List Q&A

In order for us to understand the significance and philosophy of mourning for Imam Hussein (a.s.), it is necessary to take notice of the following points:

1. The Holy Quran (a.s.) has emphasized through many different verses on maintaining and reviving lofty virtues and traits of great men and noble religious leaders.

2. The great Shia Imams, peace be upon them, have encouraged us to keep the memory of the event of Karbala alive through different ways namely, holding mourning ceremonies, weeping and making others weep, reciting elegies and visiting the grave of the Chief of the Martyrs, Imam Hussein (a.s).

3. Muharram is the month of the victory of blood over sword. The event of Ashura has been and is inspiring nations and people all over the world to fight tyrant and unjust rulers. Therefore, remembering the event of Ashura and the suffering of Imam Hussein (a.s.) and his family plays a key role in spreading his message across the world.

4. Mourning is a key element of unity and different nations' secret of success over the history. Most of the revolutions of the world have been inspired or in fact originated from the lessons learned from the epic of Ashura. An example of it is the liberation of the Indian Sub-continent from the English colonial rule. A more important example is the glorious revolution of the Islamic Republic of Iran and yet a recent example is the resistance of Hezbollah in south Lebanon against Zionist aggressions or or the resistance of Yemeni people against the invasion of Saudi regime. Hence, it can be said that mourning for Imam Hussein (a.s.) has profuse benefits for Muslim Ummah including dignity, pride, maintenance of Islamic and religious culture and many more which on the whole indicate the importance of this great event.

The events which have taken place in the history of every society hold valuable experiences and lessons that have been achieved with great pain and at a heavy price. Those experiences and lessons are assets that can have a great impact on the destiny and future of that society which has gained them.  In order for these assets to be utilized properly, it is necessary that those events be reviewed, reconstructed and preserved. One of those great and unique assets is the event of Karbala. The Infallible Imams (a.s.) have greatly emphasized over reviving the event of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (a.s.) so that the future generations may benefit from the lessons that this great event holds.

Moreover, it is the duty of all people to express their gratitude and thankfulness to those who endeavored selflessly and sacrificed their lives for the awakening and prosperousness of human societies.Hence, lamentation for Imam Hussein bin Ali (a.s.) is a kind of thanksgiving and appreciation for the sacrifices Imam Hussein (a.s.) and his companions made to awaken the humanity. 

In addition, the mourning ceremonies held annually all over the world to commemorate the martyrdom of the Chief of Martyrs, Imam Hussein (a.s.) have numerous benefits and effects for mankind. For instance, they help create unity among the followers of the Imam, acquaint people with the lives and traditions of the pure Imams (a.s.), create love and attachment towards God's proofs and purge the society of evils and injustice. Therefore, such ceremonies if not held in society would cause it to be deprived of such blessings.

Everything takes place under Allah's will and according to His traditions and the same way Allah had the power to prevent Prophet Ibrahim's blade from cutting he could have also disabled all of the enemies' weapons, and miraculously saved Imam Hussein, but such a miracle did not happen, for everything should not be carried out through uncommon and unordinary means and on top of that the noblest and greatest causes and philosophies behind the incident of Ashura, such as protecting Islam, presenting the perfect role model for mankind, meeting Allah through martyrdom, etc. were only and only possible under regular circumstances and the occurrence of what happened on that day.