Tuwairij Mourning: Difference between revisions

'''Ṭuwairij Mourning''' is an annual [[mourning]] ceremony held by people of Tuwairij (al-Hindiya). They embark on a journey from their city to the [[Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a)]] on the [[Day of Ashura']]. The ceremony is often done through jogging. The mourners travel the twenty kilometers of distance between Tuwairij and [[Karbala]] on foot, while grieving over Imam al-Husayn's tragedy.

[[Sayyid Salih al-Qazwini]] (d. 1304/1887) is credited as the first person to incorporate jogging into the Tuwairij mourning processions. However, this form of mourning in Tuwairij is said to date back to over 300 years ago as reminiscent of the men from [[Banu Asad]] from Tuwairij in [[61 AH|61]]/680 who jogged from Tuwairij towards Karbala in order to bury Imam al-Husayn’s (a) corpse.

[[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<ref>Qazwīnī and Riḍāyī, ''Mawkib-i ʿazādārī-yi Ṭuwayrīj wa naqsh-i Sayyid Ṣāliḥ Ḥusaynī Qazwīnī dar iḥyāʾ wa tadāwum-i ān'', p. 2-3.</ref> 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 'Abbas (a).<ref>[https://www.irna.ir/news/84020924/%D8%A2%DB%8C%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%B7%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%B1%DA%AF%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B4%D8%AF The Tuwairij mourning ceremony was held in Karbala (Persian).]</ref> 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 1304/1887, his children continued the tradition of leading the procession. From then until the last decade of the fourteenth/twentieth century, the caravan of Tuwairij was led by Sayyid Salih's descendants.<ref>Qazwīnī and Riḍāyī, ''Mawkib-i ʿazādārī-yi Ṭuwayrīj wa naqsh-i Sayyid Ṣāliḥ Ḥusaynī Qazwīnī dar iḥyāʾ wa tadāwum-i ān'', p. 2-3.</ref>

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.<ref>[https://imamhussain.org/persian/news/33208 The biggest mourning ceremony in the world on the day of martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a) in Karbala (Persian).]</ref>