Muharram in Qom

As salaam alaikum,
It's bad I haven't come up with any updates lately. Not that  There hasn't been things to share; on the contrary. Just a busy scedule and less than perfect time management skills on my part.

The month of Muharram passed by and I didnt share my experience about that. Sad right, my first Muharram in iran and I didnt write anything about it!

So, there are many many places and Hussainiyats in Qom where azadari takes place, even hussainiyats where there are lectures in English. But from them, Mujtamehye Imam Khomeini (r.a)  is the biggest and and sees the largest gathering of people in Qom. The experience was simply the best. I will never forget our 4 buses full of girls from the khawbgah all full of motivation and power to attend azadari in the biting cold nights. Covered in jackets, mufflers and gloves under their chadors, having hot chai and khurma that was laid out for the azadars at all the entrances. The place was really huge with more than 10 halls, the entire Gulzare Shohada and and the many tents pictched outside on the pavements all filled with people, and still there were more people left! And I wondered, where did all these people come from!?

Few nights when we reached a lil late we sat out in the tents where huge screens aired the program for the night. The program started at about 7pm every night and continued till midnight atleast. We had holidays from 5th Muharram onwards so that we didnt worry about going to class the next morning. The program started with the recitiation of the Holy Qur'an. Every night a different renowned Qari recited for us in his mesmerising voice. We even had that child, the renowned Muhhamad Tabatabai who had memorized the Qur'an at the age of 5, recite for the gathering. Then followed some lessons on how to pronounce the arabic alphabets correctly, like pronouncing the Hhe and Khhe from the throat and Ain. and Ghain and Saad and Dhaad, etc. That followed by the bayaan of some interesting and very useful islamic laws, then my favoriteeee lecture of Dr. Raf'ee followed! He is the best, most amazing aalim with a very simple way of orating the most deepest concepts. This year he spoke at length about the Spiritual Aspects of the Message of Karbala. After his 50 mins lecture, it was time for rozekhani (singing of lamentations). The very popular and peoples' favorite Mir Damad was the man who had everybody in tears. And thats how every night ended.

Besides this, we also had programs at the khwabgah. For around three days we had a class in the morning which examined the history of ashura, the importance of it, what happened in karbala, what didn't, what are the popular misconceptions and misunderstandings of shias about the event, what misconceptions the other schools of thought hold about the event of karbala, etc.

And when you think about it, about all the attacks you get from other muslims for shias comemorating muharram...really! Feeling sad, feeling pain when you hear about the pain of another, wanting to cry when you hear of a cruel attack on someone, having tears in your eyes when you see injustice done, these are not shia emotions, or muslim emotions, but simply human emotions. Proof of having a beating heart. And if you want take that out, and want to hunt for reasons of how its bad bidat, or haraam or what not...its just sad. Its not human.

Why do we commorate muharram year after year? Because we must be reminded, and reminding is good.

Isn't the event done and gotten over with? No, its not. The family of the prophet (s) and their companions who gave their life to protect Islam from the wretched and the son the wrechted, aren't dead, because martrys do not die, they live forever and recieve their sustainence from their lord. And we see various forms of karbala everywhere in front of our eyes today. Bahrain, Yemen, Palestine... So the event wasn't just a piece of political history. Imam Husain (a.s) gives you strenght to fight. To oppose oppression and injustice. To stand for the truth. To live for the truth and die protecting it.

And if i'm told to forget about what happened, then i'm told to forget about the Message of Islam. And if i'm told to relax and take it easy, then i'm told that yea...people were killed in the past, and they're being killed now... We all have to die one day right? So lets just chill till then!
Aha?

And in the evening everyday, right until the end of the month of safar, every room organzised the recitation of ziyarat ashura where our block gathered together. This was my favorite part this season. At first, I wasn't particularly too hot about it, and didn't attend it everyday. But then when I started to, and realized how light my heart felt when I left the gathering, I started paying attantion for the announcements which said which room it was this evening. And I remebered the history professor's words: "...tears bring you closer to Allah. Haven't you noticed that after you cry for Allah how light your heart feels, as if a huge weight has been lifted off your chest. If you've been in a gathering where all you've done is laugh with the others, and in a gathering in which you've cried for Allah, which one made you feel better in the end? We, when we cry, we feel relaxed in the end. Calm, and rested. Contented."

Inshallah, Allah accepts our ibadaat and brings us closer to Him, and help us recognize and follow the path of Husain (a.s). Ameen.