20.1.08

Can mourning be a celebration?

I have never claimed expert knowledge of Islam or any religion, but I do think I have a fair idea about how faith affects worshippers and vice versa.

Having stated several times that in my family different versions of Islam are practised even within nuclear groups, my experience of Muharram is the tenth day of Ashura, the first month of the Islamic calendar.

What I remember as a child is that in one particular lane they would take out the Tazia. We would go to Maama’s (my mother’s maternal uncle) house. It was an elaborate procession, and I recall the colours of silver and green. There would be dancing. The Tazia became an object of worship and, although I have not witnessed it, I am told that in some parts of the world they also put up petitions on these tableaux.

I have only one question: Does Islam, as practised today (if you forget the paganism of the early Arabs), believe in idol worship? Does this not amount to such idolatry, and this issue has been raised in the Quran: "Worship ye that which ye have (yourselves) carved?" (Quran: Saffat, 3)

This topic has become of some added interest to me these past few days because I hear that a Hindu on a website wished some people “Happy Muharram”; someone also talked about “celebrating Muharram”. This was considered unpalatable. It is another matter that during this solemn period some Muslims were using foul language and addressing people as Haramzaadon (bastards)” and “achhoot (untouchable)” and far worse. This is the language being used to defend religion. I think Islam can do without it. Anger when it arises out of genuine hurt (as in someone posting pictures of the Quran being flushed down the loo) has a reason.

But do those who are berating ‘outsiders’ for ignorance not realise that their own do in fact celebrate Muharram, and it is considered a “celebration of martyrdom”. Just as Christ’s death on the Cross is a period of mourning, but it returns as a celebration on Easter.

Does one imagine that today, in January of 2008, people are weeping real tears for the martyrdom of Imam Husain, grandson of Prophet Muhammad, who was killed during the battle of Karbala? Mourning is catharsis, and in that it does serve a purpose. Though, it is often that the mourners too become glorified. A young relative would join in the maatam (ritual mourning, often violent) and beat himself with zanjeers (chains). I know him well, and many young men like him had wanted to become a part of something larger. It is a question of identity.

I would say every version of Islam or any religion has a right to exist and how ‘true’ it is is not for believers to decide because belief too is personal. I have said critical things about Hindu gods, as in questioned the role of say Lord Rama versus Sita, and it was done as a purely academic exercise and to question how the faithful could use what happened years ago to justify the aggressiveness of today. By the same token, I do not understand how someone referring to Muharram as a celebration makes it a topic to discuss the “Hindu bhindi”, which isn’t okra but a derogatory reference to a more intimate part of the male anatomy. What Islam are these people talking about? What Muharram? What mourning?

If one needs to fight someone who has hurt your religion, then fight her/him with facts. And there are facts, which may be disputed, but they do have some currency.

Before pointing fingers at others, Muslims need to look at their own brothers and sisters. Were the Shia Iranians not fighting the Sunni Iraqis with the slogan, “Every day is Ashura, every place is Karbala, every month is Muharram”?

At that time there was turmoil and they felt they could relate to events that took place centuries ago.

Muslims who are always critical about polytheists end up doing things that are prohibited in Islam, including how they embellish graves…and this is true in Islamic societies too. No walls are supposed to enclose the grave, no cement or concrete over it, no marble or decorative material, no inscriptions, even from the Quran, no flowers…

How many Muslims adhere to these?

And have not many made the Prophet into a god-like figure? Let me end with the Prophet’s own words:

"Do not utter such exaggerated words of praise for me as the Christians do for the Prophet Jesus, the son of Mary. I am nothing more than a servant of Allah and His Apostle. So, call me only that."

13 comments:

  1. FV:

    Very well thought and written. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And more than the piece, I enjoyed the spirit of defiance and fearlessness that shines like a beacon through the piece.

    Bravo! And can we have a few demolishing the myths behind other religions as well. Why not something about the polygamy practised by Hindu males before the Hindu marriage act and the resistance offered by certain sections to passing of the act by the Parliament?

    Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Farzana,

    Any religion which lacks inspiration from the 'personal character' of its icons, drawn from their faith, and who demonstrated it through their actions - will not survive. In that case it is just not strong enough.

    Islam survives and will survive because to this day, people still weep uncontrollably when the story of Karbala is told, much as they cried in the same manner when Zainab had told that story the first time when brought in captivity to Damascus in 680 AD.

    People weep at the tragedy, but draw immense inspiration from the courage of a woman who after having had her entire family massacred, could still not be silenced ... and told the story whenever she got half a chance. Even during the seventeen stops while being brought in captivity from Karbala to Damascus.

    That's 'character' which inspires people, and what Moharram is all about. Anyone who cannot see that, must learn.

    ReplyDelete
  3. there you go..a supposedly secular and liberal muslim admonishes the fellow followers of the religion of piece(pun intended) for not following the words of the prophet of Islam..no wonder FV is always against the Kashmiri Pandits,Baba Ram Dev,Narendra Modi but never has a line against the mullah attacking Talsima or for that matter Parmeshwar Godrej recently or even Zakir Naik..

    Tell me one thing:why should a one month old baby be bloodies with a knife just because some lunatics killed the grandson of another lunatic hundreds of years ago(I hope u have seen the photo in todays' asian age).Is not Islam the darkest cult around?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Farzana...Looks like you have peeped into my thoughts and written this.

    I cannot agree more.

    You may not be an expert; but then your fair knowledge is vast and immeasurable.

    ReplyDelete
  5. FV
    Yes, I do celebrate ashoora annually by crying and smiling at the same time. Whenever 10th day of Muharram(Ashoora) comes in my life, I wear black clothes, I fast, and then I recite Quran, pray (namaz) and mourn in the rememberance of those who gave their lives for bringing the truth, for fighting for right, for fighting againt wrong, for their incomarable sacrifice and for expressing my selfless and true love for this great Imam who taught the whole human progeny the meaning of true freedom of speech....................I cry for him and for his family, I feel peace of mind in mourning for my own freedom, freedom from falsehoods of current evilish world....

    Yes, I do celebrate ashoora for the true meaning of sacrifice.....

    ReplyDelete
  6. And yes, FV
    I do celebrate ashoora for having inspiration for that great lady ( like my friend whatmeworry rightly pointed out in his/her post above)who after sacrificing her whole family got the courage to stand up infornt of Yazid to speak the truth, nothing but the truth....that princess who was, is and will always be an inspiration for all of us until dooms day.but draw immense inspiration from the courage of a woman who after having had her entire family massacred, could still not be silenced ...

    ReplyDelete
  7. It is certainly not impossible for people today to feel the pain of a massacre occuring so long ago; that is what faith is all about.
    But when that sorrow becomes something to display publicly, it can transform into false, unfelt "emotions". There are those who pay others to do maatam on their behalf; and there are those who would never call themselves Shia, but aceept both the money and the 'job' in these lean times.

    Excellent article.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Farzana,

    I would like to comment on the following observation:

    "Muslims who are always critical about polytheists end up doing things that are prohibited in Islam, including how they embellish graves…and this is true in Islamic societies too. No walls are supposed to enclose the grave, no cement or concrete over it, no marble or decorative material, no inscriptions, even from the Quran, no flowers… How many Muslims adhere to these?"

    This is absolutely correct. In fact, this is strictly practiced only in Saudia Arabia as far as I know. The Saudi Kings / princes etc have unmarked earthen graves instead of the customary tombs and mausoleums. This is right in keeping with the Islamic injunctions which you noted. The idea is that in Islam, death is just a transition and nothing more, and mourning is discouraged, while Fatiha or prayer for the deceased is all that is encouraged.

    However, I tend to believe the mourning of Moharram is really not mourning for the dead, but rather for that cataclysmic event which split and derailed Islam forever in the brutal manner it did with the physical elimination of two generations of its principal flag-bearers. After all, there is no mourning of Ali's assassination. There would have been too if only the deaths were being mourned.

    In a way, this can be compared with why the orthodox Jews weep at the wailing wall in Jerusalem. The demolishing of their Temple by the Romans scattered their religion and its adherents forever.

    Just a few thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for your enlightening comments...am just working certain things out; will try and post some responses later.

    ReplyDelete
  10. PS:

    I did write this in a spirit of anger trying to understand how faith, that is supposed to be the unifier, is misinterpreted...

    You are probably the first one to ask me to take on other religions...whenever i have done that I am called you-know-what. That does not stop me..
    -
    whatmeworry:

    Good comments...while it is true that one learns from the characters of the religious icons, there continue to be fissures among the sects...

    I go with your analysis,
    "However, I tend to believe the mourning of Moharram is really not mourning for the dead, but rather for that cataclysmic event which split and derailed Islam forever in the brutal manner it did with the physical elimination of two generations of its principal flag-bearers."

    However, I have seen people look for mix-and-match Muharram outfits and even those dressed in trendy westernised black clothes, and I am talking about when i was in school, which was deadly years ago.

    What prompted me was also the behaviour of certain people during the 'period of mourning'. One cannot claim belief and abuse others to defend it.

    And thanks for making a reference to Zainab and her valour...it isn't for nothing that my mother was named after her.
    -
    Anon:

    Why do KPs, Baba Ramdev, Modi etc always come in whenever I write anything? I do not call myself secular, or any such thing. I am 'admonishing' Muslims because they claim to be followers of the words of the Prophet...I have to use the same language and show them 'facts'. Otherwise I have no claim to anything.

    I don't care for mullahs at all, and Zakir Naik is a complete fake. Let me think hard about the one lecture I did attend and then i will produce something just for you...

    I do agree with you re. the picture of the infant's forehead being marked with a cut (don't exagerrate) to commemmorate what happened centuries ago. That does not make Islam the darkest cult because
    1. It is not a cult, unless you join it and become a guru of a separate offshoot!
    2. Doing penance seems to be the problem with all religions and they will use anyone and anything.
    3. Ever seen tantrics? That is like really dark...

    Get your light meter corrected, okay?
    -
    Manzoor:

    Thank you for letting me peep into your thoughts...I suppose when one has the right instincts then knowledge follows...a beastly attitude, but there it is...
    -
    Circle:

    To celebrate the sacrifice the way you do is what faith is about...a personal journey based on certain values you have acquited from the religion. And am sure it gives you peace.
    -
    Mask:

    Yes, there are those who sponge on other people's naivete, be it in faith, in love, in success...and because religion is the only unifying factor among many, this becomes all the more reason to ask questions for only then can we seek answers.

    ReplyDelete
  11. "Ever seen tantrics? That is like really dark"

    Nothing compared to what the muslims do in Muharram..it's a cult for psychos..faith?gimme a break..

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is good! But really is it important? I doubt that! A few denigrates and nonsense that goes on with religion defending it or opposing it, is not worth the time of the day!
    Some do celebrate Moharam with Haleem. Haleem parties that go in town during moharam and on the tenth are to celebrate it and not to observe it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. HP:

    It is important enough to question how 'ideological space' is used...now whether it is worth the 'time of day' or not I wouldn't know...

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.