- Faiz Ahmed Faiz, 1964
From: Shaam-e-Shahr-e-YaraaN in the collection Nuskhae Haai Wafa.

English Translations of the marsiya is by S.G. Abbas, Department of English, Jamia-e-Millia College, Malir, Karachi (Pakistan). Adopted from the book "The Immortal Poetry & Mir Anis by S. G. Abbas, Majlis-e-Milli, 1983, and "The Tragic Verses," Vol II published in 2003. S. G. Abbas passed away a couple of years ago. May God bless his soul.

Horr: A Free Person

Horr illuminates the path to liberation of the self from the bondage of false ideologies and oppressive systems.

Excerpts from Dr. Ali Shariati's piece entitled "Horr" (source):

"Horr was the name of one of the high-ranking commanders of the army of Omar-e-Sad who faced the grandson of the Prophet of Islam, Hussain-ebn-Ali, with orders from Yazeed-ebn-Muawiah to either get Hussain's allegiance for his corrupt Khalifat, or kill Hussain and all his friends. It was Horr and his army who first faced Imam Hussein, and then kept them under siege, preventing them from getting water.

On the day of Ashoura, Horr made a huge decision. Right before the battle started, he left his position and the army he was commanding, and joined Imam Hussein, and was the first to be killed in the way of Allah, by the army he used to be a commander of just a few hours earlier. The name "Horr" means free, freeborn, noble, freeman.
...

"[This] story is about a "choice", the most important manifestation of the meaning of human being. But what kind of choice? We are all faced with several choices in our everyday life: career, friend, wife, house, major.. But in this story, the choice is much more difficult: the good and the evil. And even so, not from a philosophical, scientific, or theological perspective. Instead, the choice here is between the truthful and the deceiving religion, between the just and unjust politics, with life being the price to pay.

"Although Horr has played a unique role in the history, the essence of his role is not just confined to himself. The meaning of his action, in fact, includes all human-beings, and indeed defines "humanity". It is what distinguishes the human-beings from other creatures, underlining the responsibility of man with respect to God, people, and himself. And Horr has not played this with words and concepts, but with love and blood. If one grasps the depth of this saying from Imam Sadegh(AS) that "All days are Ashoura, and all places are Karbala, and all months are Moharam" one readily feels the extension: "and all human-beings are Horr!"

Our history, starting from Habil and Ghabil [Abel and Cain], is the manifestation of the eternal conflict between the two poles of God and Satan, though in each period of time these two poles have disguised differently. Therefore, in each period of time, every human-being finds himself just in the same position as Horr did: alone, in the middle, hesitating, between the same two armies. On the one side, the commander of the army of evil shouts on his soldiers: "O Army of God! attack!" and on the other side, an Imam, with a voice echoing throughout the history asks -and not commands- "Is there anybody who wishes to assist me?" and you, the man, should choose.

It is by this choice that you become human. Before this choice you are nothing, you are just an existence without essence, you are standing in the middle. Thus, the man who has found "existence" through birth, finds "essence" through choice. It is by this choice, that the creation of man completes, and this is exactly when the man feels this heavy burden on his shoulders and finds himself alone, as God and the nature have left him on his own on this dangerous decision.
...

"Now we can evaluate our hero, we can feel what a long journey he has gone through in what a short time, to change him from a Yazidian Horr, to a Husseinian Horr. If he stays with the army of Yazid, his world is guaranteed, and if he joins the small army of Hussain, his death is eminent. It is the morning of the day of Ashoura, and although the battle has not yet started in the fields, Horr realizes that the opportunity would not last. Time goes by fast, and the moments count. The storm has already started within him.

From the beginning, Horr was hoping that the events would not lead to war, but now war seems to be unavoidable. Human-beings have limited capability in tolerating shame and scorn, except for those who are genius in this respect and can tolerate disgrace unlimitedly. Horr never had thought that being an "employee" of the government of Yazid would mean collaborating in Yazid's criminal acts. For him his job was just a source of income without having anything to do with politics or his religion.

Horr now realizes that adding his position with his religion is impossible. Thus, hopelessly and as a last resort he talks with the commander of the Army (Omar-ebn-Sa'd) who like himself is reluctant to get in a war and has accepted the mission to become the governor of the province of Ray and Gorgan. What would then be better than coming up with some sort of a solution without getting involved in the blood of the grandson of the Prophet and his family.

Horr and Omar-ebn-Sa'd both have come all the way from the palace of Yazid to Karbala together and they share the same status and social class. Horr asks Omar:

"Can't you find a peaceful solution for this situation?"

"You know that if it had been up to me I would have done as what you propose, but your master Obeid-Allah-Ziyad did not accept a peaceful resolution!"

"So are you going to fight with this man (Hussein)?"

"Yes, by God, I will fight a battle the least consequence of which will be separated heads and broken arms!"

Now, it is evident that no longer can he play games with his religion. Now, the two separate their paths.

For Horr, Yazid's army of tens of thousand is now nothing more than a bunch of faces, without meaning. A crowd of men without selves, a group of people without hearts, those who shout but don't know why, fight but don't know for whom. Now the Jesus of love and conscience cures a blind and resurrects a dead, creating a martyr from a murderer. In a journey it is not enough to ask for the destination, but one should also ask from the origin. Thus, the length of Horr's journey becomes evident when one realizes from where he started, and to where he ended, all in half-a day's time. In his emigration from Satan to Allah , Horr did not study philosophy or theology, nor did he attend any lectures or schools. He just changed his direction, and it is in fact this "direction" which gives meaning to everything: art, science, literature, religion, prayers, hajj, Mohammad, Ali...

Having started his journey, and riding his horse, he slowly leaves his Army toward Hussain. Muhajer-ebn-Ous, who sees him agitated and worried asks:

"Whats wrong with you Horr? I am puzzled by your case, by God if I were asked about the bravest man in our army I wouldn't hesitate to mention your name, and now you are so disturbed and worried?"

"I find myself between the Hell and the Heaven, and I have to select between them, and by God I will not choose but Heaven, even if I were cut to pieces or burnt to ashes!"

The creation of Horr was completed and the fire of doubt has led him to the verity of certitude. He slowly approaches the camp of Hussain, and as he gets closer he hangs his boots from his neck, and keeps his armor down (as a sign of remorse)

"I am the one who closed your path O Hussein" He didnt accept Hussein's invitation to rest for a while..

"Is there a repentance for me?" He can't wait any longer, he returns to the front and attacks the army of Omar with the most severe and bitter words, letting his ex-army and ex-commander know that he is no longer a slave, he is free, he is "Horr".

Omar-ebn-Sa'd, his ex-commander, responds by throwing an arrow and yelling

"Be witness and let Amir-ol-momenin know that I was the one to throw the first arrow at the army of Hussain!

And this was how the battle of Karbala started.........
...

"[Horr] has been named by his mother, "Horr", as if she has been able to foresee the sensitive role his son is going to play. And thus, when the Imam of freedom attends his bloody body, just before his death, tells him: "O Horr! God bless you! You are free both in this world and in the world to come, just like what your mother called you!"
...

Horr is also spelled as Hurr in texts.

KARBALA: THE VOICE OF ISLAMIC CONSCIENCE

In his famous speech, On the Plight of the Oppressed People, Dr. Ali Shariati argues that Islam came as a challenge to the oppressive status quo of the time. But, after the death of the Prophet Mohammad (s), Islam suffered distortion and corruption like the messages of the previous Prophets. Islam was used to enslave helpless people for personal interests and glory of tribal dynasties of Ummayads and Abbasids and others. As Shariati puts it, “I saw the swords which were engraved with verses on holy war. I saw the places for worship. I saw those who prayed. I saw the saintly faces who spoke in the name of spiritual leadership, the Caliphs, and the preservation of the Prophet's traditions. Nevertheless, collectively, they took us into slavery!”

A Reason for Hope

Despite this deviation, in this and other writings, Shariati is optimistic that Islam can still emancipate the struggling humanity from the servitude of Pharaohs of the modern age because its universal message has survived not only in the text but also through the exemplary lives and sacrifices of Ali and Fatima, their children Zainab and Hussain, and Prophet’s companions Abu Zarr and Bilal. Below, I look at how the great sacrifice that Imam Hussain and Syeda Zainab gave on the plains of Karbala (Iraq) became the conscience of Islam.

As soon as Yazid assumed the seat of Caliphate after his father’s death, he demanded that Imam Hussain do his bai’at, that is, pay allegiance to him. Yazid was a tyrant, who was personally corrupt and openly mocked Islam. "If this Ummah is to be tried with a shepherd such as Yazid, then farewell to Islam," Imam Hussain declared at this point. Imam Hussain who was the inheritor of the knowledge and piety of the Prophet and the leader of the Ummah, his allegiance would have blurred the distinction between the true Islam and falsehood. Islam would have become a fatalistic ideology serving the rule of the Ummayads. But Imam Hussain’s response to Yazid’s demand for bai’at became the universal message for all the followers of truth and justice, when he said, ‘Someone like me cannot do a bai’at of someone like him’ (‘mujh jesa, yazid jese kii bai’at nahi kar sakta’), and ‘It is better to die on feet than to live on knees’ (‘zillat kii zindagi se izzat kii maut behtar hai’).

In a will Imam Hussain made before departing from Makkah, he declared: “Indeed, I have not risen up to do mischief, neither as an adventurer, nor to cause corruption and tyranny. I have risen up solely to seek the reform of the Ummah of my grandfather. I want to command what is good and stop what is wrong, and (in this) I follow the conduct of my grandfather and my father, Ali ibn Abi Talib.” Imam Hussain was martyred along with more than 70 companions in Karbala on 10th of Muharram (Ashura) in 61 A.H/ 680 C.E.

After Imam Hussain, his sister Syeda Zainab carried forward his message and spoke in the courts of Kufa and Damascus with such courage and eloquence that reminded people of the eloquence and courage of her mother, Fatima, and father, Ali.

Development of a Movement

Imam Hussain’s revolt was the first one of its kind in the Islamic history. It marked a clear distinction between the true Islam and falsehood, and inspired many movements in the later generations against the Umayyads and Abbasids and other tribal dynasties. Imam Hussain’s revolt became the conscience of Islam that challenged any fatalistic justifications for the tyranny of Yazid and his likes for all times and places.

An equally significant influence of this great sacrifice was the development of a cultural movement within Islam. Analytically separate, but in reality, the political and the cultural are the two facets of the same movement. This cultural movement started with the commemorations of the tragedy of Karbala that continue to this day. Each year, in the month of Muharram, hundreds of thousands of followers and admirers of Hussain come together and remember the great sacrifice. They narrate the tragic accounts and engage in public mourning. Imam Hussain’s struggle is recollected as an archetype movement about the eternal struggle of truth against falsehood in which blood triumphed over sword. These commemorations claim to represent an alternative history of Islam following the demise of the Prophet and a commitment to preserve Islam’s true message through recounting the sacrifices of the noble household of the Prophet.

Over the passage of more than a millennium, a discourse has evolved out of this cultural movement, in prose and poetry, oral as well as written forms, and through an array of symbols and images in different colors in different parts of the world. This is the discourse of human conscience, resistance, and universal justice developed by the survivors of Karbala, Shia Imams, historians, poets, mystics, reformers, and devotees among Shias, Sunnis, and even Non Muslims.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, the Sufi preacher from South Asia, sees Hussain as the savior of Islam:

Shah ast Hussain, Badshah ast Hussain
Deen ast Hussain, Deen Panah ast Hussain
Sar dad, na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazeed
Haqaa key binaey La ila ast Hussain

Hussain is the Master, Hussain is the King
Hussain is Faith, Hussain is Refuge for the Faith
He gave his head but not his hand in Yazid’s hand
Verily Hussain is the foundation of La’Illah.

Muhammad Ali Jauhar, a Sunni reformer and a central figure in the Khilafat Movement in the first half of the twentieth century sees Hussain’s movement in this light:

Haqq o batil ki hai paikar hameha jari
Jo na batil se daren hain vahi Shi’an-e Hussain

The war between truth and falsehood is eternal
Those who are not frightened by falsehood are the partisans of Hussain

At another place, he presents his inspiration from Karbala in these terms:

Qatl-e Hussain asl men marg-e Yazid hai
Islam zinda hota hai har Karbala ke baad

In reality the murder of Hussain is the death of Yazid
Islam is resurrected after every Karbala

Faiz Ahmed Faiz, one of the prominent figures of the Progressive Writers Association (PWA), a literary movement for social justice in South Asia, takes inspiration from Imam Hussain’s sacrifice in these words:

(from a marsiya Faiz wrote)

Jo zulm peh la’nat na kare, aap la’een hai
Jo jabar ka munkir nahi, woh munkire deen hai

He is cursed who imprecates not the oppression
By not negating fatalism/suppression, he negates the religion

Over time these commemoration gatherings have developed some ritualistic aspects that may not be mindful of the underlying purpose of these gatherings. These gatherings nonetheless have retained the message of justice and resistance that serves as a conscience of Islam, and have provided the resource for political resistance against tyrannies in different parts of the world. This should be clear from the symbolic resource that the reformers in South Asia find in the message of Karbala. The Iranian Revolution in 1979 is another example.

These commemorations are much richer than what they appear to the outsiders in media and public observations. Without the underlying meaning, these commemorations would appear as merely a ritualistic street processions. But, for those who understand their purpose and message, these gatherings continue to inspire them and shape their subjectivities and worldview. These commemorations continue to influence the cultural discourse of the Muslim community. It is for this reason that tyrant regimes, like that of Saddam Hussein, wanted to suppress these gatherings. These tyrants, however, always failed due to the devotion and sacrifices of the followers and bearers of this movement over the last 1400 years.

Given its universal character and message, this movement is seen by the followers as the continuation of the struggles of all prophets, from the time of Adam to Mohammad (peace be upon them all). And for the same reason, it is understood as the conscience of all humanity. It is in this light that the mourners recite Ziyarat-e-Waritha (also spelled as, Ziarat-e- Warisa) at the end of each commemoration gathering, in which, with moving sentiments, they describe and testify the greatness of Imam Hussain’s sacrifice for the cause of Allah and make solemn pledge of their support for Imam’s mission:

An excerpt from Ziyarat-e-Waritha:

"Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Adam, the chosen one of Allah
Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Nuh, the prophet of Allah
Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Ibrahim, the beloved friend of Allah
Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Moosa, who received direct communication from Allah
Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Muhammad, the beloved friend of Allah
Peace be upon you,
O inheritor of Ali, the commander of the faithful, and beloved of Allah
Peace be upon you,
O son of Muhammad, the chosen,
Peace be upon you,
O son of Ali, the one accepted by Allah,
Peace be upon you,
O son of Fatimah, leader of women in the world,
Peace be upon you,
O son of Khadijah, the great,
Peace be upon you,
O you, the one who will be avenged by Allah, and O son of the one who will be avenged by Allah.
O unique martyr, who was killed mercilessly.
I bear witness that you established the worship of Allah,
And the poor due,
And enjoined man to do good,
And forbade them for doing wrong,
And obeyed Allah and His messenger,
Until death came to you."
------------
Image: Candles lit for Imam Hussain, his household, and companions on "Shame-Ghariban" or "Evening of the Dispossessed". People all over Iran light candles in streets to remember the tragedy of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram.