Tuwairij Mourning: Difference between revisions

[[Sayyid Salih al-Qazwini]] is credited with introducing the Tuwairij processions in the form of jogging, according to some sources. For two years during the [[Muharram month]], he turned his home into a place of mourning for Imam al-Husayn (a). On the Day of Ashura, Sayyid Salih recited [[Al-Luhuf ala qatla l-tufuf (book)|Sayyid b. Tawus's Maqtal]] (the story of Imam al-Husayn's martyrdom) while tens of thousands of people participated. After having breakfast, they walked towards Karbala and arrived at Bab al-Tuwairij (an entry gate of the city of Karbala), where they performed the noon prayer before carrying out the ceremony of Rakdat al-Tuwairij towards the shrines of Imam al-Husayn (a) and ʿAbbas (a). One hour after noon, which is the exact time when Imam al-Husayn was martyred, the pilgrims entered Karbala barefooted, while Sayyid Salih rode on horseback among thousands of pilgrims. Following Sayyid Salih's passing in 1304 AH, his children continued the tradition of leading the procession. From then until the last decade of the fourteenth century AH, the caravan of Tuwairij was led by Sayyid Salih's descendants.

The Tuwairij procession was held until 1990. However, in 1991 , the Ba'ath government prohibited the ceremony, despite the people's insistence on carrying it out. This resulted in the arrest and execution of some participants. The tradition was halted until after the fall of Saddam’s regime in 2004 when the Tuwairij ceremony resumed.

Sayyid Salih al-Shahristani (d. 1975) states in his book ''Tarikh al-niyaha'' that the Tuwairij jogging tradition has a history of more than 300 years. Participants in the ceremony believe that it is reminiscent of [[Banu Asad]]'s practice on the Day of Ashura, which took place in 61/680.