Courtesy : http://www.al-hadi.us/religion/index.html
I find it very unfortunate to discuss this question. Disturbingly, there are people who accuse the Shia'a of bida'a (innovation) because, every year, they intensely and passionately commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, his family and companions at Karbala'. Every year and for 10 days, the followers of Ahlul Bayt commemorate and mourn over the tragedy of Karbala'. Is is really wrong, in principle, to commemorate Imam Hussein's martyrdom? What are these troubled and hateful people afraid of? Why do they not commemorate Imam Hussein as well? Is it really against the Sunnah to do so? Let me put it in a simpler way: is it wrong to commemorate the loss of a loved one? Is it not humane to do so? Did the prophet prohibit us to do so?? For the record, the true Ahlul Sunnah do not oppose this commemoration. The people who oppose this practice can not claim to be from Ahlul Sunnah. They are quite different and have their own agenda: oppose the Shia'a and make Kafir those who do not share their viewpoint.
I find it very unfortunate to discuss this question. Disturbingly, there are people who accuse the Shia'a of bida'a (innovation) because, every year, they intensely and passionately commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, his family and companions at Karbala'. Every year and for 10 days, the followers of Ahlul Bayt commemorate and mourn over the tragedy of Karbala'. Is is really wrong, in principle, to commemorate Imam Hussein's martyrdom? What are these troubled and hateful people afraid of? Why do they not commemorate Imam Hussein as well? Is it really against the Sunnah to do so? Let me put it in a simpler way: is it wrong to commemorate the loss of a loved one? Is it not humane to do so? Did the prophet prohibit us to do so?? For the record, the true Ahlul Sunnah do not oppose this commemoration. The people who oppose this practice can not claim to be from Ahlul Sunnah. They are quite different and have their own agenda: oppose the Shia'a and make Kafir those who do not share their viewpoint.
Let me quote what ibn Katheer said in al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya and this
exactly what these people say today about the Shia'a who commemorate the
martyrdom of al-Hussein:
Every Muslim will be saddened by the killing
of Imam Hussein. He is from the leaders of the Muslims, and the son of
the daughter of the messenger of Allah who is the preferred of his
daughters. He was a great worshipper, courageous and generous. But it is
not good when the Shia'a show their grief and sadness which is mostly
artificial (theatrical) and hyprocritical.
His father was greater than him and he was killed. However, they do not commemorate his killing as they do for al-Hussein. His father was killed on a Friday while he was heading to Salat al-Fajr on 17th of Ramadan year 40 A.H. Similarly, Uthman was greater than Ali according to Ahlul Sunna wal-Jama'a. He was killed while under-siege in his residence in the month of Dhul-Hijja year 36 A.H. Yet the people do not commemorate his killing. Similarly, Umar is greater than Uthman and Ali. He was killed while praying Salat al-Fajr and reading the Quran. Yet, the people do not commemorate his killing. Similarly, al-Siddiq was greater than him and yet, the people do not commemorate his killing. And the prophet, who is the master of all in this world and the hereafter. He died as the prophets before him died. Yet, no one commemorates their death as these ignorant Rawaffid do for al-Hussein....
فكل مسلم ينبغي له أن يحزنه قتله رضي الله عنه، فإنه
من سادات المسلمين، وعلماء الصحابة، وابن بنت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
التي هي أفضل بناته، وقد كان عابداً وشجاعاً وسخياً،
ولكن لا يحسن ما يفعله الشيعة من إظهار الجزع والحزن الذي لعل أكثره تصنع
ورياء.
وقد كان أبوه أفضل منه فقتل، وهم لا يتخذون مقتله مأتماً كيوم مقتل الحسين،
فإن أباه قتل يوم الجمعة وهو خارج إلى صلاة الفجر في السابع عشر من رمضان
سنة أربعين، وكذلك عثمان كان أفضل من علي عند أهل السنة والجماعة.
وقد قتل وهو محصور في داره في أيام التشريق من شهر ذي الحجة سنة ست
وثلاثين، وقد ذبح من الوريد إلى الوريد، ولم يتخذ الناس يوم قتله مأتماً.
وكذلك عمر بن الخطاب وهو أفضل من عثمان وعلي، قتل وهو قائم يصلي في المحراب
صلاة الفجر ويقرأ القرآن، ولم يتخذ الناس يوم قتله مأتماً.
وكذلك الصديق كان أفضل منه ولم يتخذ الناس يوم وفاته مأتماً، ورسول الله
صلى الله عليه وسلم سيد ولد آدم في الدنيا والآخرة، وقد قبضه الله إليه كما
مات الأنبياء قبله، ولم يتخذ أحد يوم موتهم مأتماً يفعلون فيه ما يفعله
هؤلاء الجهلة من الرافضة يوم مصرع الحسين.
ولا ذكر أحد أنه ظهر يوم موتهم وقبلهم شيء مما ادعاه هؤلاء يوم مقتل الحسين
من الأمور المتقدمة، مثل كسوف الشمس والحمرة التي تطلع في السماء، وغير
ذلك.
وأحسن ما يقال عند ذكر هذه المصائب وأمثالها ما رواه علي بن الحسين: عن جده
رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال: ((ما من مسلم يصاب بمصيبة فيتذكرها
وإن تقادم عهدها فيحدث لها استرجاعاً إلا أعطاه الله من الأجر مثل يوم
أصيب منها)).
رواه الإمام أحمد وابن ماجه.
Now the reasons why it is not wrong to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein:
- Is it wrong to periodically remember your lost loved ones? Is it
inhumane? Is it Haram?? Is it wrong, inhumane and Haram to weep for them
when remembered??
When the prophet lost his beloved uncle Abu Talib and his beloved wife
Umna Khadija, two priceless losses and few days apart, the prophet
called that year the year of Sadness (A'am al-Huzn). Badriddeen
al-A'aini reported in U'umadatul Qari the following:
....because Abu Talib and Khadija died within three days. Sa'aed said in his book Kitab al-Nussuss that the prophet named this year the Year of Sadness...وأيا ما كان، فلم يشهد أمر أبي طالب لأنه توفي هو وخديجة في أيام ثلاثة، قال صاعد في (كتاب النصوص) : فكان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يسمي ذلك العام عام الحزن،
Imam Abdul-Wahab al-Sha'arani wrote in Kashf al-Ghumma A'an Jami'i al-Ummah:
Then Umna Khadija died after Abu Talib, and the prophet named that year the Year of Sadness.ثم توفيت خديجة رضي الله عنها بعد أبي طالب فسمى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ذلك العام عام الحزنibn Mandhur al-Afriqi wrote in Lissan al-A'arab:
The year of Sadness: it is the year in which Umna Khadija and Abu Talib died, so the prophet named that year the Year of Sadness.
Tha'alab reported this from ibn al-Aa'arabi, who said: they both died 3 years before the Hijra (the migration to Medina).وعامُ الحُزْنِ: العامُ الذي ماتت فيه خديجةُ -رضي الله عنها- وأَبو طالب فسمّاه رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم- عامَ الحُزْنِ.In fact the prophet never stopped remembering Umna Khadija, even while he was married to his other wives. This fact is well-known among the scholars of both denominations. This consistent remembrance made Umna A'aysha so jealous that she used to ill-describe her. The details of her jealousy can be found here: Umna Aysha.
حكى ذلك ثعلب عن ابن الأَعرابي، قال: وماتا قَبْل الهِجرة بثلاث سنين.
The point is the prophet continued to remember his beloved wife long after her death. This is the Sunnah of the prophet. For the prophet to declare the year he lost his uncle and his wife the Year of Sadness indicates that his loss affected him for a while. Therefore, remembrance of Imam al-Hussein is not against the Sunnah.