Ashura Encyclopedia (book)

'Ashura Encyclopedia

Author	Shaykh Jawad Muhaddithy
Original title	فرهنگ عاشورا
Language	Persian
Series	1 vol.
Subject	Event of 'Ashura
Publisher	Ma'roof publication
Pages	544
Awards	The fourth Wilayah book, 2002-3
English translation
En. title	Ashura Encyclopedia
En. publisher	CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
En. full text	al-Islam.org

ʿAshura Encyclopedia (Persian: فرهنگ عاشورا) is an encyclopaedia on 'Ashura written by Jawad Muhaddithy. This book (Farsi edition) received the fourth Wilayah book of the year title in 2002-3 and is a collection of subjects related to Ashura focusing on people, groups, places, books, terminology, traditions, rituals, written teachings and other related aspects. These titles are arranged in an alphabetical order.

Author

Jawad Muhaddithy was born in Sarab, eastern Azerbaijan province in 1331 Sh/1952-3. His main teachers were martyrs Quddusi, Muffattih and Shahabadi and the Grand scholars: Mishkini, Wahid Khurasani, Shubayri Zanjani, Jannati. He has compiled several books on religious topics such as the forty Lamentation tranditions, Prophetic ethics, and the visage of Shiite belief.

Rewards

This book was rewarded as the best Wilayah book of the year along with 14 other works.

Publication Information

'Ashura Encyclopaedia was compiled in 1995-6 by Jawad Muhaddithy and published for the first time by “Ma'roof publication” in Qom. The 17th edition was published by the same publication in 2014-5. This book has 544 pages.

Selected content of this book in 54 pages is translated into English.

Aim of Compilation

The author states that his aim of authoring this book was compiling a convenient accessible purposeful book that carried the necessary knowledge regarding the everlasting movement of Ashura in the era of event and today.

Content

The list of all subjects has been printed at the end of the book and is as follows:

People

This chapter lists the names and epithets of those present in Karbala or related to 'Ashura. It includes 292 sub chapters that introduce those figures present in Karbala such as Imam al-Husayn (a), 'Abbas (a), Imam al-Sajjad (a), Lady Zaynab (a), Habib b. Muzahir and Zuhayr b. Qayn as well as Yazid b. Mu'awiya, 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad, 'Umar b. Sa'd, Shimr b. Dhi l-Jawshan, Khawli and Harmala. The author has also introduced figures such as Mu'awiya, Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, Hani b. 'Urwa, Farazdaq and Muhammad b. Hanafiyya, who were not present in Karbala but related to 'Ashura. .

Subjects and Concepts

This chapter has listed several concepts and subjects of Ashura. There are 146 topics in this chapter that discuss subjects such as the consequences of Ashura, The literature of Ashura, Ashura distortions, The secret to the eternity of Ashura, Ashura and al-Amr bi l-Ma'ruf, traditional mourning, the stages of 'Ashura movement, Movement or riot? And other concepts as such, captivity, self-denial, weeping, jihad, bravery, patience, chivalry, sacrifice, mourning and loyalty have been discussed.

Locations and Cities

This part lists the cities, locations and places related to Ashura. There are 95 topics that talk about places such as the Husayniyya, Damascus, Iraq, Euphrates, Karbala, The Sacrifice Pit, 'Alqama river and Nineveh are amongst the important locations the author has described in this book.

Tools and Instruments

This part is a list of 31 tools and instruments related to 'Ashura. Topics such as Bayad, flag, three blade arrow, The Bamboo, the Cymbal, Drum, The chains and shackles, camel litter and the leather water canteen are among the 'Ashura related tools described in this book.

Events

This part lists the Ashura related events. There are 36 headings such as putting the tents on fire, Tasu'a, Mukhtar's Uprising, the Eve of 'Ashura, 'Ashura and the Battle of Harra.

Objects and Phenomena

This part talks about 35 objects related to Ashura. The book lists headings such as Water, straw mat, the thorn spines, the Ziziphus tree, The hero of Karbala, the club and the cane.

Terminology

This part of the book carries an index of Ashura-related terminology that includes interpretation, traditions, and verses famous as proverbs. The total is 79 that includes terms such as Consent for the battlefield, Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn, crying blood, the ten days of Ashura, the Hexagonal grave, The Karbala'iyan, lamentators, the writers of Maqtal wolrks, The author of tragedy, the mediators, and the person who reads on the tragedy of Karbala and O Revengers of Husayn.

Books

This part of the book lists all the books that have been used as reference in this book. These books are such as Adab al-taff, Husayn warith-i Adam, al-Luhuf and Nafas al-mahmum.

Groups

The special and real or allegorical and fictitious groups and tribes are put in this section. It includes 33 topics such as Captives of the Prophet's Household, Banu Umayya, the lamentation groups, the Husayni tribes, the Kufis, seventy-two people.