BaKhabar, December 2010, Page-7

better light a candle than curse the darkness

BaKhabar, Vol 3, Issue 12, December 2010

Muharram Processions in India, and the Tazi’ah
... ... ... In Badr of our age, will angels descend to lend their support?

... Shakeel Ahmad (shakeeluae@gmail.com)

"Bahut bahut Mubarak ho (heartiest congratulations)! This Muharram, Tazi’a (تعزیہ) procession has been exceptionally successful”, signs of joy written all over his face, Nafees shouted with great enthusiasm as soon as I opened the door to welcome the guests waiting outside.
Others joined Nafees in the mood of celebration, shaking hands with me vigorously, as they settled down on the chairs spread in our lawn among red roses and white lilies. Dying to describe the ecstatic moments of the almost day-long procession, one of them jolted my nerves by saying, “You should have witnessed the great feats of our “fighters”, who made us win the trophy for the 3rd consecutive year. Subhanallah! The excellent coordination by the bandmaster, the largest number of people in our procession blocking street after street, the desperation of the Hindus and their police force and administrative officers; sir, you really missed a grand opportunity!”

“I am sorry, but I am curious to know the purpose of these Muharram processions, can any of you explain to me, please?” I hoped I was not rude at a time when they expected me to join the celebrations. Firdaus, who does not usually speak much, came forward, “Bhai, this is the only opportunity we get to show our strength off to our enemies. It helps us respond appropriately to whatever they do on Ram Nawmi. Look at them today; they are nowhere to be found, hidden in their rat-holes”, Nafees added, “They understand now, we are not going to take things lying down.”

I queried, further, “And what’s the role of film music by the band?” “They act as encouragement, raise enthusiasm of our Taziáh team and energize our fighters into performing better”, logic seemed to be flowing out as the green tea was sinking in. Transferring the tea-cup to his left hand, then to the coffee table, his fingers of the right hand forming into a fist pushing up and around depicting the rush of blood in his veins, Tanweer, the valiant head of “fighters” added some more fuel to the fire of logic, “These ten days of Muharram help renew the spirit of jihad in our youth, trains them in many important fighting skills who otherwise spend the entire year doing nothing for our great deen.”

I almost reluctantly quipped, “But, what has film music to do with our great deen? And, the frantic filmy dance by the participants of the procession; any connection with Islam?” Like the silence before a furious storm, nothing could be heard for a while except the melody generated by chirping birds, nature’s own music. Although not as forceful as in the logical arguments that had preceded, Masood, the only bearded member of Muharram organizing committee, broke the deadly silence, “The boys displaying the valiant art of chivalry make rhythmic moves which cannot be properly coordinated without music, and for your information, music was used in all Islamic ghazawaat (battles).”
Sensing that the joyous mood of this victorious team of organizers, devoid of any spiritual fervor, had already given way to an environment of religiosity, I raised the most pertinent issue, “By the way, why do we do this on 10th of Muharram?” Swift came the reply, “You must be kidding, sir! Who does not know this?” “Seriously, I need to understand from you guys who are always ready to serve the cause of Islam even at the cost of your own lives; please let me know”, as I added these words, my seriousness was evident from my facial expressions and my body language. Nafees read my sincerity, and replied, “To commemorate the sacrifice which has no parallels - the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, who would continue to inspire every Muslim until the Last Day.”
“And, why do we use the Tazi’ah?” The answer was simple, “it makes the remembrance easy.”
“I hope you don’t mind one last question”, as I said this, Nafees nodded his permission, and I opened a Pandora’s box, “I would be obliged if you explained to me the meaning of the word ‘Tazi’ah’.”

Muharram: RELIGION OF PEACE THRU BARBARISM?

The silence this time turned the environment of the lawn into that of a graveyard. I guess 90% of this committee’s members did not know the answer genuinely, but the few who knew did not want to share it. After urging them twice without any result, I started in a tone of exploration, “I hear this word in the Urdu news on radio whenever some leader dies, like so-and-so expressed Tazi’at on the death of so-and-so, so I understand that Tazi’ah in Arabic and Tazi’at in Urdu mean the same, condolence.” Do you agree? Without waiting for the nods which eventually came, I added, “And, as you have mentioned that this is an occasion to commemorate the martyrdom of a great Imam of Islam, the word rightly fits in.” I sipped in some tea to let my throat open up, and continued, “It is clear that this is an occasion to express condolence on the death of one of the greatest Muslims, and that’s how it all started during the Ale Booyeh Period (4th century A.H. or 10th century AD) by the Shia Muslims of Iran, to openly lament the tragic martyrdom. What was brought to India by Shia Muslims, in the 18th century AD, was later adopted by Sunnis as well, and was exploited by the leaders of Indian freedom movement to galvanize support against the British. Following in the footsteps of their Hindu brothers, who made idols, worshipped them during the 10 days of Durga Puja (Ram Nawmi in North India, and Ganesh Puja in the West), in a festive mood, and took the idols in huge processions to be ultimately immersed in local water bodies, Muslims made Tazi’ahs, kept them as symbols of inspiration for 10 days, then took them into processions to be finally buried in Karbala (in some places, they are immersed in water bodies while in others, just dismantled for reuse).” I paused, thinking that someone would like to question me on authenticity of the historical parts, but luckily no one did.
“My question is, why do we create this mood of joyous celebration, on this day when we should better be mourning the death (sorry, martyrdom) of our great leader?” It was my turn to feel the rush of adrenaline in my veins, “If at all we need to mourn in public, let’s follow our Shia brothers in lamenting and mourning; why enjoy and celebrate? In my previous posting in Jamshedpur, I was told the procession, the bands, the music, the skilful and artistic acts of valour, and the annual competition were all to commemorate the victory of Yazid ibn Muawiyah which strengthened the Islamic khilafah”.

I did not wish to stretch the argument any further, so concluded, “If a section of Muslims wishes to celebrate Yazid’s victory, who can prevent them? And, the joyous celebrations that you guys make are indicative of the same, but then, why don’t you admit it? And, if the procession is for enjoyment, why use Tazi’ah, the symbol of condolence; why not use some other symbols, some symbol of victory, or enjoyment? Why use the same slogan of ‘Ya-Hussain, Ya-Ali’, why not ‘Ya Yazid, Ya Yazid’? When you don’t mind playing film music, why not call Aishwarya Rai or Deepika to liven up the youthful trainees? What did you do when you heard the muezzin’s call for Asr prayer, and did any of the ‘fighters’ go to masjid to pray Asr? Did you check how many of them were drunk? Did any of us fast today, as the prophet (pbuh) used to do (Ashoorah)? Our beloved prophet (pbuh) prohibited public mourning (even private mourning for more than 3 days is prohibited except for the widow who is allowed to do so for 4 months and 10 days), so you are right when you don’t follow Shia brothers in this matter. Subhanallah! But, would you like to celebrate the tragedy that befell in Karbala with slaying of our beloved prophet’s closest of kins? Every year! And, if you wish to, then why use Tazi’ah? We may even ask the question ‘did Yazid celebrate the victory, and if he did, was he right in doing so?’ Did prophet (pbuh) celebrate the greatest of all victories (Badr) every year, or did he annually mourn the deaths of his most beloved companions of the same battle, publicly? What kind of Islam do we want to revive? What training are we giving to our youth - not to do what the prophet did, and to do what he prohibited?”
“In Badr of our age, will angels descend to lend their hands? Is the assault on Muslim pride from all around not enough that we use this day to widen the rift among ourselves and with other communities? Are there no other fields to display the might of Muslims? Mardaangee dikhaanay kay maidaN haiN aur bhee [مردانگی دکھانے کے میدان ہیں اور بھی ]! What about athletics and sports? What about racing in science and technology to equip ourselves with the latest armoury to win today’s wars?”
The sound of Allaho Akbar filled the air with hope of Almighty’s favours for Muslims, as the Muazzin called for Maghrib prayers. As the guests left, I wondered if I had stolen their happiness.

Make Peace with your PAST, so it won't mess up with your future!