Editing Maqtal

'''Maqtal''' is a genre of historical monographs narrating the martyrdom of notable Muslim individuals and particularly Shi’a infallible [[Imam]]s. Most of such works, known as Maqtal al-Hussain, have been devoted to the tragedy of [[Karbala]] and [[martyrdom]] of [[Hussain ibn Ali]]. Thus, the term became mostly used for the events related to martyrdom of Imam Hussain and his companions. 
==Origin and Characteristics==
While Hussaini Alids remained quiet politically, a tradition of pilgrimage to the tombs of Hussain and the other Karbala martyrs quickly developed. Although they were to be repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, from [[Abbasid|ʿAbbasid]] times onwards, the tomb and mausoleum (mashhad) also benefited from generous gifts and endowments from rulers of various dynasties, including the Buyids, Seljuqs, Il-Khanids, Safavids, and Qajars, which helped it to survive and flourish. The shrine suffered more recently when it was sacked by the [[Wahhabis]] in 1215/1801. Many pilgrimage ([[ziara]]) texts dedicated to Hussain and the martyrs of Karbala therefore came to be written, which could be recited in actual (or mental) pilgrimages.
In association with this pilgrimage, a genre of religious literature also evolved, called maqtal or maqatel after the Maqtal al-Hussain attributed to the traditionist Abu [[Abu Mikhnaf|Mikhnaf]].<ref>d. 157/774; on Arabic maqtals, see e.g., al-Mowaffaq al-Kharazmi, Maqtal al-Hussain li’l-Kharazmi, Najaf, 1367/1947; ʿAbd-al-Razzaq Musawi, Maqtal al-Ḥosayn aw Hadith Karbala, Najaf, 1383/1963. On Turco-Persian Maqtal literature, see Calmard, 1975, pp. 220 ff.</ref> These texts contain many more stories that are more miraculous and supernatural than historical sources such as Tabari’s Tarikh, and they include accounts of [[Mokhtar]]’s  vengeance. Although originally in Arabic, the maqatel inspired the Turkish and Persian maqtal-namas, which were recited by storytellers ([[maddah]]) who also produced other religious epics, such as Abu Moslem-nama, Mokhtar-nama, and Jang-e Mohammad-e Hanafiya. Rather than grief and lamentation, these epics emphasize the theme of vengeance by the so-called “73 avengers of Hussain’s blood,” most of whom are non-historical, such as Mohammad b. al-Hanafiya.
==Further Development==
In addition to these religious epics, elegiac poetry <ref>marthiya; on Persian marṯiya literature dedicated to the martyrs of Karbala and other Shiʿite sacred figures, see Calmard, 1975, pp. 193 ff., 510 ff.; [[Lynda Clarke|Clarke]], pp. 13-28; Hanaway; and Haywood</ref> in Arabic and Persian about the [[Ahl-e Bayt]] (q.v.), particularly Hussain and the Karbala martyrs, was increasingly composed by authors of both Shiʿite and Sunnite persuasion. Under the Seljuqs (1038-1194), this devotional literature spread widely through storytellers. During this time, elegies (marathi) and eulogies(manaqeb) continued to be composed, in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, by learned theologians, poets, and popular storytellers. A major synthesis of maqatel and manaqeb literature was provided by [[Kamāl al-Dīn Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī Kashifi|Hussain-Waʿez Kashefi]] (d. 910/1504-05) in his [[Rawzat al-Shuhada]]. During the imposition of [[Twelver]] Shiʿism by the [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/safavids Safavids]  (1501-1722), Kashefi’s work became the textbook of preachers, thus called [[rawza]]-khans, who also continued to use material from epic, elegiac, theological, and historical literature. 
==Famous Maqatel==

*[[Maqtal al-Hussain|Maqtal al-Hussain, Abi Mikhnaf ( 132 AH-157 AH (774 CE))]]
*[[The Murder of Al-Husayn: Maqtal Al-Husayn|Maqtal al-Hussain, Muqarram]]
*[[Maqtal al-Hussain (al-Khwarizmi)|Maqtal al-Hussain, al-Khwarizmi (484-568 AH)]]
*Maqtal al-Hussain, Ibn Sa'd ( 1316/1898 -230 AH (845CE))
*Maqtal al-Hussain, Baladhuri ( 820-283 AH (892 CE))
*Maqtal al-Hussain, Dinawari
*Maqtal al-Hussain, Ibn A'tham ( -314AH (926-27 CE))

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
3. J. Calmard, “Le Culte de l’Imam Hussain. Etude sur la commémoration du drame de Karbala dans l’Iran pré-safavide,” unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Sorbonne, Paris, 1975.

==Source==

*[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/hosayn-b-ali-ii Encyclopædia Iranica]

[[Category:Ashurai Literature]] 
[[Category:Literary Styles]]
[[Category:Battle of Karbala]]
[[Category:Written Works]]