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Bani 'Amir Mourning Procession on Arba'in

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Bani 'Amir Mourning Procession on Arba'in
An image of the Bani 'Amer mourning procession in the Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a)
An image of the Bani 'Amer mourning procession in the Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a)
Time19th of Safar
PlaceBayn al-Haramayn
Symbolic
Objects		Uniform white clothes • Visual and performing arts


Banī ʿĀmir Procession is one of the largest mourning processions of Arba'in in Iraq, which belongs to a tribe from the city of Basra. This procession begins its movement every year from the beginning of the month of Safar and performs the mourning ritual of Arba'in al-Husayni on the 19th of Safar by attending Bayn al-Haramayn.

The Bani 'Amir cortege attempts to convey messages appropriate to concurrent conditions by combining traditional rituals with visual and performing arts. The uniform white clothes of the members, the organized structure of the concurrent and the performance of ceremonies with religious slogans and the display of Quranic verses in Bayn al-Haramayn are among the extraoridinary features of this concurrent during the Arba'in season.

Bani 'Amir Ritual in Arba'in

The Bani 'Amir procession is one of the largest and most well-known mourning processions of Arba'in in Iraq, belonging to the Bani 'Amir tribe in the city of Basra[1] and is considered part of the Ashura culture of the Iraqi people.[2] This procession, known among Arab speakers as "Mawkib Bani 'Amir",[3] starts its movement from the city of Basra every year at the beginning of the month of Safar. After moving a long distance, it arrives in Karbala on the 19th of Safar and then holds the Arba'in mourning cermony by attending Bayn al-Haramayn.[4]

In addition to holding mourning rituals, the Bani 'Amir concurrent has managed to turn this long-standing tradition into a symbol of solidarity, faith, and loyalty to Husayni ideals during Arba'in by misuse visual arts, artistic performances, and communicate messages appropriate to current conditions.[5]

An image of the performing arts of the Bani 'Amir procession in Bayn al-Haramayn with the message "Inna al-Husayn safīnat al-najāt" (Verily Husayn is the ark of salvation).

Appearance Characteristics

Members of the Bani 'Amir procession participate in the ceremony wearing uniform white clothes, which differentiate them from other mourners.[6] According to some sources, thousands of members of this procession mourn in the Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a) every year with these clothes and a specific order.[7] These clothes include a short-sleeved shirt with an image of the dome of the Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a) on the front and the phrase "Mawkib Bani 'Amir" further it. On the back of the shirt, a design of the same dome is seen, under which a ring number and another number are inscribed.[8]

Displaying the "Verse of I'tisam" in the Bani 'Amir mourning procession.

It is said that these numbers represent the division of the 30,000 servants of the Bani 'Amir procession into 40 rings, each containing 750 people; a symbol of the number forty and the Ziyarat al-Arba'in. Also, the white clothes worn by the servants are regarded as a symbol of Hajj to the Ka'ba of freemen, i.e., Imam al-Husayn (a), and its purpose is stated to be the display of unity, order, and solidarity among the mourners.[9]

Content of the Ceremony

Members of the Bani 'Amir procession begin their mourning ceremony in Bayn al-Haramayn with the chant of "Labbayk ya Husayn"[10] and then display a manifestation of attachment to the Ahl al-Bayt (a) by chanting religious and Quranic slogans.[11] Installing verses of the Quran in the space between the Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a) and the Shrine of al-Abbas (a),[12] such as displaying the verse "Wa-ʿtasimu bi-habl Allah jamiʿan wa-la tafarraqu" (Verse of I'tisam), is another performance of the Bani 'Amir procession.[13]

Notes

  1. ↑ Hāshimī Dahsurkhī, Farhangnāma-yi Arbaʿīn-i Imām Ḥusayn ʿalayhi al-salām, pp. 196–197.
  2. ↑ "Banī ʿĀmir buzurgtarīn mawkib-i Arbaʿīn hamrāh bā hunar wa funūn-i tajassumī", ABNA News Agency; "ʿAzādārī-yi dasta-yi maʿrūf-i Banī ʿĀmir dar Bayn al-Ḥaramayn", Pāygāh-i Iṭṭilāʿ-risānī-yi Hayʾat-i Razmandagān-i Islām.
  3. ↑ "Mawkib 'Banī ʿĀmir' yuḥyī ziyārat al-Arbaʿīn bi-rafʿ āyāt min al-Qurʾān", Markaz al-Islām al-Aṣīl lil-Thaqāfa wa al-Islām; "Mā alladhī yumayyiz mawkib Banī ʿĀmir wasaṭ malāyīn al-zāʾirīn?", Al-Utba al-Husayniyya al-Muqaddasa.
  4. ↑ "Banī ʿĀmir buzurgtarīn mawkib-i Arbaʿīn hamrāh bā hunar wa funūn-i tajassumī", ABNA News Agency; "ʿAzādārī-yi dasta-yi maʿrūf-i Banī ʿĀmir dar Bayn al-Ḥaramayn", Pāygāh-i Iṭṭilāʿ-risānī-yi Hayʾat-i Razmandagān-i Islām.
  5. ↑ "Bani 'Amir buzurgtarīn mawkib-i Arbaʿīn hamrāh bā hunar wa funūn-i tajassumī", ABNA News Agency; "ʿAzādārī-yi dasta-yi maʿrūf-i Banī ʿĀmir dar Bayn al-Ḥaramayn", Pāygāh-i Iṭṭilāʿ-risānī-yi Hayʾat-i Razmandagān-i Islām.
  6. ↑ "ʿAzādārī-yi qabīla-yi Banī ʿĀmir dar Bayn al-Ḥaramayn dar āstāna-yi rūz-i Arbaʿīn", Al-Alam News Network.
  7. ↑ Hāshimī Dahsurkhī, Farhangnāma-yi Arbaʿīn-i Imām Ḥusayn ʿalayhi al-salām, pp. 196–197.
  8. ↑ "Mushāhid min inṭilāq ʿazāʾ ʿashīrat Banī ʿĀmir fī Karbalāʾ al-Muqaddasa", Iza'at Tehran.
  9. ↑ "Mā alladhī yumayyiz mawkib Banī ʿĀmir wasaṭ malāyīn al-zāʾirīn?", Al-Utba al-Husayniyya al-Muqaddasa.
  10. ↑ "ʿAzādārī-yi mawkib-i Banī ʿĀmir", ISNA News Agency.
  11. ↑ "Ḥarakat-i buzurgtarīn mawkib-i ʿazādārān az janūb-i ʿIrāq bi samt-i Karbalā", IQNA News Agency.
  12. ↑ "Mawkib 'Banī ʿĀmir' yuḥyī ziyārat al-Arbaʿīn bi-rafʿ āyāt min al-Qurʾān", Markaz al-Islām al-Aṣīl lil-Thaqāfa wa al-Islām.
  13. ↑ "Dasta-yi ʿazādārān-i Banī ʿĀmir dar Karbalā-yi Muʿallā", Young Journalists Club.

References

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