Shah ast Hussain (as)

This is Ashura Lucknow , I captured the guy on the extreme right in my cameras view finder, I stalk him, as there was so much unsaid, but Hussainiyat characterized his pain, he was volatile till the end, these are a few frames of him.
In the picture at the end is Baney Qama a doyen, a veteran of the Kama Zani matam, he takes care of those who over bleed, tying bandages to the head.It was in his Anjuman that I had cut my forehead at Kazmain during Athvi.
He is a Moulaiee.He weeps as he sees the bloodletting, proud of his Shias , their sanguine nature of choosing Pain as the way of life.
Mera Mazloom Imam , means my Innocent Imam, of all time in Karbala during the Tyranny of Yazid of the Ummayad Caliphate, a demoon , devilish man, impersonating as an Islamist , with evil dessigns , to redesign Islam as his feudal property.
He had the rest of the so called followers under his thumb, it was justification of power through evil mindedness.Its a shame not a single Islamic contemporary voice , uttered a word against the ensuing genocide of the kith and kin of the Holy Prophet.
It is the same thing today, people killed in the name of Islam, silence prevails, the powers of collective Islam are impotently quiet, fearing the loss of their own feudal kigdoms in the quicksand.So an American defence for the Holy Cities of Islam. Political Paranoid at the expense of Spirtuality.
This is the patch of pitch blackness, attempts to shift the blame on Shias, Jews Christians but not Yazid or his Yazidi Islam of that time for the killing of Imam Hussain, butchering of Innocent members of his Tribe.
Karbala is the bone of contention for both Shias and Sunnis.
The best way of ignoring Karbala, was to remove the contribution of the Holy Prophet , to the propagation of Islam by a prisitine Sect , this automatically suited the enemies of Shiasm, God was the important aspect Of Islam, I mean I do not want to get into an ugly controversy, but it did not work, this pristine sect is already alienated itself from the Brahelvi Sunnis of India.
Dargah visiting, ritualism , the noble work of the Sufi saints cannot be deleted like a temporary file.Its eternal, shaping the destiny of Man.That is why today every man sides with Hussain .Har Quam Pukaregi Hamare hain Hussain.
Everybody shares in Hussainiyat.
I am not a religion scholar, I believe live let others live, trying to gobble the planet for yourself is not Islam.Whether you call it Jehad. it will forever be reminiscent of Yazidiyat.Per Se.

May 29th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 29 May 2007
Filed Under: enemies of shiasm, kama zani | No Comments »

Step No 1

You wash your head with water , to soften your skull, you take the short sword in your hand, grasp it firmly, look at the edege of the blade tauntingly, yes you will cut the blade with your forehead , assymetrical warfare, scaring the blade.

Step 2

Around you the begin the chants of Ya Ali, you take the sowrd , with all the strength slice your forehead, there is a paper tearing feel , nothing else, you feel the blood streaming from your wound, you have to be fast as the guys around you will snatch the sword, you have to be careful you dont cut them either.

Step 3

One last stroke they have grabbed your sword, now you hit the open wound on your head with both the hands, aggravate it to open up.
If not satisfied you can take another shot..
They do this without stop at Rehmatabad Shia cemetery in Mumbai Mazgaon.
This is known as Kamazani or foreheading cutting in Moharam.
Any one can take a go, provided you feel the pain of Hazrat Imam Hussain , you are clean, you are protected by the aura of Ahle Bait.

Well you have done it, did not take much time.

May 29th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 29 May 2007
Filed Under: hazrat imam hussain, kama zani | No Comments »

Tazias

Tazias

Nakhas is the predominant area of Shia Moharam celebrations, the most sectarian fire prone, the main thoroughfare , a commercial hub, with less fan fare than Aminabad, not high end or classy as Hazratganj.
Nakhas is pure Nakhas, it touches Chowk the chiken capital, has most of the Imambadas within walking dstance.Towards the Mandi are the two famous ones Gufr Map, and Akka Baqar, near my father in lawAbbas Qasims house are Nazim Saab, Shia girls college.
The road of Nakhas is blocked during Moharam time from 1st Moharam to 10th Moharam.
The 9th Moharam Juloos starts from Nakhas late evening ending at Hazrat Abbas Dargah.
The Ashura Juloos starts from Nakhas ends at Karbala Talkatora.
Once in a lifetime affair , worth watching is the Moharam Ashura here, still clinging to the mustiness of its old embroidered chikankari charm , old age traditions, of course Tehzeeb and Adab have been driven away into exile, by a more disgruntled lot, a deafningly deviated lot.
The older folks still maintain their ancestral hospitability, decorum, go out of their way to ease the comforts of the guest visitor.
I was born at my grandfather Late Daroga Nabban Saabs house in in 1953, at Pataala, Imli Wali Gully..close to the Sunni citadel of Subatiya Bagh..
Being a Shia my paternal roots were part of Subatiya Baugh as my great grandfather was a Sunni vinegar merchant.
His only son Bashir Hussain married my Shia grandmother Khurshed Baji, converted to Shiasm, giving up all his ancestral property and wealth and Sunni heritage.
He was the only surviving son among sisters I am told.
My father late Mohomed Shakir originally from Lucknow was settled in Bombay he would narrate the Dock bomb blast to us as kids, married my mother late Shamim Shakir..

We have never stayed longer than two weeks in Lucknow, even when times were bad, my mother has come to her mothers house with the other kids , I remained at Colaba in late Keith Kangas house my childhood friend.
Both my parents are buried next to each other at Rehmatabad cemetery Mazgaon Mumbai.

So this is my story as Lucknow born Mumbai desi…
This was my first Ashura with a camera …

Tazia

Ashura in Lucknow 2007

Tazias

Laurent Salesse in Action

Tazias

Tazias

Zanzir Kids

Laurent takes a shot

Tazias

Tazias

Tazias

Laurent Salesse shoots my mother in laws house imambada

Myself Photographerno1 shot by L.Salesse Shia Blogger

Shia Child from Kargil

Shia Child

Laurent takes a Break

May 27th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 29 May 2007
Filed Under: firoze shakir, hazrat imam hussain, laurent salesse, tazias | No Comments »

baba ek paise ka sawal hai
moutaj hoon
musalman hoon
badkismati ka yeh hal hai
zindagi bediyon se bandhi
jeena janjal hai
khuda ka khayal hai
alam behaal hai

sir give me a coin or two
my tears soaked in a
dry tissue
no hope no avenue
womanly woes
my residue
shadows that i pursue
to move away from
this heartless world
i wait in a queue

a woman is a woman
its true
a womans pain
in public view
scarred
through and through
whether muslim or hindu
its a mans world
where womanhood
they misconstrue
use abuse misuse
depraved destroyed
by a few
a fallen woman
nothing but a taboo

May 27th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 29 May 2007
Filed Under: muslim women | No Comments »

I am fascinated with the house Tazias, early wintry Luknow morning , the elder of the house clinging to the home wrapped Tazia, children in tow, sometimes a child carrying the Alam Abbas, little boys , girls part of century old tradition, unbroken cycle of Faith.
All of them , walking barefeet , heads uncovered , for miles till they reach Karbala Talkatora, here , a grave is selected dug, prayers for the dead are said, the Tazia is buried,tears lashing their faces, a Matam on the grave, the family members will trudge back home .
They have not eaten as on the day of Ashura the Shias fast till about 5 pm , this enforced fast is called Faqa..breaking of this fast is called Faqe Shikani.
The fast is broken with rice and black dal called khade masur ki dal.
The taste of this dal ,is unique as the taste cannot be duplicated if you cook it any other day.
The Iranians break their fast after the Amin Juloos in Mumbai , with Khichda in the lawns of Moghul Masjid or at Imambada Fotowat, in a huge metal plate , all of them eat collectively..
This khichda taste too is unique on Ashura day.
After Ashura the Shias celebrate 40 days of the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain called Chehlum, for the Iranians this is the last day of Moharam.
But the Hindustani Shia will mourn another 28 days , 2 months 8 days total, this last day is called Athvi, celebrated in the flavor of the culture of the state.
Lucknow has the Chup Tazia and Navi as the end of Moharam.
Navi is called Eid E Zehra. 9 th Rabilawwal .

May 27th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 29 May 2007
Filed Under: firoze shakir, shiasm, tazias | No Comments »

“THE HEART OF A FOOL IS IN HIS MOUTH AND THE TONGUE OF A WISE MAN IS IN HIS HEART.”
HAZRAT ALI.

Name - Ali

Title - Al-Murtaza, Al-Amir-ul-Mo’mineen, Abu-Turab, Asadullah

Kunyat - Abul Hasan

Born - Friday 13th of Rajab, in the Holy Ka’ba

Father’s Name - Abu Talib-ibne-Abdul Muttalib

Mother’s Name - Fatima bint-e-Asad

Died - at the age of 63 years, at Kufa, on Monday, the 21st Ramadan 40 AH, murdered by an assassin who mortally wounded him with a poisoned sword in the Mosque at Kufa during morning prayers on the 19th of Ramadan.

Buried - Najaf, near Kufa.

1. A wise man first thinks and then speaks and a fool speaks first and then thinks. - Hazrat Ali Ibn-e-Abi Talib

3. Be generous but not extravagant, be frugal but not miserly. - Hazrat Ali Ibn-e-Abi Talib

6. Live amongst people in such a manner that if you die they weep over you and if you are alive they crave for your company. - Hazrat Ali Ibn-e-Abi Talib

9. Unfortunate is he who cannot gain a few sincere friends during his life and more unfortunate is the one who has gained them and then lost them (through his deeds). - Hazrat Ali Ibn-e-Abi Talib

Nahjul Balagha

May 27th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 29 May 2007
Filed Under: hazrat ali | No Comments »

The most touching, the most saddening aspect of Moharam is the parting of the House Tazias, for burial on Ashura day.
Early morning, a last majlis by the ladies of the house, cheeks streaked with tears, the Tazia that was the cynosure of pride in the House Imambada, is now packed , the man of the house will carry it bare feet to Karbala Talkatora..Ashura 10 days of Imam Hussains mourning comes to an end.
Whatever the rant or disrespect shown of the Shia sect by blasphemous description denunciation in the most untasteful manner, akin to the web master getting cheep thrills and orgiatic masturbative delight, on Allah Ho Akbar.net , brings one thng to the fore, Shia are more human sensitive to the Holy Prophets grandsons pain than the Sunnis..
It is this universal pain of the Shias that is commendable, as it has remained intact, whatever the reasons for hiding their Shiasm under the guise of Taqqaiya, in the olden days,today Shia carry this element of their faith as a badge of honor.
I try not to get into Shia Sunni dispute, I try not to color my judgement with Sunni hate, earlier I did write poems about this rift, but of late, I hope that that atleast we become Muslims on a day of IDD , bowing our heads to the same Allak invoking hs Mercy and Blessings..
Shiasm is not a Saccha Dera thing where , brandishing open swords , firing guns you bring humanity to the knees.I respect the Sikh point of view completely punish the leader of the sect , not his innocent followers, let them see Truth return to the motherfold.
The guilty should be punished, but law should take its course, peace is dialogue and debate are more important than shedding blood.Tolernce is another name for Humanity.
Sunnis may consider themselves Allahs chosen ones, God gifted ones, but we chose to be Shia , call us heretics ,rafidis we are happy with our believes, why are you unhappy, we do not ask you to join us..we do not prosyletize the way the Saudis do, emotionally blackmailing us in
the back yard of our Holy Cities.
This is as simply put the dogmatic split between Shias and Sunnis.
Yet we can live together in Peace , following our individual sects, under the canopy of an Islamic Umbrella..
But paid agents of Islamic hate will never let this happen.. a divided Islam , a fragmented Islam is what the enemies of Islam want, we are easily carried away because of our ancestral hard headedness including a bit of dumbheadedness too borrowed from the Arabs, become prey to their evil machinations.
This is what I see in a nutshell.
The Shias are a minority within a minority in India, but do not seek OBC status our staus is that we are believers of Hussain.Period.
So the parting of the Tazias, is a very sensitively charged human emotion.
More than anything I like to shoot this , as I remember I carried one as a child,on my head barefeet , crying as my feet burnt and Uncle Jhumman , leisurely leading the way, shouting Ya Hussain Ya Hussain .
This Tazia burial is a Lucknow thing it does not happen in Mumbai.
This was the first Ashura I was shooting in Lucknow.My last.
I never had Shia friends, I was bought up by Sunni Pathans , Fazal Khan and his family.
I am happy never once did they taunt me about my Shiasm.
Its so called missionaries on the cybernet ,who use words of God ,Allah ho Akbar to demolish the right of another Muslim to live according to his beliefs.
It is not surprising across the border it is with the organisations under the name of Allah or the Holy Prophet that are machinery to kill innocent people, this Islam of Hate is assymetrically an Axis of Evil..Talibanisation…by any other name is …oops .Terrorism for sure.
Yazidiyat is a parcel that blows up in the hands of its followers.

Tazias on Nakhas Road.

It is while these Tazias were moving that I met this French Photographer Laurent Salesse , he saw me all bandadged up, my back wrpped in a scarf, he asked me if he could shoot my back, I said go ahead.
I took him to shoot my mother in law Wassim Qazilbash’s house Imambada.
I respect photographers of all caste color and creed.

Shiasm Reliance Always Mobile .

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna

Shia Children
Now you know why Shia children ar different from the kids of the majority community, our childrn are shown through actions, our majlis, our matam, the meaning of righteousness, the meaning of pain, the meaning of the place of birt, the meaning of loving Motherhood the Motherhood of Maksade Fatima, the love for our country.
If you dont have all these values what do you have.
If you do not worship your Mother our your Motherland you might as well stop living.
Shia Children , well honestly it is nothing but a matter of proper pedigree , wheteher Syed ,Mirza , we all are bound by our tears to that noble Mother , the loving doting daughter of the Holy Prophet, from whom the Caliphs stole everything but her birthright..her mother Bibi Khadija who gave away her entire wealth to spread Islam.
This noble wife Bibi Fatima of Hazrat Ali, worked on the grinding stone to feed her children Hassan Hussain, yes the sweat of her brow..made ends meet..
tHis sweat of her brow..are the tears that Shias dedicate each Moharam ..
We call it Ghame Hussain
Azadari E Hussain
Maksade Hussain
You msay have all the wealth in the world, all your penance and devotion is Zilchwithout the Ahle Bait.Simply Put in Simple English.
Sometmes Heresy is more convincing than bookish Faith of Silent Scriptures.

criss crossed on my back
is my faith
in a flesh like haversack
no sunni can ever
hijack ..
shiasm is a hardnut to crack
url to Allah
Ahle Bait to backtrack

shot by laurent salesse

Yes I am Back

Laurent Salesse and Me Ashura Lucknow 2007

One last thing the nude pictures of the Holy Prohpet , is a very evil misdeed of a a mind that is worse than that of a terrorist, this act is clearly to destabilis the harmony existing between Hindus and Muslims all over the Country.
The criminal should be severly punishedto deter others from doing this.
Honestly I thnk with all respect to Mr MF Hussain , his freedom of expression, he shuod desist from portraying HIndu Goddesses in the nude , take some subject less controversial that does not hurt other peoples religiosity.A Hussain blank canvas with just his signature too would sell …INTERPRET DIVINITY ALL THE SAME , LIKE HIS DETRACTORS MIND GONE BLANK.

MF HUSSAIN MAY BE CELEBRITY PAINTER, BUT HE IS THE CAUSE IN A WAY, INDIRECTLY OF THE NUDE PICTURES OF THE HOLY PROPHET..HE SHOULD APOLOGIZE LIKE A GENTLEMAN , BURN THE GODDAMNED PAINTING , BEFORE MEETING HIS MAKER FACE TO FACE..THIS IS MY HOMEST PERSONAL OPINION..RURAL MEDIOCRE INDIAN MIND IS NOY YET READY FOR THE MEDIUM OF MF HUSSAINS HINDU DIVINITY INTERPRETATION .

May 27th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 29 May 2007
Filed Under: firoze shakir, hazrat imam hussain, house imambara, laurent salesse, nakhas | No Comments »

poverty stricken
muslim woman
in islam
a raw deal
she is a living dead
they see but dont feel
she will beg
but wont borrow or steal
she is far too genteel
like an onion tears unpeel
friday namaz the peshimam the mullah
all spiritual candy floss and spiel
while the poor muslim woman
hand stretched begs for a meal
blood that on her soul congeals
muslim woman is always happy
they complacently reveal
a muslim mother
was not a muslim mans ideal
male dominated
mullah backed society
in all its zeal
a muslim womans destiny
with a triple talaq they seal
fatwas as they unreel
a punctured tyre in a wheel
moving an Islamic Juggernaut
of an automobile

I could have never shot this picture without divine godly intervention

May 26th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 26 May 2007
Filed Under: firoze shakir, muslim women | No Comments »

candles flickering in the wind
but her faith in ahle bait
steadfast..
through her childrens children
it will everlast
yes before she was born
the die was cast
her destiny
her yacht of devotion
that needs no mast
karbala the present future
a past overcast
an unforgettable
holocaust
yet he stood tall
this Hussaini iconoclast
a sacrifice unsurpassed
shah ast hussain
badshah ast hussain
on the soul of yazidiyat
criss-crossed
come what may
hussainiyat
on the forehead of Shia
unborn children embossed
through our tears
ghame hussain
azadari e hussain
our love for
the beloved grandson
of the Holy Prophet
we broadcast
allah ho akbar
a maksade hussain
forever we will hold fast

May 26th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 26 May 2007
Filed Under: allah ho akbar., firoze shakir, hazrat imam hussain, misplaced martyrdom | No Comments »

The Famous Dariyawali Masjid or Mosque of Djinns

The Masjid is brilliantly lit , jam packed, women are here in great numbers, Maulana Kalbe Jawad s Majlis have a great effect on the Shia women folk, they come from far and wide , to hear him out.
Maulana Effendi is Shia Koranic scholar , he interprets the Koran , every point he makes to the public is on the strength of the Verses of the Koran.He is a an inrepid old man, but does not tire at all, he is absolutely unornamental in the metaphor of words he chooses, no melodrama , just pure plain facts , he has his followers too.
In between the Majlis are the reciters of the Noha who await their turn, reciting Marsiya..the Dariyawala Alam is Miracle Alam, even the Hindus seek blessings of Hazrat Abbas from a distance.
But here I will digress , the Hindus of Hyderabad , God bless them in abundance , may their tribes increase, they have a lot of faith, in Bibi Ka Alam, visit Moulah Ali Ka Pahad, I have seen them , at Hazrat Abbas Dargah , going in a trance , yes to be a believer of Ahle Bait you dont need to change your religion only your attitude..Shiasm is a spirituality with a whiff of Karbala a single shrieking chant that rises to a cresecendo ..Ya Hussain Ya Hussain..
I have a view the Shia hardliners can bite the dust for all I care , but Hussain is a property that belongs not only to the Shias but to the entire universe of human loving people.. Hussainiyat is not a dogma, Hussainiyat is Triumph of Truth over Atrocity , Hussainiyat is what keeps the apsidistra flying from homes that respect human values.
Hussainiyat is Tolerance..
Yazidiyat is the corruption of the human soul, emulating to play God, Yazidiyat is Satanic Verses..Yazidiyat is Misplaced Martyrdom, Jehadi Terrorism .Yazidiyat is falsifying Truth, Yazidiyat is home grown in evil hearts..Yazidiyat is the call of the Muezzin to kill, those that follow religions other than Islam..Yazidiyat is not necessarily Islamic it can be American, Israeli..any caste color or creed chameleon like , even certain heads of clergy can be its initiates.

Yazidiyat is
a serpent seed.
mocking Islam
on Truth it feeds
a Crescent
on a Banner of Peace
weaps tears
as it Bleeds
Muslim love killing Muslims
hate whispering reeds
political survival
pretetentious religiosity
is all it needs
greediness lust for power
a string of broken
prayer beads
needs no water
just grows as weeds
True Islam
it impedes
colloquial silence
trampling humanity
as it speeds
distorted dogmas
dimensional delusions
that
Yazidiyat shields
Karbala
the Land of Sorrow
Killing Fields

May 26th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 26 May 2007
Filed Under: dariyawala alam, dariyawali masjid, enemies of shiasm, hazrat imam hussain, islam, yazidiyat | No Comments »

On the 8th Of Moharam , all roads from every corner of Lucknow lead to a place on the banks of the River Gomti,this is a Masjid called Dariyawali Masjid, or more famous as the Masjid of Djjins.
It is a very eerie place in terms of spirtuality, Thursdays devotees come here to light candles burn incense , but on 8th Moharam , it is jam packed, this day being celebrated as the Martyrdom of Hazrat Abbas the standard bearer valiant brother of Hazrat Imam Hussain.
If there is one person whose named is invoked in calamaties after Hazrat Ali , it is certainly Hazrat Abbas.Hazrat Ali was the cousin of the Holy Prophet ,he married Bibi Fatima the only daughter of the Holy Prophet.They had two sons Hassan and Hussain , Hazrat Ali married again on the passing away of Bibi Fatima.
As narrated below..

Hazrat Abbas
“Hazrat Abbas was the son of Hazrat Ali ibne Abi Talib. His mother’s name was Fatima Binte Hazam bin Khalid Ibn-e-Rabi’e Ibn-e-Amer Kalbi. She was also known as ‘Ummul Baneen’. She belonged to the clan of Banu Kilah, which was one the noblest families amongst the Hashimites and famous for the bravery and valour of its warriors.”

Some years after the martyrdom of Fatema Zehra (S.A.), Imam Ali (A.S.) asked his brother Aqil to offer the marriage proposal to a woman from a brave progeny. Being so knowledgeable in this regard, Aqil wooed Fatima Binte Hazam (Ummul Baneen) for Imam and they got married.

Fatima Binte Hazam was an accomplished and cultured lady, and bore Hazrat Ali’s four sons, Abbas, Abdulla, Ja’far and Usman. The meaning of ‘Ummul Baneen’ is ‘Mother of Sons’. All of her sons were martyred along with Imam Hussain. After their martyrdom, she requested people not to call her ‘Ummul Baneen’ ever again.

The day she entered the household of Hazrat Ali, she made it very plain to Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain that she considered herself their slave, and she hoped and prayed that they would accept her as one. Her respect and affection for there was soon reciprocated by the two brothers, and even after her children were born, Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain occupied a foremost place in her heart.

Fatima Binte Hazam had such sincerity toward the Holy Prophet’s progeny that she loved Imam Hussain (A.S.) more than her own children. A feeling which was from the bottom of her heart. It was to the extent that when she received the news stating the martyrdom of her four children, she said: “Tell me about Hussain (A.S.)” and when she received the news of Imam Hussain (A.S.)’s martyrdom she said: “All of the arteries of my heart are torn. May all of my children and what ever that exists under this azure heaven be sacrificed for the sake of Imam Hussain (A.S.).

One of the bravest of the Holy Prophet’s followers Ja’far Tayyar, the brother of Hazrat Ali. In the battle of Muta, Ja’far Tayyar carried the Banner of Islam and in that battle he was out-numbered by the enemies and killed. When the news reached the Holy Prophet he cried and prayed for Ja’far’s soul and the angel Gabriel came down and consoled (the Prophet), saying “Ja’far was a brave and loyal soldier. God has given him everlasting life, and in place of two arms which were cut off in the battle, the Lord has given him a pair of wings”.

Hazrat Ali, who was sitting near the Holy Prophet at that time, said, “Please pray to God that I should die fighting for the cause of Islam and become a martyr.” But the Holy Prophet said, “0 Ali, your death has already been decreed. You shall die in the mosque during your prayers, but the Almighty will give you a son who will die in the battle on Ashoora day”. From that time Ali eagerly awaited the birth of that son.

(This prophecy was made in the year 8 A.H. when Imam Hasan was 5 years old and Imam Hussain was 4.)

Na Zarurat Thi Talwaar Ki Na Aur Kisi Hathiyar Ki
Sirf Ek Dua Thi Karbala Main Alamdaar Ki
Fakat Mil Jaye Ijazat Aqa Hussain Sai
To Yaad DilaDunga Jung Haider-e-Karrar Ki

So Dariawali Masjid I came , realising that in my hurry I had left the flash at home, a journalist took me back to Nakhas , armed with my flash shot these pictures.
Most of the pictures got underexposed..but I am posting the few good ones.
This Dariyawala Alam , moves out from the Masjid towards Gufr Map Imambada it takes several hours, I believe it reaches in the wee hours of the morning before Fajr Namaz.
I did not shoot the climax, I am bare feet this is chilly winter.I was tired , sleepy, in bad shape.
Before the Alam moves out there was a Majlis by an Alim Maulana Effendi, after that Maulana Kalbe Jawad took the mimber , once he ends his Majlis the procession men women and children, under the most strict police bandobast takes to the roads..
There is no scourging or kama zani as in Mumbai at Kaser Bagh, just hand matam , each Anjuman reciting their Nohas..I Mumbai the Moghul Masjid guys do the circular Busheri Matam.

Maulana Effendi

Maulana Kalbe Jawad

May 26th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 26 May 2007
Filed Under: dariyawala alam, dariyawali masjid, firoze shakir, hazrat imam hussain, maulana kalbe jawad, shiasm | No Comments »

 

My mother in law Wassim Abbas Qazilbash comes from an old Bihar Shia family of Siwan.
Her father late Zakir Hussain , migrated to Lucknow , became part of Lucknowi ethos, her father is still remebered , when Mualanas bring his name at their Majlis, a devout Shia with unflinching faith in Ahle Bait.He was always offering Salwad so the gebneral public called him Zakir Hussain Salwadi.
Her late father coined the word Bul Bul.. Bur Umar Lanat..curses on the enemies of the Ahle Bait.
No you know why my mother in law whom I call Wassim Baji, supports Maulana Agha Roohi, the Lion of Lucknow , Agha Roohi saab is a staunch tabarahi, so is my mother in law.
My mother in law respects Maulana Kalbe Jawad , but her admiration ends there, she is a fighter , this frail Shia woman, she fears not even fear, recently she fell down, while going for a Majlis , cut herself badly but was not aware of the blood flowing, she just wanted to be in time for Maulana agha Roohis Majlis, till the women noticed her state called her son Mohomed Arif of Diamond Cassettes , who immediately rushed her to hospital, a few stitches later, she was at another Majlis.
This is my Mother In Law.
A very puny woman, very feminine , very soft spoken, always giving the other person a chance to talk, a fabulous cook, a great mother to her 3 daughters one son.
She loves all her sons in laws, Shahid Bhai, Amir , and Me, but she loves me far too much , to the envy of the other two.
I married her elder daughter Afshaan , who was 14 at that time I was 25.This was a marriage on the rebound as I was madly in love with a Sikh woman who had left me because of my alcholism that had seeped into the walls of my flesh like soul.
No they did not know about my drinking..they give me their daughter, because my mother Shamim Shakir was the daughter of late Daroga Nabban Saab from the family of Mir Anis.
Maulana Kalbe Abid Saab solemnised my marriage Nov26 1977.
It is because of this solemnity of a great Shia Maulana that I faced all the marital hurdles, all the storms , tsunamis in the tea cup.
I have been off booze since 7 years.
I fell in love too , almost at the verge of tying the knot with an American lady, I told my mother in law, she uttered just a word that hit me badly,” I know whatever you do you wont forsake my daughter and her kids..”
This is not a confessional, but the strength of my mother in law, who now afer the passing away of my mother, has become my matrenal hope by default.
My mother in law is a Tabarahi, she curses the killers of Imam Hussain very openly, but she has no sectarian ill will, she lived with Sunni neighbors, her domestic is Sunni , but yes my mother in law is a devout Muslim.
She does not miss Namaz or Roza , she is always making pickles for my family, to send through someone or the other going to Mumbai.
A week back Asif Shakirs mother in law left for Mumbai, without taking the pickles, Wassim Qazilbash cried like a child , her life is a love for her grandchildren.
Her husband Abbas Qasim is incomplete without her..
I was honestly not much into congregational Shiasm, even after having a devout Shia wife, I never was so open about my Shiasm either, but much of the credit of getting me out of the closetof my confusion , into the mainstream of Shia spirtuality goes to Wassim Qazilbash and her daughter my wife Afshaan.
Everybody alwayds thought that my wife was married to a non Muslim , because of my Sadhu attire , the dreads , the whiskers are all gone..
My wife has more guts than me to walk with a man.. dressed as I am..
My mother in laws House Imambada is her spirtual domain, she decorates it herself, polishes the Alams, all roads in her building in her area lead to her Imambada..
Her greatest happiness was to see both wife and me in Lucknow to celebrate Ashura..
The indiscretionshown by the Shia hardliners , the mountain they made out of a mole hill , hurt her the most, know she must ave died each moment , this Shia woman, the Shia hardliners of Lucnow are spiritually hollow show offs, nothing but sectarian hate to their credit..I have written this piece as the mothers of the Shia hardliners too must be having devout mothers like Wassim Qazilbash..Tolerance is what seperates a wise Muslim man from a foolish Muslim man..
This is my tribute not just to my mother in law , but to all the brave Shia women , nameless , faceless, bringing us up with values..its how we emulate them that becomes the crux..of our existence.
I will never go to Lucknow.. but I am greatful that I improved my life through the ardent prayers of my mother in law..
A good mother in law is the greatest gift to a Man.
He is Blessed till Eternity.
In the eyes of his wife lies the reflection of a good mother in law…

HAZRAT ALIS NAZAR

May 25th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 26 May 2007
Filed Under: firoze shakir, house imambara, wassim qazilbash | No Comments »

The Holy Koran

Hazrat Alis Nazar

The House Imambada

The House Imambada ..The Holy Koran ..Hazrat Ali remembered…

May 24th, 2007

Posted by photographerno1 on 24 May 2007
Filed Under: hazrat ali, holy koran, house imambara | No Comments »

The Web Master at Allah Ho Akbar .Net might choke after he reads this , but than being a Web Master and getting entangled in ones own net is an occupational hasard.One can delete a file, at the click of a mouse, but deleting Shia or Shiasm with hyperbolic hallucinations is a difficult task,even Yazid with his powerful army got entangled in his own net vanquished by one Man who now is synonomous with Humanity.. Imam Hussain , such is the power beyond the click of a mouse, in its simplicity we call it Shah Ast Hussain..
The carrier of this powerful message is a new born Shia child, I have seen , that the Shia Child when born has his hand on his chest as though he is ready to do Matam , oops what am I saying, yes the Shia child lets out a wail which is his war cry audibly revebrating as Ya Hussain.
When the Shia Child is growing , he is aware of his mission in life, Maksade Hussain.
Right from the beginning he rattles off ..
Allah Ek
Panjetan Panch
Imam Bara
Masoom Choudah
Khuda ke Nur se Paida Hue Hain
Panchon Tan
Mohomed , Asto Ali
Fatima Hassan Hussain

Yes for a Shia Child everything is important , but everything is complete without the benovelence of Ahle Bait.The Shia child carried n his mothers waist without any training imitates his mother beating his chest, he is a fast learner, no indoctrination needed, this is more effective than just parroting the Holy Koran, he sees his mother weep, he knows Pain, he felt the pain during birth, he relives this pain , the pain of being a follower of Imam Hussain.
I am mesmrised by the Shia child, this is not a brain washing, this is not a enforced toilet traning this comes with the territory of being born a Shia.
Yes the Shia child is special.
I learnt this during Athvi in Lucknow , watching little kids with Alams marching to Kazmain with a cofidencence unbecoming of a child.
A Shia child is an Adult..
I saw the Shia children at Mr Shabeeb Rizvis house and till date I can never forget the glint of redeeming hope in the eyes of Little Baqar son of sports journalist Ehtesham Hassans son..I was drowning he saved me..with all your hate , venom , you cannot corrupt our Shia kids , they are the Faith of our sect..It takes a Shia mother to produce a Shia kid, no mean task..
I take my hats off to Shia mothers..
This little kid in the picture had come with his mother to the Matam at my mother in laws House Imambada , he saw me , he came to see me , yes we were both kindered soul, I was taking the strength of my Shiasm from him…
Once go to Hyderabad on Ashura Day at the Bargah you will know what it means keeping our Faith alive..yes we inflict wounds on our bodies, we mark ourselves, we do everything you despise us for, but honestly we dont teach our kids to cut off heads of Kafirs, we dont teach our kids to place bombs in trains, we dont teach our kids to lob grenades while heads are bowed in prayers to Allah.We teach our kids nothing , they bring their values intact, we are a race that was created to mourn for Imam Hussain, we Indian Shias are a race born as a gift of God to appease the love of Imaam Hussain for a land called Hindustan he, said I know in Hindustan there are no Mussalmans but yes there are Insans..meaning human beings.
I am not a Mullah, I do not have the arsenal of Koranic verses , but yes I have one thing that is Truth .. I was born a Shia I shall die a Shia..I have pledged my body to a Medical research.. somebody might see with my eyes, or my organs…or what is left of them.
I do not seek Paradise..you can add this to my heresy..of being a Rafidi Shia…
A state of Mind that goes beyond Matter.

May 24th, 2007
Categories: house imambada, ahle bait, indian shiasm, shiaism, allah ho akbar, imam hussain, allah

Posted by photographerno1 on 24 May 2007
Filed Under: allah ho akbar., firoze shakir, hazrat imam hussain, hindustan, house imambara, islam, maksade hussain, shia kids, shia mothers, shiasm | No Comments »

I continue the pictures shot on negatives on Ashura day, I shot a lot of pictures inspite of being handicapped with a defective Nikon D70, luckily my brother in law Mohomed Arif of Diamond Cassettes ,would empty out my memory cards to Cds , so I was never in a tricky situation of not being able to shoot digital.I had no computer access , no resizing software, during such trips I missed having a lap top.The cybercafe below my in laws house kept me connected to the world at Word Press, also I did not post at Buzznet or Bloggerspot.I would post Ashura Lucknow 2007 and add old pictures from my web site.
All these pictures hibernated in CDS even after I had shot the Safed Tazia in Chehlum at Delhi.
There are about half a dozen Raw Cds I have yet to work on.

Al Huda News

May 24th, 2007
Categories: Ashura in Lucknow 2007 .

Posted by photographerno1 on 24 May 2007
Filed Under: Uncategorized | No Comments »