Tazia

It is advisable to express condolences during the first three days and three nights after the death of the deceased. Expression of condolences at a later date is permitted if the condolencing people at that time were on the road or for various reasons later learned about the death of this person ^[1] . In all Sunni madhhabs except the Malikite , it is undesirable ( makruh ) to express condolences more than once.

Tazia is performed to calm the family of the deceased. Relatives of the deceased are reminded of patience ( sabr ) and that life and death occur according to the will of Allah. The hadith of the Prophet Muhammad states that “it is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn the deceased for more than three days, unless the case concerns her husband, according to whom mourning should be observed for four months and ten days” ^{[2 ]} . It is considered important to express condolences after the funeral ( Janaz ), when the deceased's relatives are most lonely and in need of support. Condolences can be expressed in a house or a mosque , however, spending the night in a house of the deceased, when condolences are expressed in his house, is condemned in Islam ^[3] .

When pronouncing condolences to the Muslim, they say: “A'zamal-lahu ajraqa wa ahsana 'aza-' aqa wa gafara limay-yitikya” (May Allah Almighty grant you good deed, exalt you and allow you to endure the loss. Forgive the sins of the deceased); if the deceased is a non-Muslim ( kafir ), and condolences are pronounced to the Muslim, then they say: “A'zamal-lahu ajraka wa ahsana 'aza-aka'; if the deceased is Muslim, and condolences are pronounced to the non-Muslim, then they say: "Ahsanal-lahu 'aza-'aka wa gafara limay-itikya." The reason why different categories of people pronounce different words is because Sharia forbids the pronouncement of prayers ( dua ) to a non-Muslim dead man ^[3] .

In Shiite Islam, a religious mystery is called a basin, a theatrical performance in memory of the "martyrdom" of Hussein ibn Ali (October 10, 680). Tazia is performed in the first ten days of the month of Muharram . According to the Shiite tradition, immediately after the death of Hussein, special mourning “mourning assemblies” began (Majalis An-Niyah). According to al-Yakubi, as a sign of remorse for their betrayal, the Kufis met Hussein's captive relatives with crying and self-defeat, and on the way back to Medina, representatives of the "holy family" persuaded their guards to stop at Karbala . There for the first time the first mourning was arranged on the 40th day of the tragic event ^[4] .

Under the Umayyads, the annual commemoration of Hussein and his companions took place behind the scenes in Medina in the homes of Shiite imams. Initially, the Abbasids even encouraged the open holding of mourning ceremonies, but under al-Mutawakkil (847-861), the basin was banned. Under the Buids, tazia received official holiday status in Iraq . In 963, the basin was solemnly celebrated in Baghdad . The tradition of celebrating Tazia appeared in Syria under the Hamdanids , in Egypt - under the Fatimids , in Iran - under the Safavids ^[4] .

At first, “meetings” were held in the homes of members of Ahl al-Bayt, and later at Shiite shrines. In the IX century. professional “mourners” and “presenters” appear. At the beginning of the X century. in Baghdad, Aleppo and Cairo , special houses appeared for holding the basin ( Huseyniya ) ^[4] .

The celebration begins in the homes of revered Shiites, and then moves to Hussein or other public places. There, in the poetic and theatrical form, the path of the Hussein detachment from the Medina to Iraq is reproduced. Shiites also conduct “home mourning”, which can be organized at home at any time of the year ^[4] .

Tazia begins with an introductory sermon by Mullah Rousekhan, designed to create the right mood among the audience. The sermon ends with the singing of the boys' choir, during which "spectators" and "stone-fighters" pass before the audience, beating themselves in the chest with fists and stones. Then begins the performance itself, in which episodes from the life and history of the death of Hussein and his loved ones are reproduced. The performance is accompanied by the reading of poems about tragic events ^[4] .

The content and design of the basin serves effectively the propaganda of the ideas of Shiism, the main doctrine of which is the inheritance of the supreme power ( imamat ) among the Alids ^[4] . At present, in Iran, basin is also used for political purposes ^[4] .

• Prozorov S. M. Taziya // Islam: Encyclopedic Dictionary / Otv. ed. S. M. Prozorov . - M .: Science ,GDVL , 1991 . - S. 220-221. - ISBN 5-02-016941-2 .
• Ali-zade A. A. Taziya // Islamic Encyclopedic Dictionary . - M .: Ansar , 2007 .-- 400 p. - (The Golden Fund of Islamic Thought). - ISBN 5-98443-025-8 .
• Abu Bakr al-Qasani. Kitab al-janazah wa-l-isthifada min haza (Book of Janaz) / Comp. and per. with arab. A. Muslimov; Under the total. ed. D.V. Mukhetdinova. - N. Novgorod : Makhinur, 2006 .-- 192 p.
• Taʿziya / Chelkowski, P. // Encyclopaedia of Islam . 2 ed . - Leiden: EJ Brill , 1960-2005. (paid)