Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a): Difference between revisions

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After the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a) and his companions, a clan of [[Banu Asad]] buried their corpses where they were martyred. The only sign on Imam al-Husayn's (a) grave at the time was a lump of soil.  

When [[al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi]] triumphed in [[Uprising of al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi|his uprising]] for the vengeance of Imam al-Husayn (a) in the [[Sha'ban]] month of 65/March 685, he built the first mausoleum for Imam al-Husayn's (a) grave with a dome made of bricks and plasters. The building consisted in an area with a ceiling and a mosque with two gates—one to the east and one to the west. Since many Shiites visited Imam al-Husayn's (a) mausoleum, [[Harun al-Rashid]] ordered some of his soldiers to destroy the mosque built on Imam al-Husayn's (a) grave as well as the one built on [[Abu l-Fadl al-'Abbas (a)]]'s. Harun had also asked them to cut the cedar tree that had grown near Imam al-Husayn's (a) grave (and was used as a sign for the grave) and to raze the grave.

The building made at the command of al-Ma'mun was there until 232/846-7, but when [[al-Mutawakkil al-'Abbasi]] took over the power, he ordered the destruction of Imam al-Husayn's (a) mausoleum and submerged it with water.

In the late 247/862, when [[al-Muntasir al-'Abbasi]] took over the caliphate, he ordered the construction of a dome on Imam al-Husayn's (a) mausoleum. The building remained intact until 273/886-7, that is, the period of [[al-Mu'tadid al-'Abbasi]]'s caliphate.

In [[Dhu l-Hijja 9]], 273/[[May 7]], 887, when pilgrims had gathered in Imam al-Husayn's (a) mausoleum on the [[Day of 'Arafa]], the building was destroyed and some pilgrims were killed. After that, Imam al-Husayn's (a) grave remained without a building on it for 10 years until when [[al-Da'i al-Saghir]] took over the power. He ordered the construction of a building for Imam 'Ali's (a) and Imam al-Husayn's (a) shrines with tall domes and two gates, each including an area with ceilings. He also reconstructed the fortification around Imam al-Husayn's (a) shrine and the houses nearby. The building dates back to the years 279/893 to 289/902.

In 407/1016, two of the big candles (lightening the shrine) fell on the carpets and set the curtains and covers to fire. The fire then spread to the porches and the dome such that only the walls, parts of the shrine and 'Imran b. Shahin's mosque remained intact.  

After taking over the power, Hasan b. Mufaddal b. Sahlan began to reconstruct the shrine, parts of which—including the domes and the porches—were burnt in fire. In 412/1021, he repaired the dome and the burnt parts and ordered the construction of a wall around the shrine.  

Years later, in 620/1223, Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Karim al-Kindi was appointed as al-Nasir li-Din Allah's minister. During his ministry, he repaired, renewed, and reconstructed the damaged parts of the shrine, covered the walls and the porches with teak, and installed a wooden box covered with precious cloth on the grave.

Ahmad al-Jalayiri built the portico opposite the courtyard, known as the Golden Portico as well as the mosque of the courtyard which is square-shaped around the shrine. He also decorated the porches and the internal building of the shrine with mirrors, inlays, and [[Kashan]]'s tiles with portraits of natural sceneries. At Ahmad al-Jalayiri's command, the two minarets of the shrine were also decorated by yellow bricks of Kashan.

In 1048/1638, [[Sultan Murad IV]], an [[Ottoman]] king, visited Karbala, and ordered the exterior part of the dome to be whitened by plasters.

In 1135/1722, Nadir Shah's wife, who had a great wealth at her disposal, ordered the administrators of the shrine to embark upon an extensive reconstruction. In 1155/1742, [[Nadir Shah]] visited Karbala and ordered the decoration of the existing buildings. He also donated precious gifts to the treasury of the shrine.

In 1273/1856, [[Nasir al-Din Shah]] renewed the dome and some of the golden covers, and in 1283/1866, he developed the courtyard of the shrine.

* In 1383/1963, the Renewal Committee of the shrine imported stones from Italy in order to construct the exterior walls of the shrine. In 1388/1968, pillars were imported from Iran and the old ceiling of the Portico was lifted. In 1392/1972, the reconstruction of the new Golden Portico started. In 1394/1974, the plan for the renewal and the harmonization of the courtyard was devised. The plan included the reconstruction of the portico, destruction of the western side of the courtyard and covering the walls with tiles. In 1395/1975, the reconstruction of Imam al-Husayn's (a) and Abu l-Fadl's (a) shrines continued, the walls of the courtyard were covered with tiles and a library and a museum were built on the western side. In 1396/1976, the Ministry of Endowment decorated and renewed the Golden Portico with tiles and inlays.

* In recent years, a ceiling was built on the courtyard. This is why, the dome and the minarets of the shrine are no longer visible from a distance.

The whole area of the courtyard is 1500 square meters. There are 65 porches around the courtyard, and there is a chamber in each porch. The chambers belonged to the students of the Islamic seminary schools in order to discuss their studies there, and some of them were allocated to kings, rulers, governors, and Islamic scholars.

* '''Bab al-Zaynabiyya''' (Arabic: باب الزینبیة, the gate of [[Zaynab (a)]]): it is located on the southwestern side of the courtyard, and it is called so because it is near the [[Zaynabiyya hill]] (tall al-Zaynabiyya) or Maqam Zaynab.

There is a tall dome over Imam al-Husayn's (a) mausoleum, covered with pure gold. The lower part of the dome contains 10 windows to the outside. The dome is 37 meters high. It looks like an onion from the outside.

Within 10 meters from the south of the shrine, there are two large golden minarets that are about 25 meters high with 4 meter diameters. The two minarets were built in 786/1384-1385 during the period of Uways al-Jalayiri and his son, Ahmad.

The Golden Portico is located on the southern side of the courtyard with a tall ceiling. It consists of three parts: the middle part which is the tallest and two shorter lateral parts. The part under the Portico is separated from the courtyard by metal fences that are located in the middle of pillars. People go inside the shrine from the two lateral sides. The walls of the Portico are coated with pure gold, and the upper parts of the walls are covered with tiles.

* The southern porch is known as the porch of [[Habib b. Muzahir]] who is buried there. There is a small silver [[darih]] on his grave, which was renewed on [[Jumada II 10]], [[1410]]/January 8, 1990. The porch also includes the graves of well-known Shiite scholars.

* The northern porch was built by [[Shah Safi]], and it is called the porch of the kings because Qajar kings are buried there.

Under the dome, there is a large silver, polygonal [[darih]], in which the graves of Imam al-Husayn (a) and his sons, [['Ali Asghar]] and [['Ali al-Akbar]], are located. Different darihs have been built and installed on Imam al-Husayn's (a) grave in different periods. The last time when the darih was changed was in 2011.

All martyrs of Karbala—except [[Abu l-Fadl (a)]], [[Hurr b. Yazid al-Riyahi]], and [[Habib b. Muzahir]]—are buried near Imam al-Husayn's (a) grave on the southeastern side of his grave. These graves are located in a 12-meter chamber with an inlayed box and a silver window. Above the window there are tiles in which the names of 120 martyrs of Karbala and a prayer addressed to them are inscribed.

The killing zone is the place in which Imam al-Husayn (a) was decapitated. The place has a special chamber with a silver door and a window towards the courtyard on the southwestern side of Habib b. Muzahir's porch. Its floor is covered with marbles, and it has a cellar with a silver door.

This is called so because when [[al-Mutawakkil al-'Abbasi]] ordered the destruction of the mausoleums of Imam al-Husayn (a) and the martyrs of Karbala, he ordered his agents to submerge the place with water. The water surrounded the grave without flowing over the grave. This place includes the main center of Imam al-Husayn's (a) shrine, the dome, the darih, and the graves of the martyrs of Karbala.

The shrine's treasury is located on its northern side. It contains many precious stuff and work donated by kings and rulers of Islamic territories in different centuries. The shrine's library is located on the eastern side of the shrine. It contains precious copies of the [[Quran]].

* Shaykh Muhammad Taqi al-Shirazi al-Ha'iri (d. 1338/1919)

The trusteeship was in the hands of non-'Alawis until late 13th/19th century. After that, it was controlled by Al Tu'ma household until the end of the Ottoman government and the subsequent periods.

According to a hadith from [[Imam al-Baqir (a)]], "if people knew what advantages there are to visiting Imam al-Husayn's (a) mausoleum, they would die out of passion". He then added: "whoever visits al-Husayn (a) out of passion, he would be rewarded like a thousand accepted [[hajj]]s and a thousand rewarded [['umra]]s and a thousand martyrs of the [[Battle of Badr]] and a thousand days of fasting and a thousand accepted charities and a thousand emancipations of slaves for the sake of God".

* A traveler can say his prayers in the shortened or complete forms in the shrine, but it is more virtuous to say them completely. The ruling generalizes to the whole area under the dome, the porches and its adjacent mosque.

* It is very rewarding to say prayers in the shrines of Imams (a), especially those of [[Holy Shrine of Imam 'Ali (a)|Imam 'Ali (a)]] and Imam al-Husayn (a).

* A person should not say prayers ahead of the graves of [[the Prophet (s)]] and Imams (a). If saying prayers ahead of them counts as a case of disrespect, then it would be forbidden, though the prayer is not invalid (that is, it does not need to be said again). If there is barrier between the person and the grave, then there is no problem with saying prayers ahead of the graves, but the box of the [[darih]] or the cloth covering it do not count as barriers.

* It is supererogatory to wear perfumes while visiting the shrines of Imams (a), but it is not supererogatory to do so while visiting Imam al-Husayn's (a) shrine.

* It is supererogatory to mention God with a [[misbaha]] whose beads are made of Imam al-Husayn's (a) soil. Even carrying such a misbaha is rewarding.

* The material for this article is mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%85_%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85_%D8%AD%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%86_(%D8%B9) (حرم امام حسین (ع] in Farsi Wikishia.