Tatbir: Difference between revisions

Tatbir is a kind of mourning for [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] in which one beats one's head with a dagger, whereby blood runs from the head. Tatbir is usually practiced in mourning processions while they cross a street, and during tatbir, mourners loudly shout "Haydar Haydar." Moreover, drums and horns are played, and red banners are raised.

Proponents of tatbir believe that the proper time for the practice is the dawn of the [[Day of Ashura]]. In the past, the tradition was practiced on [[Ramadan 21]] as well. The most common manners of tatbir include putting on a white long gown (similar to a shroud) and shaving the head.

Different views have been suggested as to the origin of tatbir. Some people consider it as a symbol for [[Lady Zaynab]]'s (a) reaction when she saw Imam al-Husayn's head on top of a spear on the way of the [[Captives of Karbala|caravan]] from [[Karbala]] to [[Syria]] (al-Sham), lost control of herself, and beat her head on howdah, as a result of which blood ran from her head. Many scholars believe that the story is not well-documented. According to [[Shaykh 'Abbas al-Qummi]] in his ''[[Muntaha al-amal]]'', the source of the story is ''[[Nur al-'Ayn fi mashhad al-Husayn (a) (book)|Nur al-'Ayn]]'' and ''[[Al-Muntakhab fi jam' al-marathi wa l-khutab (book)|al-Muntakhab]]'', both of which are not reliable enough. The story does not appear in other reliable sources or early books of [[maqtal]]. Moreover, the story of Zaynab's (a) beating her head on the howdah is also rationally implausible.

On the contrary, others believe that tatbir has no Islamic origin. [[Murtada Mutahhari]] believes that "Tatbir and carrying drums and horns came to Iran from Orthodox people in Caucasia, and since people were ready to accept them, they quickly spread all over the place." [[Ali Shari'ati]] believes that tatbir and other similar practices come from ceremonies of the passions of the Christ, held by Orthodox Christians on anniversaries of the "murder" of [[Jesus (a)]]. However, others believe that tatbir was common among Iraqi Turks, [[Sufi]] sects (including Qizilbash), and Kurds in Western [[Iran]], and it spread to Iraq through Turkish pilgrims.

Tatbir in [[Iran]] dates back to the [[Safavid]] period. In some books of travel by Europeans of the time, tatbir and beating with blades are referred to, including in a report by Adam Olearius about a ritual of beating with blades on the Day of Ashura in [[Ardabil]] in the period of [[Shah Safi]]. The practice became widespread in the [[Qajar]] period, especially during the period of [[Nasir al-Din Shah]]. 'Abd Allah Mustawfi believe that the cause of the propagation of this practice was [[Mulla Aqa Darbandi]], a scholar of the period of Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar.

In the period of [[Reza Shah]], tatbir, as well as other mourning rituals, were banned since [[1354]]/1935-6. The ban continued until 1320 sh/1941-2 when Reza Shah was removed from power. After that, its ban was lifted, and tatbir was resumed in some areas of Iran. In the period of [[Pahlavi]], tatbir flourished and declined at different times. In some years (including 1343 sh/1964-5), it was banned at the command of Shahrbani (police) or SAVAK, and in some years, it was freely practiced.