Ethnography of Lamentation: Azadari as It Exists in the Tri-State Shii Community and Its Future in the American Milieu.

By Safi Haider

This book is about the Muharam practices of the Shi’i community in the Tri-State area, what it's practices are, and what the future of these practices are in the American milieu. It seeks to analyze through ethnography what each of the cultural communities are and how does this play out in the wider American Shi’i culture.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664163102

Safi Haider

Maulana Syed Safi Haider Abidi is a graduate of Religious Studies from Hartford Seminary and is currently pursuing his higher education at New York Theological Seminary, where he will be getting a degree in pastoral counseling. He is also a graduate of William Paterson University, where he did his bachelors in religious studies. He is also currently pursing his traditional Islamic Education with Ayatullah Syed Hosseing Saberi. The Syed is a prolific speaker and author who has spoken at numerous venues. His first book, which goes to prove his educational prowess, was on the mysticism of Mulla Sadra.

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Copyright © 2021 by Safi Haider.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 03/11/2021

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1    The History of Early Shi’i Islam and the Historiography of Azadari and its Importance to Shi’i and the Early Development of Azadari in the Safavid

Chapter 2    Methodology

Chapter 3    The Origins and Demographic makeup of the American Muslims and American Shi’i community

Chapter 4    Azadari in the Indo-Pak American Communities

Chapter 5    Azadari In Indo-Pakistani American communities

Chapter 6    Azadari in Iranian American Communities

Chapter 7    Afghan Azadari

Chapter 8    Arabic Speaking Cultures and their Azadari

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

Setting up the framework for the discussion

Azadari comes to define the mourning practices aimed at immortalizing the martyrdom stories of Prophet Muḥammad’s family, particularly when it comes to Imam Ḥusayn and his companions. It is supposed to transcend barriers and establish a connection to the Universal Divine. Practiced differently by various cultures, people have different understandings of what it practically entails. Azadari as it exist in the tristate (New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) Shi’i community, has various cultural factors and different hues and perspectives. The interactions between these with other cultures and the American environment will shape what the future of azadari will look like in America. These cultures include the Indo-Pakistani, the Iranian, the Afghan, and the Arabic speaking cultures. It is the interaction of these with each other and the American society at large that will determine what the future of azadari is in America. The Shi’i community in the United States is organized ethnically. The future of American Shi’ism will be determined by how the community is manifested in the American fabric.

First of all, to understand what we mean by azadari, we need to get a basic understanding of the history of Shi’ism and the formation of its early identity before the battle of Karbala in which Imam Ḥusayn, the grandson of Prophet Muḥammad and third Imam of the Shi’i, was martyred. This is done in Chapter One of this essay. This chapter explores the early schisms of Islam which unfolded directly after the death of Prophet Muḥammad. This schism revolved around the issue of leadership of the Muslim community. One group, which later became known as the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah (Sunni), argued that the Prophet had not left a successor and that he had left the issue of leadership for the Muslims to decide. There were differences in this group as well, as was expressed at Saqifah, regarding who from among them should be the successor.¹ This group, however, coalesced around the successor ship of Abu Bakr. He was chosen as the first caliph.² The second group, which became known as the Shi’i’s, argued that it was impossible that the Prophet had not left a successor. They would argue that the personage of ‘Ali was the declared successor to Prophet Muḥammad. The issue of leadership would come up after the death of the third Caliph, ‘Uthman, after which ‘Ali was chosen as Caliph.³ It would reap its ugly head up again after the passing of Mu‘ awiyah, the founder of the ‘Umayyid Dynasty, after whom Yazid, his son, was chosen as caliph. Yazid had demanded loyalty of Imam Ḥusayn. The latter refused and the battle of Karbala ensued. Imam Ḥusayn and his caravan were brutally murdered at the plains of Karbala, the bodies of the martyrs decapitated, and the womenfolk and Imam Sajjad (Imam Ḥusayns son) were taken into captivity. It was during this journey of tears that the most vocal declarations against Yazid’s rule were given by Imam Ḥusyan’s sister, Lady Zaynab, and the fourth Shi’i Imam, Imam al-Sajjad.⁴

Associated with this comes the issue of the historiography of Karbala and its importance to Shi’i Muslims and a basic history of what azadari took place, and by whom, after the martyrdom of Imam Ḥusayn. What is also needed here is a basic discussion of the early history of azadari. In this regard it is explained that Imam Ḥusayn was the emblem of justice, the inheritor of all the Prophets and the men of God. The Shi’is believe that the first group to mourn Imam Ḥusayn was the prophets and then the tawwabun, the repenters, and they were brutally killed.⁵ The one exception that was saved to see the Imamate of the fifth Shi’i Imam was Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah al-Ansari, the famous companion of the Prophet. After them a group that became known as the Kaisaniyyah, led by Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, rose up to avenge the blood of Imam Ḥusayn. This group declared the Imamate of Imam Ḥusayn’s half-brother Muḥammad al-Ḥanafiyyah instead of Imam Sajjad.⁶

Second, as discussed in Chapter Two, in order to get a holistic understanding of this research we must also ask the question; What is ethnography? This is the discussion of the succeeding chapter. A working definition of ethnography will be established, along with the particulars of this study, including the various limitations of the work.

Chapter Three discusses the basic demographics of the Muslim community in the United States, its basic foundations, the ethnic breakup of Muslims, the role of mosques, Imams, and national foundations. Statistics as to the breakup of the Muslim community in America in general, and the Shi’i community in specific, are also discussed.

What follows this basic framework is the essence of this thesis, which consists of chapters on the various cultures in the tristate Shi’i community and how they express their azadari. This is the beginning of the ethnographic section of the work at hand. First, in Chapter Four, to be discussed is the azadari of the Indo-Pakistani Shi’i, starting with a basic definition of some of the terms of azadari, including the words matam, majlis, ta’ziya, jalus, ‘alam, noḥa/latmiya, zuljanah, nazar/langar, zanjeer, and qama/tadbeer⁷. Issues related to language, gender, demographics, migration patterns, youth involvement, will be discussed in the ethnography. The role of the mosque and the cleric will also