Why does mourning for Imam Hussain (PBUH) and his faithful companions begin on the beginning of Muharram, even though he was martyred on the tenth of Muharram?
Answer
According to Shia and Sunni narrations, weeping over Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) in general and Imam Hussain (PBUH) in particular does not have a specific time. But due to the height of the tragedy in the event of Karbala, more emphasis has been placed on crying for Imam Hussain (PBUH) among the Ahl-Al-Bayt, so that even before his martyrdom, the holy existence of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Imam Ali (PBUH), Lady Fatimah (S.A) and Imam Hassan (PBUH) have cried for him, in addition to the fact that in many hadiths, the infallible Imams have ordered to cry and hold a mourning ceremony for him.
Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the head of the Sunni Hanbali sect, quotes Imam Hussain (PBUH) with a correct document about the reward of weeping over the Ahl-Al-Bayt, in his book “Fazael –al- Sahabe”, which is as follows:
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِسْرَائِيلَ، قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ فِي كِتَابِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ بِخَطِّ يَدِهِ، نا أَسْوَدُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، قثنا الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ مُنْذِرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ: كَانَ حُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، يَقُولُ: مَنْ دَمَعَتَا عَيْنَاهُ فِينَا دَمْعَةً، أَوْ قَطَرَتْ عَيْنَاهُ فِينَا قَطْرَةً، أَثْوَاهُ اللَّهُ عز وجل الْجَنَّةَ.
Ahmad ibn Israel says: In the book of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal, I saw his own handwriting that Aswad ibn Amer (Abu Abd al-Rahman) quoted from Rabie ibn Munzer that his father had said: Imam Hussain (PBUH) always said: He who has his eyes filled with tears or shed a drop of tear for us, God will place him in heaven.
“Fazael –al- Sahabe” ibn Hanbal, vol. 2, p. 675, H. 1154
This narration has been mentioned by other Sunni scholars in their books with this phrase and stated that it has been quoted by Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his book “Manaqib”:
1- Moheb al-Din Tabari:
Zakhaer –al- Oghba fi Managhib Zav –el- Ghorba, Vol. 1, p. 19
2- Mula Ali Ghari
Mula Ali –al- Ghari, Merghat –al- Mafatih Sharh –e- Mishkat –al- Masabi, Vol. 9, p. 3980
3- Hanafi Kunduzi: He has narrated this narration in two places in his book.
Al Ghondouzi –al- Hanafi, Yanabie –al- Mawada le Zav –el- Ghorba, Vol. 2, p. 117 & p. 373
Shia sources
Imam Sajjad (PBUH) says in a narration with a correct documentation:
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُوسَى بْنِ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ الْحِمْيَرِيُّ، عَنْ أَحْمَدَ وَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ابْنَيْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ، عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ بْنِ رَزِينٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: كَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ يَقُولُ: أَيُّمَا مُؤْمِنٍ دَمَعَتْ عَيْنَاهُ لِقَتْلِ الْحُسَيْنِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حَتَّى تَسِيلَ عَلَى خَدِّهِ بَوَّأَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِهَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ غُرَفاً يَسْكُنُهَا أَحْقَاباً، وَ أَيُّمَا مُؤْمِنٍ دَمَعَتْ عَيْنَاهُ حَتَّى تَسِيلَ عَلَى خَدِّهِ فِيمَا مَسَّنَا مِنَ الْأَذَى مِنْ عَدُوِّنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا بَوَّأَهُ اللَّهُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مُبَوَّأَ صِدْقٍ، وَ أَيُّمَا مُؤْمِنٍ مَسَّهُ أَذًى فِينَا فَدَمَعَتْ عَيْنَاهُ حَتَّى تَسِيلَ عَلَى خَدِّهِ مِنْ مَضَاضَةِ مَا أُوذِيَ فِينَا صَرَفَ اللَّهُ عَنْ وَجْهِهِ الْأَذَى وَ آمَنَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ سَخَطِهِ وَ النَّارِ.
Imam Baqir (PBUH) said, Imam Sajjad (PBUH) always used to say: Every faithful one whose eyes are filled with tears because of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (PBUH), until tears flow down on his cheeks, God Almighty provides a place in Paradise where he will be a resident for a long time, and every faithful one who sheds tears on his cheeks because of the persecution that has befallen us from our enemies, God will provide him with a proper and good position, and every faithful one who is persecuted in our way (Ahl-Al-Bayt) and his eyes be filled with tears and tears would flow on his cheeks, God will remove the annoyance from him and will save him from the torment of fire on Judgment Day.
Sadouq, ‘Thawab –al- Aamal va Ighab –al- Aamal’, p. 83
The narration quoted about the sorrow and grief of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (PBUH) in the narrations is very significant and is a practical example of the tradition of the Ahl-Al-Bayt in this regard. In the precious book of Sheikh Saduq ‘Al-Amali’, in a valid narration, it is quoted from Imam Reza (PBUH):
حَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَسْرُورٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ عَنْ عَمِّهِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَبِي مَحْمُودٍ قَالَ قَالَ الرِّضَا ع …كَانَ أَبِي ع إِذَا دَخَلَ شَهْرُ الْمُحَرَّمِ لَا يُرَى ضَاحِكاً وَ كَانَتِ الْكِئَابَةُ تَغْلِبُ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَمْضِيَ مِنْهُ عَشَرَةُ أَيَّامٍ فَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ الْعَاشِرِ كَانَ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمُ يَوْمَ مُصِيبَتِهِ وَ حُزْنِهِ وَ بُكَائِهِ وَ يَقُولُ هُوَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي قُتِلَ فِيهِ الْحُسَيْنُ ع.
Imam Reza (PBUH) said: … When the first day of Muharram came, my father was not seen smiling and he was overwhelmed with sorrow until the tenth day of Muharram, the tenth day was the day of his sorrow and grief and he said in this day Hussain (PBUH) was killed.
Al-Sheikh Al-Saduq, Al-Amali, vol. 1, p.191
The above narration cited the practice of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (PBUH) that from the beginning of Muharram the mourning of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (PBUH), sorrow and grief prevailed over him and reached its peak on the day of Ashura. But the practice of Ahl-Al-Bayt is not summarized in this case, but it has been narrated from some Imams from Ahl-Al-Bayt who elegized on the first day of Muharram, which we will discuss below:
Imam Reza (PBUH) elegizing on the first day of Muharram
It is narrated in some authentic narrations that Ryan ibn Shabib entered upon Imam Reza (PBUH) on the first day of Muharram, and after the expression of some religious teachings by Imam Reza (PBUH), he recited the elegy and the murder of Imam Hussain (PBUH) for Ryan ibn Shabbib; Sheikh Saduq, may God have mercy on him, quotes this narration in his valuable book Al-Amali:
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ مَاجِيلَوَيْهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الرَّيَّانِ بْنِ شَبِيبٍ قَالَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى الرِّضَا ع فِي أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ مِنَ الْمُحَرَّمِ … قَالَ يَا ابْنَ شَبِيبٍ إِنَّ الْمُحَرَّمَ هُوَ الشَّهْرُ الَّذِي كَانَ أَهْلُ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فِيمَا مَضَى يُحَرِّمُونَ فِيهِ الظُّلْمَ وَ الْقِتَالَ لِحُرْمَتِهِ فَمَا عَرَفَتْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ حُرْمَةَ شَهْرِهَا وَ لَا حُرْمَةَ نَبِيِّهَا ص لَقَدْ قَتَلُوا فِي هَذَا الشَّهْرِ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ وَ سَبَوْا نِسَاءَهُ وَ انْتَهَبُوا ثَقَلَهُ فَلَا غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ أَبَداً يَا ابْنَ شَبِيبٍ إِنْ كُنْتَ بَاكِياً لِشَيْءٍ فَابْكِ لِلْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ع فَإِنَّهُ ذُبِحَ كَمَا يُذْبَحُ الْكَبْشُ وَ قُتِلَ مَعَهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلًا مَا لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ شَبِيهُونَ وَ لَقَدْ بَكَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَ الْأَرَضُونَ لِقَتْلِهِ وَ لَقَدْ نَزَلَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ أَرْبَعَةُ آلَافٍ لِنَصْرِهِ فَوَجَدُوهُ قَدْ قُتِلَ فَهُمْ عِنْدَ قَبْرِهِ شُعْثٌ غُبْرٌ إِلَى أَنْ يَقُومَ الْقَائِمُ فَيَكُونُونَ مِنْ أَنْصَارِهِ وَ شِعَارُهُمْ يَا لَثَارَاتِ الْحُسَيْنِ يَا ابْنَ شَبِيبٍ لَقَدْ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ ع أَنَّهُ لَمَّا قُتِلَ الْحُسَيْنُ جَدِّي ص مَطَرَتِ السَّمَاءُ دَماً وَ تُرَاباً أَحْمَر….
Ryan ibn Shabib says: On the first day of Muharram, I arrived upon Imam Reza (PBUH). The Imam said: O son of Shabib! Indeed, Muharram is a month in which the people of the time of ignorance considered oppression and killing people to be forbidden in this month in order to preserve the sanctity of this month; But this nation (nation of Islam) did not recognize the sanctity of this month and the sanctity of its prophet, and in this month they killed his descendants and captured his wives and looted his property; So God will never have mercy on them. O son of Shabib, if you want to weep for someone, weep for Hussain ibn Ali, peace be upon him, who was beheaded like a sheep, and eighteen members of his family, who were not on earth like them, were killed with him, heaven and earth cried for him. A thousand angels came down to help him and found him murdered, and they are sad and dusty by his grave until Imam Mahdi (PBUH) rises, when he appears, those angels help him and their slogan is “for the avenge of Hussain (PBUH)”. O son of Shabib! My father narrated to me from his father and his grandfather that when my grandfather (PBUH) was killed, the sky rained blood and red soil…
Al-Sheikh Al-Saduq, p.192
In the above narration, it was observed that Imam Reza (PBUH) paid special attention to crying and mourning for Imam Hussain (PBUH), so much so that they personally expressed the murdering for Ryan ibn Shabib.
From what has been said, it became clear that first of all, weeping and mourning for Ahl-Al-Bayt is not dedicated to a specific time and there is no reason to mourn for those nobles only on the day of their martyrdom, but weeping and mourning for the infallibles especially Imam Hussain (PBUH) is recommended at all times. On the other hand, mourning for Imam Hussain (PBUH) from the first day of Muharram has always been in the life of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (PBUH) and Imam Reza and since the action of Imam (PBUH) is a proof for Shias, they have been holding mourning ceremonies and elegizing for Imam Hussain (PBUH) since the beginning of Muharram.
