Ta'ziya: Difference between revisions

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'''Ta'ziya''' is an Islamic Shi'ite ritual performed mainly in Iran. The Arabic term ta'ziya (Per., Ta'ziyeh) means to mourn or to offer one's condolences for a death. It is also sometimes called ta’ziya khani, or shabih khani. The term taʻziya has been used primarily in Iran to refer to a Shi'ite religious ritual consisting of a theatrical re-enactment of the tragic seventh century Battle of [[Karbala]]. This historic battle was fought between the followers of prophet [[Mohammad]]'s grandson, [[Imam Husayn]] and the troops of the second [[Umayyad]] caliph [[Yazid]]. While taʼziya performance rituals have been mostly restricted to Iran, the Shi'a of South Asia and Iraq use the term taʻziya to refer to a model or replica of Husayn's tomb, which they use in their ritual processions, after which they are ritually discarded.

==The Battle of Karbala==

Accounts of the Battle of Karbala can be summarized as follows. In the year 680 C.E., Husayn, who was also the third imam of the [[Shi'a]], was killed in the desert of southern Iraq along with over seventy of his family and close friends by troops loyal to the caliph Yazid. The women and children were taken prisoner and paraded in various cities, adding to the humiliation, but also providing opportunities for these women, particularly Husayn's sister [[Zaynab]], to speak out publicly against Yazid. Yazid is portrayed by the Shisa as notoriously corrupt, immoral, and oppressive. Hence, Husayn's rebellion and subsequent [[martyrdom]] is understood by the Shiʻa as an epic struggle between good and evil. For the Shisa this event has served as a vindication of the Shi'ite cause in the face of [[Sunni]] criticism, as well as constituting the central event in their understanding of human history.