Taragadh Ajmer
These are the replicas of the 72 Martyrs of Karbala .. of Imam Hussains army.
Posted by photographerno1 on 30 Sep 2008
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Archive for September, 2008
Taragadh Ajmer
The most significant Shia influence close to Ajmer Sharif is the fortress of Taragadh, Moharam is celebrated here ,Maulanas from all over India come here and recite Majlis.
Posted by photographerno1 on 30 Sep 2008
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Let There Be Light
sectarian violence
sectarian strife
musims killing muslims
islamic plight
shias sunnis
instead of being united
for sake of dogma
just love to fight
day and night
like a blind man
battling without eyesight
this rarmzan idd
let there be light
peace hope harmony
mutual coexistence
instead of might is right
allah
his holy messenger
his holy book
scriptures of solidarity
scriptures of spirituality
in black and white
Posted by photographerno1 on 30 Sep 2008
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More Faithful Than Man - Zuljana
Posted by photographerno1 on 29 Sep 2008
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Remembering Ali Asghrar-Amin Imambada
Posted by photographerno1 on 29 Sep 2008
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Ashura 2003 Amin Imambada
Posted by photographerno1 on 29 Sep 2008
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Cradle of Ali Asghar Amin Imambada Mumbai
Posted by photographerno1 on 29 Sep 2008
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The Cradle of Ali Asghar
www.convertstoislam.com/Karbala/karbala.HTML
IN THE house of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf), which presented the best image of both the worlds - the heaven and the earth - a child who benefited humanity as if he was Divine Impression reflecting the earth, was born on the 3rd night of the month of Shaban. His father was Imam Ali (a.s.), the best model of kindness towards his friends and the bravest against the enemies of Islam, and his mother was Hazrat Fatimah (s.a.), the only daughter of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) who had as universally acknowledged, inherited the qualities of her father. Imam Hussain (a.s.), is the third Imam. When the good news of his birth reached the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf), he came to his daughter’s house, took the newly-born child in his arms, recited adhan and iqamah in his right and left ears respectively, and on the 7th day of his birth, after performing the rites of aqiqah, named him al-Hussain, in compliance with Allah’s (swt) command. Hassan (a.s.) and Hussain (a.s.), the two sons of the Holy Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) and Hazrat Fatimah (s.a.),our Lady of Light, were respected and revered as the "Leaders of the Youths of Paradise" as stated by the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf).
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hf) had openly prophesied that the faith of Islam would be rescued by his second grandson Hussain (a.s.), when Yazid, son of Muawiayh, would endeavour to destroy it. Yazid was known for his devilish character and brutish conduct. He was known as the most licentious of men. The people having known and understood the character of Yazid, formed a covenant by which Muawiyah could not appoint Yazid as his successor. This undertaking was given by Muawiyah to Imam Hassan (a.s.) from whom Muawiyah had snatched power. Muawiyah violated this undertaking and nominated Yazid who succeeded his father. Immediately as he came to power, Yazid began acting in full accordance with his known character. He started interfering in the fundamentals of the faith and practised every vice and wickedness freely with the highest degree of impunity and yet held himself out as the successor of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf), demanding allegiance to himself as the leading guide of the faith. Paying allegiance to Yazid was nothing short of acknowledging the devil as God. If a divine personality like the Holy Imam Hussain (a.s.) had agreed to his authority, it would be actually recommending the devil to humanity in place of God. Yazid demanded allegiance from the Holy Imam Hussain (a.s.), who could have never agreed to it at any cost. The people fearing death and destruction at the hands of the tyrant had yielded to him out of fear. Imam Hussain (a.s.) said that come whatever may, he would never yield to the devil in place of God and undo what his grandfather, the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) had established. The refusal of the Holy Imam (a.s.) to pay allegiance to this fiend, marked the start of the persecution of the Holy Imam (a.s.). As a result he had retired to Medina where he led a secluded life. Even here he was not allowed to live in peace, and was forced to seek refuge in Mecca where also he was badly harassed, and Yazid plotted to murder him in the very precincts of the great sanctuary of Kaabah. The people of Kufa getting tired of the tyrannical and satanic rule of Yazid, had written innumerable letters and sent emissaries to Imam Hussain (a.s.) to come over and give them guidance in faith. Although Imam Hussain (a.s.) knew the ultimate end of the invitations, he as the divinely chosen Imam could not refuse to give the guidance sought for. When the Holy Imam (a.s.) with his entourage had reached Karbala, his horse mysteriously stopped and would not move any further. Upon this the Holy Imam (a.s.) declared: "This is the land , the land of sufferings and tortures." He alighted from his horse, and ordered his followers to encamp there saying: "Here shall we be martyred and our children be killed. Here shall our tents be burned and our family arrested. This is the land about which my grandfather the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) had foretold, and his prophecy will certainly be fulfilled." On the 7th Muharram water supply to the Imam’s camp was cut and the torture of thirst and hunger started. The Holy Imam’s (a.s.) camp consisted of ladies, innocent children including babies and some male members of the Holy Prophet’s (pbuh&hf) family; along with a small band of some faithful friends of Imam Hussain (a.s.) who had chosen to die with the Holy Imam, fighting against the devil for the cause of Allah (swt).
The Day of Ashura ( 10th of Muharram )
At dawn the Imam (a.s.) glanced over the army of Yazid and saw Umar ibn-e-Sa’ad ordering his forces to march towards him. He gathered his followers and addressed them thus:" Allah has, this day, permitted us for our martyrdom. So prepare yourselves to fight against the enemies of Islam with patience and resistance. O sons of the noble and self - respecting persons, be patient! Death is nothing but a bridge which you must cross after facing trials and tribulations so as to reach Heaven and its joys. Which of you do not like to go from this prison (world) to the lofty palaces (Paradise)?" Having heard the Imam’s (a.s.) address, all his companions were overwhelmed and cried out ," O our Master! We are all ready to defend you and your Ahlul-bayt, and to sacrifice our lives for the cause of Islam."
Imam Hussain (a.s.) sent out his companions from his camp one after another to fight and sacrifice their lives in the way of the Lord. Lastly, when all his men and children had laid down their lives, Imam Hussain (a.s.) brought his six- month old baby son Ali Asghar (a.s.), and offering him on his own hands, demanded some water for the baby, dying of thirst. The thirst of the baby was quenched by a deadly poisoned arrow from the brute’s forces, which pinned the baby’s neck to the arm of the helpless father. At last when the six-month old baby also was killed, Imam Hussain (a.s.) addressed Allah (swt): "O Lord! Your Hussain has offered in your way whatever your had blessed him with. Bless Your Hussain, O Lord! with the acceptance of this sacrifice. Every thing Hussain could do till now was through Your help and by Your Grace." Lastly Imam Hussain (a.s.) came into the field and was martyred, the details of which merciless slaughter are heart rending. The forces of Yazid having killed Imam Hussain (a.s.), cut and severed his head from his body and raised it on a lance. The severed head of the Holy Imam (a.s.) began glorifying Allah (swt) from the point of the lance saying,` Allahu Akbar’. "All glory be to Allah Who is the Greatest!" After the wholesale, merciless and most brutal slaughter of the Holy Imam (a.s.) with his faithful band, the helpless ladies and children along with the ailing son of Imam Hussain (a.s.), Imam Ali Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.), were taken captives.
Some Sayings of the Holy Prophet (sawa) During his Lifetime
with Reference to Imam Husayn (as)
Hassan (a.s.) and Hussain (a.s.) are the leaders of the Youths of Paradise.
Hussain (a.s.) is from me and I am from Hussain (a.s.) , Allah befriends those who befriend Hussain (a.s.) and He is the enemy of those who bear enmity to him.
Whoever wishes to see such a person who lives on earth but whose dignity is honoured by the Heaven dwellers, should see my grandson Hussain (a.s.).
O my son! your flesh is my flesh and your blood is my blood, your are a leader, the son of a leader and the brother of a leader; your are a spiritual guide, the son of a spiritual guide and the brother of a spiritual guide; you are an Apostolic Imam , the son of an Apostolic Imam and the brother of an Apostolic Imam; you are the father of nine Imams, the ninth of whom would be the Oaim (the last infallible spiritual guide).
The punishment inflicted on the murderer of Hussain (a.s.) in Hell would be equal to half of the total punishment to be imposed on the entire sinners of the world.
When the Holy Prophet (phuh&hf) informed Hazrat Fatimah (s.a.) of the Martyrdom in store for his grandson, she burst into tears and asked, "O my father! when would my son be martyred?" "In such a critical moment," he replied," When neither I nor you, nor Ali would be alive. " This accentuated her grief and she inquired again," Who then, O my father, would commemorate Hussain’s martyrdom?". The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) said, "The men and the women of a particular sect of my followers, who will befriend my Ahlul-Bayt, will mourn for Hussain and commemorate his martyrdom each year in every century."
Name : al-Hussain (a.s.) - the 3rd Holy Imam
Title : Syed ush-shuhada (Master of the Martyrs)
Agnomen : Abu Abdellah.
Father : Imam Ali Amir al-Muminin (a.s.) - the 1st Holy Imam
Mother : Bibi Fatimah (a.s.) (daughter of the Holy prophet).
Birth : In Medina on Thursday, 3rd shaban 4 AH. (625 AD)
Death : Martyred in Karbala (Iraq) at the age of 57, on friday, 10th Muharram 61 AH (680 AD) and buried there.
Posted by photographerno1 on 29 Sep 2008
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Moharam in Mumbai 2003-Amin Imambada
Posted by photographerno1 on 29 Sep 2008
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“Allah Humma Laan Qatalatal Husain”
smma59.wordpress.com/2006/10/05/karbala-play-the-final-ba…
“When nobody except a group of three members of his family was left with al-Husayn, he moved against the people (the soldiers), while the three (moved with) him until (all) three were killed. Al-Husayn was left alone. Despite being weighed down by wounds in his head and body, he began to strike against them with his sword and they scattered, to right and left, away from him.
Humayd b. Muslim said: “By God, I have never seen such persistence. His sons have been killed, and the members of his household and his followers, yet he is still as brave as ever and he has not allowed his spirit to leave him….â€
When Shamir b. Dhi al-Jawshan realised (the position), he called for the cavalry and they came up at the rear of the foot-soldiers. He ordered the archers to shoot at (al-Husayn) and they showered him with arrows until his (armour) became (quilted with arrows)….
Then Shamir b. Dhi al-Jawshan shouted at the foot soldiers and the calvary: “Why are you waiting for the man? May your mothers be deprived of you!†So they attacked him from every side.
Zur’a b. Sharik struck him on the left shoulder-blade and cut into it. Another of them struck him on the shoulder. He fell prostrate on his face. Sinan b. Anas al-Nakha’i stabbed him with a spear and killed him. Khawali b. Yazid al-Asbahi) hurried to him and bent down to cut off his head but he trembled (too much). Shamir said to him: “May God crush your arm why are you trembling?†Then Shamir bent down and decapitated him. He lifted the head (and handed it) to Khawali saying: “Take it to the commander ‘Umar b. Sa’d.â€
Then they began to plunder (the body of) al-Husayn. Ishaq b. al-Hayat al-Hadrami, may God curse him, took his shirt. Abjar b. Ka’b, may God curse him, took his trousers. Akhnas b. Marthad, may God curse him, took his turban. One of the Banu Darim took his sword. They plundered his saddle and his camel and they looted his womenfolk.
allah humma laan qatalatal husain
Posted by photographerno1 on 29 Sep 2008
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Moharam in Mumbai 2003
I shot a lot of film,Moharam photography added an elixir to my soul.
I could shoot and shoot and shoot..I shot as though there was no tomorrow..
I am impulsive and sensitive too, much of what I shot in those days I am actually seeing it today after scanning these old negatives…Moharam pictures dont age such is the pain called Ghame Hussain..
I had a problem with one of Habib Nasser’s friend while scourging at Rehmatabad Shia cemetery, I decided I would never shoot Moharam in Mumbai ever , so I rushed to shoot Ashura and Chehlum in Hyderabad in 2004 and Ashura of Kolkatta in 2005 .. Chehlum in 2005 at Hussain tekri Jaorah..
I shot Ashura 2006 in Lucknow and Chehlum in Delhi.. where I cut a tendon of my right hand its completely useless..when the sword cut my tendon my blood sugar was over 400 , luckily I did not lose my hand.
I shot Ashura and Chehlum 2007 in Mumbai.
Chehlum I shot with Dr Glenn Losack MD.
I have never been to Iraq a place I will visit one day perhaps and Damascus too..
Mumbai Moharam has its own unique flavor, kept alive by the migrants who have now made Mumbai their home..
Picture of Shimr at Amin Imambada ..
“Shimr Ibn Thil-Jawshan was a soldier in the Ummayad army during the battle of Karbala, in southern Iraq that occurred in the year 680 AD.
He was the maternal uncle of Abbas ibn Ali.
In battle, he killed an injured Husayn ibn Ali and beheaded him.
Husayn ibn Ali is the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.”
from wikipedia
Posted by photographerno1 on 29 Sep 2008
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Ashura at Amin Imambada Mumbai 2003
Ashura in Mumbai is a very sad moment for the Shia community..its the 10 day of the Martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain the beloved grandson of the Holy Prophet.
In Mumbai the Irani Shias stage a passion play at Amin Imambada, a traditional fare that depicts good against the evil of Yazidiyat.
The entire area is totally packed, on one end are the quintessential braveheart Shia women who watch the events from the rooms in the Imambada, and on the edge within the courtyard, and from the parapet above the ground.
The women have been coming here since they were little kids, now older they are still a force to reckon with, always squabbling , fighting amongst themselves to get a strategic place to view the events..you dont mess with them ever..God save you..
There is in the center of the courtyard a fountain that has a platform from where the damam beaters add the cacophony to the entire Ashura proceedings..
Slowly the procession enters the courtyard, the Kama matam and the zanjir matam start, the Zuljana the Taboots the cradle of Ali Asghar the Alams, being a dominant part of the juloos, where young mothers place their newborn dressed in green kafan to signify the martyrdom of Imam Hussains 3 month son Ali Asghar who was brutally shot down like a wild beast from an arrow of archer Harmullah..
There is Shimr all in red with his army who beat the crowd , Shimr snatches Ali Asghars cradle ill treats the child in the cradle..
There is Imam Hussain on the horse facing the wrath of the Red Army of Shimr, he is trampled thrown drown from the horse ..
All these visuals are needed to break the dam of the Irani Soul..
The matamdars go berserk , sword matam takes place near the rear exit , Habib Nasser, Mamu from Byculla cutting through flesh..
Habib will be rushed to Habib Hospital and 172 stitches to sew up his grevious wounds..
I have never done matam here , I have to shoot pictures , so I keep my kama matam for the Ashura procession in the evening..
Amin Imambada is a must visit place on Ashura day..
Nasser from Lucky Hotel Bandra introduced me here …though I have come here when I was a young kid myself..
The Shia Child becomes Man at Amin Imambada..
Posted by photographerno1 on 29 Sep 2008
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The Shia Madarsa of Lucknow
Behind Nakhas a cacophonic noisy street of Lucknow, in one of the sleep bylanes lies the famous Shia Madarsa, a seminary for grooming Shia lads into Maulanas.
I shot this series a few years back on negatives , now after scanning them I bring them to life on my Flickr photostream in a set called Scanned Memories.
The Shia Madrsa is a fount of learning and no place for hate , here it is Koranic study and nothing else..
The Shia youth come various hick towns of India, and from major metropolitan cities too.
They all make a beeline for my father in law Abbas Qasim Qazilbash’s shop, that stocks CD’s of matam majlis and nohas.Its called Diamond Cassettes next to Shia Girls Collge..
My brother in law Mohomed Arif assists his father in this business .
more pictures at my flickr photostream..
Posted by photographerno1 on 28 Sep 2008
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Maulana Agha Roohi at Afzal Mahal
I shot this pictures a few years back, at the panjum, 5 th day majlis in memory of Mansoor Bhai the owner of Afzal Mahal Nakhas Lucknow.
This was during Athvi when I had come to Lucknow to shoot the Chup Tazaia.
Mansoor Bhais wife is sister to Shahid Bhai father of Tareen the Terrible , he is married to my wifes sister Huma..
This is indeed scanned memories..coming to life at my Flickr web page.
Maulana Agha Roohi and late Mansoor Bhai were close friends..
more pictures at my flickr photostream in a set called scanned memories..
Posted by photographerno1 on 28 Sep 2008
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Zuljana at Mehmoodabad
Posted by photographerno1 on 28 Sep 2008
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