Demolition of the Shrine of al-'Askariyyayn (a)

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Destruction of the shrine of al-'Askariyyayn (a) due to terrorist explosions

The Demolition of the Holy Shrine of al-'Askariyyayn refers to the explosion and destruction of the holy shrines of Imam al-Hadi (a) and Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) by excommunicationist (Takfiri) terrorist in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The incident led to reactions and condemnations by Shiite authorities and Shia Muslims around the world.

The shrine of al-'Askariyyayn (a) was reconstructed by the Iranian Committee for Reconstruction of 'Atabat 'Aliyat between 2010 and 2015.

The Shrine of al-'Askariyyayn

Main article: Shrine of al-'Askariyyayn
The shrine of al-'Askariyyayn before the Demolition.

The shrine of al-'Askariyyayn is the mausoleum of Imam al-Hadi (a) (Martyred. 254/868), the tenth Shiite Imam, and his son Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) (Martyred. 260/874), the eleventh Imam of the Shia. The shrine is located in Samarra and is a frequent destination for Shia pilgrims.[1]

The First Demolition

The First Demolition in 1427/2006.

Using explosives, terrorists associated with Al-Qaeda destroyed the shrine on February 22, 2006, which corresponds to Muharram 23 of 1427 AH.[2] The bombing caused extensive damage to the bricks, golden dome, and tiles of the shrine’s walls. However, the foundations of the dome and the walls themselves remained intact.[3]

Reactions

The incident triggered a strong response from Shiite authorities and scholars of Iranian and Iraqi seminary schools, with seminary courses being suspended.[4] Moreover, in both Iran and Iraq, markets were shut down and a period of public mourning was declared.[5] In Iran, Shiite authorities and scholars of Qom’s seminary schools held of protest at the A'zam Mosque of Qom.[6] Furthermore, Ayatollah Khamenei and other political figures in Iran and Iraq also issued statements condemning the attack.[7]

The attack on the shrine of al-'Askariyyayn also drew condemnation from officials in Islamic countries, European governments, and the Secretary General of the United Nations at the time.

The Second Demolition

The shrine of al-'Askariyyayn after the second Demolition.

On June 13, 2007, which corresponds to Jumada al-Awwal 27, 1428 AH, two explosions took place in the shrine of al-'Askariyyayn, causing the complete destruction of its minarets.[8]

Prior to the attacks in 2006 and 2007, the shrine had been attacked twice in 1355-6/1937-8, during which its assets were stolen.[9]

Motivations of the Attackers

According to some analysts, politically speaking, the attack on the shrine of al-'Askariyyayn (a) was carried out with the aim of creating division between Shia and Sunni Muslims, in line with the objectives of the US, the UK, and the Israeli regime. Religiously speaking, the attack is seen as stemming from Wahhabi beliefs about the prohibition of Building over graves and visiting graves.[10] According to Ibn Taymiyya, it is forbidden to build over graves, and such constructions must be demolished.[11] The Wahhabis had previously demolished all historical monuments in al-Baqi' Cemetery in 1344/1926, based on the fatwas issued by their muftis.[12] However, this belief is contrary to the commonly held view among Muslims.[13]

Reconstruction

Reconstruction of the dome of al-'Askariyyayn shrine.

The dome of the Shrine of al-'Askariyyayn (a) was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thus, after its demolition, UNESCO was initially responsible for its reconstruction, but due to slow progress, the Iraqi government later assigned the task to the Iranian Committee for Reconstruction of 'Atabat 'Aliyat.[14]

The reconstruction of the shrine of al-Imamayn al-'Askariyyayn (a) was completed in September 2015. The head of the Committee for Reconstruction of 'Atabat 'Aliyat stated that the project was completed in several phases, including the construction, gilding, and installation of the dome, tiling, as well as mirror decoration, mosaic, and stonework of the interior of the shrine.[15]

The New Darih

The new darih of al-'Askariyyayn shrine.

To accelerate the reconstruction process, the Office of Ayatollah Sistani, a prominent Shiite authority in Iraq, took charge of building a new darih for the shrine of al-'Askariyyayn (a).[16] The workshop for constructing the darih of al-Imamayn al-'Askariyyan (a) was established in Qom in 2010 under the supervision of Sayyid Jawad Shahristani, Ayatollah Sistani’s representative in Iran.

According to Lajevardi, the head of the darih construction project, the process involved the use of 4,500 kilograms of silver, 70 kilograms of gold, and 11000 kilograms of teak.[17]

The Completion of the reconstruction of the dome of al-'Askariyyayn Shrine in 2015.

The construction of the darih of al-'Askariyyayn was completed in 2014,[18] and in February 2017, it was moved to Samarra. The darih was then unveiled on April 24, 2017.

Additionally, the chests of the graves of Imam al-Hadi (a), Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a), Narjis (a), and Hakima bt. al-Imam al-Jawad (a), were built in Shiraz over a period of two years.[19]

See Also

Notes

  1. ↑ Khāmayār, Takhrīb-i ziyāratgāh-hāyi Islāmī dar kishwarhā-yi ʿArabī, p. 29.
  2. ↑ Ṣiḥḥatī sarwrūdī, Guzīda-yi sīmā-yi Sāmarrā, p. 68.
  3. ↑ Khāmayār, Takhrīb-i ziyāratgāh-hāyi Islāmī dar kishwarhā-yi ʿArabī, p. 29-30.
  4. ↑ Khāmayār, Takhrīb-i ziyāratgāh-hāyi Islāmī dar kishwarhā-yi ʿArabī, p. 32.
  5. ↑ Al-'Askariyyayn holy shrine (Arabic)
  6. ↑ Report ; The anniversary of the destruction of the holy shrine of al-'Askariyyayn (a) (Persian)
  7. ↑ The last stages of the reconstruction of the shrine and darih of Imam al-Hadi (a) (Persian)
  8. ↑ Khāmayār, Takhrīb-i ziyāratgāh-hāyi Islāmī dar kishwarhā-yi ʿArabī, p. 30.
  9. ↑ Ṣiḥḥatī sarwrūdī, Guzīda-yi sīmā-yi Sāmarrā, p. 67.
  10. ↑ Destruction of the two shrines of al-'Askariyyayn (a); The terrorist's plan is to strengthen the blind religious violence of Takfiris. (Persian)
  11. ↑ Ibn Taymīyya, Iqtiḍāʾ l-ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm, p. 108-110.
  12. ↑ Mājirī, al-Baqīʿ qiṣṣat al-tadmīr, p. 113-139.
  13. ↑ Madanī, Tārīkh al-ʾamīn, p. 431-450.
  14. ↑ New pictures of the restoration of al-'Askariyyayn shrine in Samarra (Persian)
  15. ↑ The reconstruction of the dome of the shrine of al-'Askariyyayn finished. (Persian)
  16. ↑ The latest status of the construction project of the Shrine of al-'Askariyyayn (a) (Persian)
  17. ↑ The latest status of the construction project of the Shrine of al-'Askariyyayn (a) (Persian)
  18. ↑ The latest status of the construction project of the Shrine of al-'Askariyyayn (a) (Persian)
  19. ↑ The reconstruction of the dome of the shrine of al-'Askariyyayn finished. (Persian)

References

External links

Website of al-'Askariyyayn shrine

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