This paper offers a study on the increasing digitization of Shiʿi Muslim rituals of Arbaʿin, observed on the fortieth day after the martyrdom of Husayn, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, at the battlefield of Karbala, Iraq; his shrine here is visited by....
Read More »In Photos: Arbaeen Int’l Congress Held in Karbala
The 5th edition of Arbaeen International Congress was held for two days at Khatam-ul-Anbiya (PBUH) Hall of the holy shrine of Imam Hussain (AS) in...
Read More »Arbaʻeen: Reflecting Upon the Imam’s Stand
The events surrounding the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) remain controversial among scholars, historians, and lovers of Imam Husayn...
Read More »Article: Karbala Mourning among the Fāṭimid-Ṭayyibī Shīʿa of India
This article transcribes, translates, and analyses the lament to showcase a distinct religious tradition within a hybrid cultural milieu...
Read More »Did Imam al-Husayn (as) Have Prior Information about his Martyrdom?
One of the doubts often raised by skeptics in connection with the event of Karbala is about the Shi‘ah belief that every imam is prescient so has knowledge of things that are hidden from most...
Read More »Imam Sajjad (as) in the Court of Ibn Ziyad
When Ibn Ziyad ordered that Ali ibn Husayn should be killed, Lady Zaynab said: "O son of Ziyad! If you want to kill him kill me along with him". The Imam, however, said: "Dear aunt! Be calm, I shall give him a reply myself". Then he said: "O son of Ziyad! Do you threaten to kill me? Don't you know that being killed is...
Read More »Imam Hussain (A.S) Tried His Best to Avoid Direct Conflict
The entire course of events that led to the battle of Karbala shows that at each and every step Imam Hussain (A.S) tried his best to avoid direct conflict and consequent bloodshed...
Read More »Understanding Karbala: Abridged and Adapted from the Original Work of The Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Saeed al-Hakeem
Based on the work of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Saeed al-Hakeem, this book looks at the driving factors behind Imam Hussain’s journey...
Read More »Book: The Martyrs of Karbala: Shiʻi Symbols and Rituals in Modern Iran
This innovative study examines patterns of change in Shi'i symbols and rituals over the past two centuries to reveal how modernization has influenced the societal, political, and religious culture of...
Read More »Article: Twelver Shia in Edinburgh: Marking Muharram, Mourning Husayn
In light of the relative dearth of scholarship on the Shia in Scotland and of their religious spaces, this article focuses on an annual ritual procession emerging out of a Twelver Shia imambargah in Edinburgh, Scotland, which situates it both within a...
Read More »