Urdu-Speaking Pilgrims Attend Mourning Rituals at Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad

IQNA – Pilgrims from Urdu-speaking communities held emotional mourning ceremonies at the Husseiniya of the Imam Reza (AS) holy shrine in Mashhad on the third night of Muharram.

The vibrant gathering took place Sunday evening in the shrine’s Quds Courtyard, organized by the South Asia section of the Non-Iranian Pilgrims Department of Astan Quds Razavi.

Participants included Urdu-speaking religious groups from India and Pakistan, as well as local residents of Mashhad.

The ceremony began with Quran recitations by Zakir Ali Asadi, followed by a sermon by Hojat-ol-Islam Seyyed Sobat Haider Zaidi, a seminary scholar.

He discussed the philosophy behind Imam Hussein’s (AS) uprising and its role in preserving Islamic principles.

“Before departing Medina for Mecca, Imam Hussein (AS) wrote a will to his brother Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya,” Zaidi said.

“In it, after elaborating on his beliefs about monotheism, prophethood, and Resurrection, Imam Hussein (AS) outlined the purpose of his mission: enjoining good, forbidding evil, reforming societal corruption, and reviving the Prophet’s (PBUH) Sunnah.”

Shia Muslims, and others around the world, commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) every year during Muharram.

The third Shia Imam (AS) and a group of his family and companions were martyred in Karbala on the 10th of Muharram (Ashura), 680 AD, by the army of Yazid bin Muawiya.

This year Ashura will be observed on Sunday July 6.

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