1. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims
  2. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

13 Questions

How do I answer a Sunni brother regarding Matam where he asked if there was any narration of Imam Hussain AS beating his chest on the martyrdom of Imam Ali AS? When did the practice of ritual chest beating start?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

Beating the chest is an expression of sadness and grief used by human beings in many societies including Muslims. Ayisha daughter of Abu Bakr did the same when her father died as you can see in Sunni books e.g. Fat-h al-Baari bishar-h Saheeh al-Bukhari by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, V.6,  P. 225.

Muslims did beat their chests on the demise of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) including Aiysha and other Muslim women as she said herself.( Musnad Abi Ya'la al-Mousili , V.8, P. 63.),

Same was done by those who love Ameerul Mo'minnen and other Infallible Imams on their demises. Those who do not have real love for Ahlul Bayt (AS) do not feel sad for the tragedies of Ahlul Bayt (AS) hence do not understand why lovers of Ahlul Bayt (AS) do that. It is in fact an expression of noble feeling of sadness and grief for the tragedies of the Prophet (SAWA) and his Holy Progeny Ahlul Bayt (AS). 

We can not help those who do have such feeling for the Prophet (SAWA) and Ahlul Bayt (AS).

Wassalam.
What are the reasons that the mourners for Imam Husayn (a) do Matam and beat their chests?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

Beating the chest is a way to express grief and sadness among millions of human beings in different parts of the world. A'ysha daughter of Abu Bakr did beat her chest when her father died. (Fath Al-Baari Fi Sharh Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Hadeeth 2420).

 Lovers of Ahlul Bayt (AS) love Imam Husain (AS) more than their love to their own families and children, and feel very sad when they remember the tragedies which took place in Karbala and other places. That is why they beat their chest to express their noble feelings of sadness on Imam Husain (AS).

Islam gives everyone his full right to express his feelings in the way suitable to him as far as it does not include a sinful act. No one can drink alcohol to express his sadness on any matter because it is a sinful to drink alcohol. Beating chest is never a sinful, and it becomes a noble act when it is to express noble feelings for the Most Noble persons who are Ahlul Bayt (AS).

Wassalam.
How can I prove that Matam is not self harm to people from who might suggest so?
Amina Inloes

My view is that this is a difficult debate to win. Usually, for Shi'i-Sunni issues, there is an attempt to "prove" that certain practices are or are not acceptable according to certain standards (such as certain texts). (The same is true if one is discussing between Shi'is and people who are not Muslims, or between Shi'is.) However, most people have their own preconceived ideas about what is acceptable.

Rather than taking this approach, in my view, it is better to promote a spirit of diversity and tolerance - an acceptance that different Muslims have different practices and ways that they live their faith, and this is one of them. That is, encouraging mutual respect for differences rather than trying to argue it theoretically. In general, I feel that these arguments come up due to a lack of tolerance in some streams of contemporary Muslim thought, and that lack of tolerance of diversity is our real problem, which manifests in different ways.

Other people think differently and consider it to be very important to argue these things textually and may provide a set of hadith to "prove" that matam is acceptable. You can find those arguments online easily if you search. In my view, they don't do the job wholly, because they are about spontaneous events that happened rather than an institutionalized, regular ritual practice, but nonetheless they can be useful in defusing tension if an appeal to tolerance and respect doesn't work. 
Can I still be considered a true follower of the school of the Ahl al-Bayt if I choose not to partake in Matam or other activities displaying public mourning during Muharram?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

The main point is that you believe and feel grief for Imam Husain (AS). It is a condition for every believer to love the Prophet (SAWA) and his Holy Progeny Ahlul Bayt (AS) more than loving himself and his own family.

The way how to express this noble feeling of grief and sadness depends on you and your culture but it must be within the frame of Islamic rules

You were brought up in USA, so you may not be familiar with the Matam practiced by your brothers in faith who came from the Indian sub continent or other countries. You wrote that you felt wrong on seeing them. This feeling does not make you away from following Ahlul Bayt (AS) as far as you believe in Ahlul Bayt (AS) being the Most pious leaders of Islam after the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and you feel grief for their tragedies.

Islam as the religion for all human beings, gives all of them the choice to express their feelings according to their own different cultures and ways as far as it remains in the frame of Shariah.

Wassalam.