The Shi I Islamic Martyrdom Narratives Of Imam Al Usayn

Martyrdom narratives (maqtals) represent a prominent genre of Islamic, particularly Shiʽi, literature. In this genre, the heart-rending aspects of the martyrdom scenes of religiously prominent people are depicted graphically. Although not exclusively limited to the martyrdom accounts of Imam al-Ḥusayn and his companions, who were martyred on the plain of Karbala, Iraq, a great majority of Islamic martyrdom narratives deal with the Ashura episodes. As the first book-length treatment of this genre in English, this text takes the reader from the dawn of Islam in ancient Arabia, exploring the background of the Battle of Karbala and giving a view of the various maqtals and several related studies. Although examining Arabic and Persian sources, this book presupposes little background knowledge on the part of the reader.

The martyrdom of Imam Husayn (a) sent shockwaves through the early Muslim community. Today, this tragedy is still remembered, studied, and commemorated. However, in recent years, there have been increasing questions over the reliability of the historical accounts of his martyrdom. What material is reliable, and what sources can be used when presenting the narrative of his martyrdom to others? The Chronicles of the Martyrdom of Imam Husayn was compiled to fill the need for a strongly reliable source on Imam Husayn’s (a) final days. Meticulously researched, it contains narrations about the Imam’s last stand that are found only in the earliest extant sources. Hand-selected for their reliability, they have been arranged and translated into fluid, precise English. No detail of the narrative of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (a) has been left out, from his fateful journey towards Iraq, to the journey of the captives afterwards and the events surrounding Arba‘in. The Chronicles also includes narrations on related topics of interest, such as the custom of mourning the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (a) and fasting on the day of Ashura. Ample preliminary matter written by recognised Islamic scholars addresses the question of the reliability of early and medieval sources, the nature of the oral versus the written tradition, and the challenges faced in the modern era in presenting a reliable account of Imam Husayn’s (a) martyrdom. The Arabic text of the narrations has been included throughout, and the work is rounded out with five detailed maps of the Imam’s journey. This work is certain to find a special place in the personal library of historians, students and scholars of Islam, those speaking from the pulpit, and anyone with an interest in Imam Husayn ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (a). Compiled by Muhammad Muhammadi Rayshahri Translated by Abbas Jaffer

This issue of the American Journal of Islam and Society comprises four main research articles, each shedding light on the diverse ways in which the Islamic legal and theological tradition has shaped and intersected with premodern and modern societies. To start closer to home: Sam Houston’s contribution entitled “The “Metaphysical Monster” and Muslim Theology: William James, Sherman Jackson, and the Problem of Black Suffering” places American Muslim scholar Sherman A. Jackson’s important monograph Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering in conversation with the work of American pragmatist philosopher William James and suggests that Jackson’s account parallels James’s account of religion in that it speaks of the “practical effectiveness” of the “web of beliefs” constituting Islamic doctrines of God. Our next article explores the practical engagement of the official ulama as spokespersons of the Islamic legal and theological tradition in a different field: post-2011 Egypt. In his article entitled, “Ideals and Interests in Intellectuals’ Political Deliberations: The Arab Spring and the Divergent Paths of Egypt’s Shaykh al-Azhar Ahmad al-Tayyib and Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa,” Muhammad Amasha calls into question the commonplace generalizations about the ulama as being either pro-revolution or pro-regime by examining the politics of two prominent members of the pro-establishment ulama class. Syamsuddin Arif in his “Rethinking the Concept of Fiṭra: Natural Disposition, Reason and Conscience,” turns our attention to an understudied dimension of Islamic psychology: the role of innate human nature, or fiṭra, in the motivation behind human action. Drawing on recent Western as well as Islamicate scholarship, it attends to the biological, epistemological, and ethical dimensions of this Qur’anic concept, suggesting that it be treated not only as the natural tendency for humans to act or think in a particular way, but specifically as the religious, ethical, and rational instinct. Finally, Fateh Saeidi’s “The Early Sufi Tradition in Hamadān, Nahāwand, and Abhar: Stories of Devotion, Mystical Experiences, and Sufi Texts” explores the history of the development of early Sufism in Hamadān, Nahāwand, and Abhar through an analysis of three significant but understudied early Sufi texts: Karāmāt Sheikh abī ʻalī al-Qūmsānī by Ibn Zīrak al-Nahāwandī (d. 471/1078), Ādāb al-fuqarāʼ by Bābā Jaʻfar al-Abharī (d. 428/1036), and Rawḍat al-murīdīn by Ibn Yazdānyār

A compilation of lectures by Dr Ali Shariati on the concept of martyrdom, and the importance of martyrdom in Shi'ite ideologyThis book is one of the many Islamic publications distributed by Ahlulbayt Organization throughout the world in different languages with the aim of conveying the message of Islam to the people of the world. Ahlulbayt Organization (www.shia.es) is a registered Organization that operates and is sustained through collaborative efforts of volunteers in many countries around the world, and it welcomes your involvement and support. Its objectives are numerous, yet its main goal is to spread the truth about the Islamic faith in general and the Shi`a School of Thought in particular due to the latter being misrepresented, misunderstood and its tenets often assaulted by many ignorant folks, Muslims and non-Muslims. Organization's purpose is to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge through a global medium, the Internet, to locations where such resources are not commonly or easily accessible or are resented, resisted and fought! In addition, For a complete list of our published books please refer to our website (www.shia.es) or send us an email to [email protected]

5 War and Peace in Shi'i Primary Narratives and Sources -- 6 Traditional Shi'i Ethics of War and Peace Untested: Jihad, Ideology, Revolution, and War -- 7 Postwar Revision and the Reconstruction of Modern Iranian-Shi'i Ethics of War and Peace -- 8 Terrorism and Shi'i Theologies of Martyrdom, Nonviolence, and Forgiveness -- 9 Diplomacy in between Nuclear Technology and Antibomb Theology -- Conclusion: Beyond a Minority Mentality: The Emerging Shi'i-Iranian Cosmopolitanism

The late President of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970), has been represented in many major works of Egyptian literature and film, and continues to have a presence in everyday life and discourse in the country. Omar Khalifah's analysis of these representations focuses on how the historical character of Nasser has emerged in the Egyptian imaginary. He explores the recurrent images of Nasser in literature and film and shows how Nasser constitutes a perfect site for plural interpretations. He argues that Nasser has become a rhetorical device, a figure of speech, a trope that connotes specific images constantly invoked whenever he is mentioned. His study makes a case for literature and art to be seen as alternative archives that question, erase, distort and add to the official history of Nasser.

In the tenth century Shiˀa scholars assembled accounts of twelve imams’ lives, portraying them as miracle workers who were betrayed. These biographies invoked shared cultural memories, shaped communal responses and ritual practices of mourning, and inspired Shiˀa identity and religious imagination for centuries to come, Matthew Pierce shows.

The book, Imām Ḥusayn The Savior of Islam, compiled by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi, contains seven sections that discuss different aspects related to the event of Karbalâ. In addition, six sections are written or translated by either Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi or Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi. Husayn – The Heir of the Divine Guides (by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi), takes a general look at the event of Karbalâ in a very factual way. It answers questions such as ‘Who was Imam Husayn?’ ‘What did he do?’, ‘Against whom?’, and ‘Why?’. Due to its factual nature, this section of the book can easily be used in an Islamic History class, since it provides an accurate historical account of what took place through the Shî`ah perspective. The language used is also quite simple and easy for children and adults alike to understand. The Martyr – An Analysis (by Ayatullah Mutahhari, translated by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi), discusses the status and sanctity of martyrdom in Islam, using Imam Husayn as an example. This chapter provides the reader with a much deeper insight into the issue of martyrdom and even jihad, even exploring the rationale and way of thinking of a martyr. Furthermore, it puts into perspective the struggle of Imam Husayn and reminds us of his greater mission. The Martyrs of Karbalâ (by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi), is once again quite factual, in that it lists the names of the people martyred in Karbalâ according to: their tribe, their relation to Imam Husayn a, whether they died in Karbalâ or afterwards, and their relationship to the other martyrs. In my view, this section would probably be of most use to a young scholar who is conducting research on the event. The Family of Imam Husayn (by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi), sheds some light on the women and children in Imam Husayn’s a family, particularly about their cultural and familial origins. Hind or Uraynab, A Good Example of Umayyad Propaganda (by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi), is perhaps the most distinct in the entire book. It discusses the narration of an event involving the marriage of Imam Hasan or Imam Husayn to a woman named Uraynab or Hind, who chose to marry the Imam instead of Yazîd. Thus, the narration implies that the conflict between Imam Husayn and Yazîd originated due to a fight over a woman, and had little to do with ‘the Truth’. However, what is strange about this narration is that it has six uniquely different versions. In order to indicate the various flaws in the event, the author chooses to analyze and crosscheck all six of the narrations, and to evaluate them historically. In doing so, the author successfully illustrates an example of an Umayyad-fabricated narration, which happens to have no basis whatsoever. The Selected Sayings and Letters of Imam Husayn, (by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi). In most of theses letters and sayings, Imam defines and again re-defines his purpose of traveling to Karbalâ, for example he says: “I am not rising (against Yazîd) as an insolent, or an arrogant [person], or a mischief-monger or as a tyrant. I have risen as I seek to reform the ummah of my grandfather. I wish to bid the good and forbid the evil …”. The Life of Imam Husayn, which happens to be the longest section of the book, and is reproduced from Shaykh al-Mufid’s Kitãb al-Irshãd (translated by Doctor I. K. A. Howard). It is a semi-detailed account of the entire life of the Imam, starting from his birth, going on to talk about the period of his khilafa, to the cause of his death and his place of burial. It then includes a chronological list on the life of all fourteen Ma`sûmîn.