'Eid-e-Shuja' also known as 'Eid Al-Zahra' is the day that marks the end of the mourning period after the events of Karbala. It is celebrated on the 9th of Rabi' Al-Awwal according to the Islamic calendar. It has been reported in some Shi'a traditions, that on this particular day, the second usurper of Islam namely 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab' was eliminated.
Unfortunately, present day scholars have concealed and repressed a large part of the Shi'a heritage of Ahlulbayt (a.s) from the general public. This is clearly demonstrated with regards to celebrating the death of Umar, the cruel vicious tyrant, the murderer of Lady Faatima Al Zahra (s.a) and her unborn son Al-Mohsin (a.s).
These pseudo scholars have gone to great lengths to hide this celebration from the followers of Ahlulbayt (a.s). They have been very successful in their endeavour, as most Shi'a are blissfully unaware of this celebration. This kind of withholding information is something that we Shi'a accuse the scholars of the so-called 'Ahl ul Sunnah' of doing as they have been known to mislead their own people. However, it is a sad reflection when our own scholars of Tashayyu are also doing the same to the Shi'a.
What is also disturbing is that that past evidence shows that this blessed day was and should be recognised. Anybody who disputes this is clearly ignorant, as we are in no doubt that this celebration has the full approval of Ahlulbayt (a.s) as past scholars have shown.
Now here is the crux of this argument - under the guise of "unity" this celebration has been thrown under the bus, so to speak. Politics now dominates the Shi'a faith. Loyalty and devotion to Ahlulbayt (a.s) has been replaced with, not wanting to "offend" the sensitivities of those who revere the enemies of Ahlulbayt (a.s).
Of course, as a minority, we Shi'a must be sensible with regards to vocalising our delight at the elimination of individuals such as Umar ibn Al-Khattab since his followers make up a large percentage of those who have and would gladly murder innocent Shi'a.
However, this should not come at the expense of the vast majority of the Shi'a being ignorant of such celebrations. Our scholars should appreciate that the Ahlulbayt (a.s) wanted their followers to rejoice on this day (the narrations support this).
Would these very scholars condemn the house of Ahlulbayt (a.s) for holding such celebrations? Surely this is hypocrisy at it's worst. Would we as Shi'a believe that the Holy Household caused Fitnah themselves by celebrating such events? How can we as followers even suggest that? We see that sadly, this is what some people at present are suggesting. There really is no other way to interpret this.
This leads to the question - what should be more important to us, following the tradition's of Ahlulbayt (a.s) or blindly following and trusting our scholars who may unfortunately have more political motivations than religious ones?
We present the narration of Imam Al-Mahdi (ajf) which speaks about the virtue and merit of this blessed day:
Al-Majlisi II:
However the famous date among Shi'a in all countries and all ethnicities in our times is ninth of Rabi Al-Aw'wal, and it is one of the Eids, and the evidence for it is originally what the noble Sayyed Alee ibn Tawoos has narrated in his book Zawa'id Al-Fawa'id and also what Sheikh Hassan ibn Sulayman narrates in his book Al-Muhtadhar and the version presented here is from the latter, the version of Al-Sayyed will be mentioned in the book of Du'a.
He said: "Once I went to our Master, Abal-Hassan Al-Askari (a.s) with a group of my brothers in Samarrah, and we asked him for his permission to let us enter his house on that day, which was the ninth day of the month of Rabi'ul-Awwal. Our Master (a.s) had commanded every one of his servants to wear any of the new clothes they have, and between his hands was a vessel and he was burning the wood by himself. We said: 'May our fathers and mothers be sacrificed for you O son of Allah's Messenger (saw)! Are you renewing a joy for Ahlulbayt (a.s)?' He said: 'Which day has a bigger sanctity for Ahlulbayt (a.s) than this day? I have been told by my father (may peace be upon him) that Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman entered into my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's (swt) blessings be upon him and his family) on a day such as this, which is the ninth of the month of Rabi'ul-Awwal, and he said:
'Then I saw my Master, the Commander of the Faithful, with his two sons, Hassan and Hussain (may peace be upon them both), who were eating together with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's blessings be upon him and his family) while the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's blessings be upon him and his family) was smiling in their faces (may peace be upon them). He said to his two sons, Hassan and Hussain (may peace be upon them both): 'Eat, may you enjoy the blessings of this day, in which Allah (Exalted is He) shall bring to death His enemy and the enemy of your grandfather. Eat! It is the day in which the following of Allah's (swt) Word is fulfilled: So such were their houses, fallen down, because they were unjust. Holy Qur'aan { 27:53}. Eat! It is the day in which the spine of your grandfather's enemy shall be broken. Eat! It is the day in which the Pharaoh against my Household, and their oppressor, and usurper of their right, shall be gone. Eat! It is the day in which Allah (swt) will destroy all they have strived for and make it go down the drain.'
Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman said: 'O Messenger of Allah (saw) will there be anyone in your nation and companions who will violate this sanctity?' He (may Allah's (swt) blessings be upon him and his family) said: 'O Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman! An idolater among the hypocrites will become their leader, and he will use deliberate pretencion with my nation, and he will call them to himself, and he will carry a pearl of disgrace on his neck, and he will repel people off the path of Allah (swt) and corrupt His Book (distort the meaning), and change my tradition, and he will gather on the inheritance of my sons, and he will nominate himself as a sign, and he will cross the limit on those after me, and he will make lawful for himself the property of Allah (swt) while they are not lawful (for him), and he will spend them in ways that are not in obedience to Him, and he will reject my brother and my minister, and he will keep my daughter away from her right, and she will ask Allah (swt) to curse him, and he will answer her prayer in a day such as this.'
Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman said: I said: 'O Messenger of Allah (saw)! Why do you not pray to your Lord to make him die during your lifetime?' He (saw) said: 'O Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman! I do not want to go against the decision of Allah (swt) for what He knows with His knowledge. However, I have asked Allah (swt) to make the day in which he will die to be preferred over other days so that this may be a tradition whom my lovers and the Shi'a of my Household and their lovers shall follow. He (Glorious is He) revealed the following to me:
"O Muhammad" I have known beforehand that you and your Household shall be rammed by the calamities and trials of the material world, and by the oppression of the hypocrites and usurpers after me, those whom you have advised and they will betray you in return, and those towards whom you have been sincere and they will swindle you in return, and those whom you have purified and they will antagonise you in return, and those whom you have believed and they will reject you in return, and those whom you have saved and they will hand you over in return.
I swear on My Power, and Strength, and Authority, that I will open for the soul of those who usurp the right of Alee (a.s) after you; a thousand doors of fire from the lowest part of Al-Failouq, and I will burn him along with his companions in the deepest part (of Hellfire) to such a degree that Iblees will be treated better than him and curse him! And I will make that hypocrite an example on the Resurrection for the Pharaohs of the Prophets (a.s) and the enemies of religion on the place where all shall be gathered, and I will gather them and their allies and all oppressors and hypocrites in the fires of Hell, stabbed, gloomy, humiliated, disgraceful, regretful! And I will make them abide there forever. O Muhammad (saw)! Your successor will not have the same rank as you unless by the disasters he will face from his Pharaoh and usurper who crosses the limit against Me, and changes My Words, and polytheists in Me, and repels people off My path, and nominates for himself a calf to your nation, and disbelieves in Me in My Throne. Indeed, I have commanded my Seven Heavens, for your Shi'a and your lovers, to celebrate on this day in which I shall take his life, and I have commanded them to construct the chair of My Honour in front of the Bait Al-Ma'mour and praise Me, and to ask forgiveness for your Shi'a and your lovers among the sons of Adam (a.s).
And I have commanded the Honoured Recorders who write down your deeds to stop their pens from writing the deeds of all the creation three days after that day, and to not write anything of their wrongdoings in honour to you and your successor. O Muhammad (saw)! I have made that day become a day of joy for you and your Household (a.s), and those of their Shi'a who follow them, and I have sworn, with My Honour and Glory, and Height in My position, that I shall grace everyone who celebrates that day with the same reward as the people between the Eastern and the Western horizons, and I shall give salvation to his relatives and close family through him, and I shall increase his property, and I shall free from the Fire in every place of it on a day such as this a thousand of your befrienders and your Shi'a, and I shall make their efforts praiseworthy, and their sins forgiven, and their deeds accepted.'
Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman said: 'Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's (swt) blessings be upon him and his family) stood up to Umm Salamah (r.a), and he entered, and she stepped back from him while I was undoubtful about the matter of the old man who took the leadership after the demise of the Prophet (may Allah's (swt) blessings be upon him and his family) and brought the disbelief once more, and apostatised from the religion, and turned up to leadership, and corrupted the Holy Qur'aan, and burnt the House of the Revelation, and innovated new traditions, and changed the religion, and changed the tradition, and rejected the testimony of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s), and belied Faatima (s.a), and usurped Fadak, and made the Zoroastrians, and the Jews, and the Christians become pleased of him, and he angered the Family of the Chosen One and he didn't please them, and he changed all the traditions, and he arranged for the Commander of the Faithful (a.s) to be killed, and he made visible his tyranny, and he forbade what Allah (swt) had made lawful, and he made lawful what Allah (swt) had forbidden, and he told the people to take the skins of camels as money, and he hit the face of the Pure Woman, and he climbed the pulpit of Allah's Messenger (saw) forcibly and unjustly, and he slandered the Commander of the Faithful (a.s) and was stubborn to him and made a fool of his opinion.'
Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman said: 'Allah (swt) then answered the prayer of my Mistress (s.a) against that hypocrite, and he made his killing go on the hand of his killer (may Allah (swt) have mercy upon him), so I entered upon the Commander of the Faithful (may peace be upon him) to congratulate him for his death and for his return to the place of revenge. Then he said to me: 'O Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman! I remember that day when I entered upon my Master, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's (swt) blessings be upon him) while I and his two grandsons where eating with him. By Allah (swt)! This is the day in which Allah (swt) made The Messenger's Family happy, and I know 72 names of this day.' Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman said: 'I said: 'O Commander of the Faithful (a.s)! I want you to name the names of this day for me.'
Then he (may peace be upon him) said: 'This is the day of rest, and the day in which blessings are dispersed, and the second Day of Ghadeer, and the day in which burdens are toppled, and the day that is the very best, and the day in which the pen is stopped from writing, and the day of progress, and the day of wellness, and the day of blessings, and the day of revenge, and the greatest joyful day for Allah (swt), and the day in which prayers are answered, and the day of the greatest stand, and the day in which things come together, and the day of Al-Shart (the name of a star), and the day in which darkness is removed, and the day in which the oppressor are regretful, and the day in which the spine is broken, and the day in which the suffering is ended, and the day in which human beings are pleased with what they have, and the day in which the power is presented, and the day in which pages are turned over, and the day of the Shi'as' joy, and the day of repentance, and the day of approval, and the day of the greatest Zakat, and the second Day of Fitr, and the day in which the water on mountain paths flow, and the day in which the saliva is swallowed, and the day of pleasure, and the joyful day of Ahlulbayt (a.s), and the day of prevail over the sons of Isra'eel, and the day in which deeds are accepted, and the day in which charity is given, and the day of Ziyarah, and the day in which hypocrisy was killed, and the day of the known time, and the day of Ahlulbayt's (a.s) happiness, and the day of testimony, and the day of the enemy's defeat, and the day in which deception is destroyed, and the day of awakening, and the day of cooness, and the day of the testification, and the day in which the believers are forgiven, and the day of Al-Zahra, and the day of informing, and the day in which things are good, and the day of departure, and the day in which things are intensified, and the day in which a believer is joyful, and the day of Al-Mubahala, and the day of magnificence, and the day in which deeds are accepted, and the day of majesty, and the day in which secrets are spread publicly, and the day of adherence, and the day in which victory is increased, and the day of expressing love and affection, and the day of making jokes, and the day of arrival, and the day of purification, and the day in which innovations are revealed, and the day of asceticism, and the day of piety, and the day of preachment, and the day of worship, and the day of surrender, and the day of submission, and the day of slaughter, and the day of ripping.'
Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman said: 'Then I went from him and I said in myself: If I had not known any good deeds and the things that I perform when I want rewards except for this day, then this day would surely have been my wish.'" Muhammad, son of Al-Alaa' Al-Hamadani and Yahya, son of Jurayh, said: "Thereupon everyone of us stood up and kissed the head of Ahmad, son of Ishaq, son of Sa'eed Al-Qummi, and we said: 'Praise be to Allah (swt) who decided for you for us so that you could honour us with the merits of this day.' Then we left him, and we celebrated that day."
Footnote: Al-Majlisi II: Al-Sayyed Razzi ul Deen son of ibn Tawoos said: "I have narrated it from the hand writing of Muhammad ibn Alee ibn Muhammad ibn Tay (r.a) and we have found in what we read from the books several narrations in consent with this narration (about Eid on the day of 9th Rabi Al-Awwal). So we relied upon it. thus we should respect this day being referred to (9th Rabi Al-Awwal) and show/display happiness in it.
Source: Bihar Al-Anwar. Vol. 31, # Pg. # 665 - 668.
Now what remains are two issues: the first; some scholars and researchers - have said that the death of Umar took place on another day during the month of Dhil-Hijjah, and not on the ninth day of Rabi'ul-Awwal. However, we believe that the strongest possibility is that it indeed took place on the ninth day of Rabi'ul-Awwal, because closer and more detailed examination leads to this conclusion. This research shall not be mentioned here as it requires detailed analysis.
Al-Majlisi II:
The author (i.e. Al-Majlisi II) says: It becomes clear from the narration of this great Sheikh the merits of this day and the occurrence of this blessed event in it, such that it has been narrated many narrations about it and it was famous among the Shi'a in those old times. And to my knowledge, there has not been narrated anything in contradiction to it and the consensus of the Sunni historians is not acceptable as contradiction against reliable narrations.
Source: Zaad Al-Mi'aad. Pg. # 257 - 258.
As for the part of the noble narration which says that Allah (swt) commands the Angels to stop their pens from writing the deeds of all the creation for three days and not write down anything of their wrongdoings, it does not mean that people are permitted to cross the limits of Allah's (swt) commandments and prohibitions, but rather it means that Allah (swt) shall command the Angels not to write down the disobedience made to Him by His servants without the intention of crossing His limits. Hence, it is only a matter of an advanced forgiveness for their deeds. Otherwise, he who crosses the limit against Allah (swt) on these days and commits actions that cause His Anger by assuming that there is no problem in doing so, then his evil-doing is counted on him and he will be given his due punishment.
Attestation Of Eid Al-Zahra
As for the rulings of our scholars on the recommendation of reviving this day with joy and happiness with one's family, and even fasting this day in thankfulness to Allah (swt) for His graces and for the death of the tyrant, as well as performing other acts of worship which our Infallible Imams (a.s) have instructed us to perform such as performing ablution and so on, the following is a list of sayings and Fatwas by them on this issue:
Sayed ibn Tawoos (D.654 A.H):
I know that we found a narration with a great value concerning this day, and we found a group of Persians and several brothers glorify their joy during it. They remind that it is the day of the death of a person who used to belittle the value of Allah (Glorious be His glory) and His Messenger (may Allah's (swt) blessings be upon him and his family) and antagonise him. So far I have not found a conformity in any of the books I have read to the narration that we have narration on the authority of ibn Babawayh (r.a). If anyone wishes to totally glorify this day due to the secret it contains, and not due to the appearance of it, as a precaution to the narration, then this is a habit we have maintained
Source: Iqba Al-A'mal. Vol. 3, Pg. # 113.
Sheikh Al-Jawa'iri (D. 1266 A.H) :
As for performing ablution on the ninth day of Rabi'ul-Awwal, it has been told that this was the act of Ahmad, son of Ishaq Al-Qummi, (the companion of Al-Askari (a.s)), because it was a day of Eid as mentioned in the narrations on the issue that causes happiness for the believers and grief for the hypocrites. And I have found a narration whose chain of narrators on the authority of the Prophet (saw) about the virtue and the blessing of this day, and which states that it is a day of joy for them (a.s) to such a degree that one's mind is amazed. This issue is detailed, and there is a statement on this due to that matter which coincides on this day. Hence we might say that performing an ablution during this day is recommendable based on its recommendation on events such as this, and especially since this day is an Eid for us and our Imams (a.s).
Source: Jawahir-ul-Kalam. Vol. 5, Pg. # 43 - 44.
Sheikh Al-Noori Al-Tabarsi (D. 1320 A.H):
Sheikh Al-Mufid (D. 413 A.H): "On the ninth day of it (the month of Rabi'ul-Awwal) is the day of the great Eid, and there is a lot of explanation on this issue in another place. The Prophet (saw) celebrated it and he instructed the people to celebrate it as well."
Al-Noori Al-Tabarsi: What he says points to the reliability of the narration.
Source: Mustadrak Al-Wasa'il. Vol. 2, Pg. # 522.
Sheikh Abbas Al-Qummi (D. 1359 A.H):
The 9th of Rabi Al-Awwal: It is a great Eid and it is the Eid of Al-Baqr (stabbing i.e of Umar) and its explanation is long and is stated in its required place, and it is narrated that verily one who spends anything on this day will have his sins forgiven and its is said that it is Mustahhab on this day to give food to the believing brothers and to make them happy and to increase the spending on ones household and wear clean clothes and thank Allah (swt) and worship Him, and this day is the day of passing of distress and grief and it is a very noble day."
Source: Mafathi Al-Jinaan. Pg. # 402.
Abdul Hussain Al-Nishapuri (Modern Day Scholar):
Chapter: "Death of Umar ibn Khattab"
And this is a day of rejoice for Ahlulbayt (a.s), moreso this is a day of rejoice for messengers, angels, inhabitants of two gardens, and lovers of the Commander of the faithful (a.s) and his pure children, because in it was answered the prayer of the oppressed mistress Faatima Al-Zahra (s.a). And this is a great day and great holiday. And prophet (saw) gave an order for people to take it as a holiday and mentioned for it some deeds. And Allah (swt) would forgive the one who would gave charity on this day. And it is desirable in it to feed brothers, wear new clothes and distribute perfume, and thank Allah (swt) and worship Him. And it is desirable to make ghusl on this day.
And for this day mentioned merits and names, amongst them: The greatest holiday of Allah (swt), second Ghadeer, Second Fitr, day of rejoice of Shi'as, the holiday of Ahlulbayt (a.s), the day of death of hypocrisy, day of acceptance of deeds, day of victory of oppressed.
Source: Taqwimu Shi'a. Pg. # 140 - 141.
Marjah Taqlid Ayatollah Sadiq Al-Rohani:
Question:
What is your opinion about the "Eid Al-Zahra (s.a)" gatherings? Are these gatherings classified as unlawful games and idle talk? And what about clapping in such gatherings?
Answer:
Organizing "Eid Al-Zahra" (s.a) gatherings if they are empty of any prohibited activities are considered amongst the best means of seeking nearness to Allah (swt). As about clapping, as long as it is according to Islamic morals and does not contradict piety then it is fine.
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