Sayed Mahmoud Al-Mosawi
Several years ago, one researcher documented, in a book of his, more than five hundred husayniyyas in a very small country, Bahrain. If we wanted to count the husayniyyas, the Husayni associations and the like in the field of work to revive the cause of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) in other countries such as Iran and Iraq, for example, we would find ourselves unable to count and enumerate them, because of the density of such institutions that we see in every quarter, every neighborhood and every alley; and so too in all the other lands distinguished by a Shiʿi presence loyal to the Ahl al-Bayt (a), such as the Gulf countries, Lebanon and India, and those of them established in Europe, America and the African countries.
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This calls us to pay attention to this institution, which is a pioneer in producing Islamic culture, in shaping societal awareness, and in strengthening loyalty and belief among people—especially after this institution came to prominence in satellite broadcasting on most of the Shiʿi satellite channels, so that it reaches every home in the world and is followed by those who agree, those who differ, and those ignorant of the cause of the Ahl al-Bayt and of the loftiness of their station and of the ranks in which Allah has placed them.
The attention we call for is that these husayniyyas truly be houses of Allah and houses of knowledge. They are among the houses that Allah has allowed to be raised and wherein His Name is celebrated, as the Exalted said: “In houses Allah has allowed to be raised and wherein His Name is celebrated; He is glorified therein, morning and evening” (Qurʾan 24:36); and they are houses of knowledge through which people come to know the teachings of the Household of Prophethood and the Locus of the Message, as has come from Imam ʿAli ibn Musa al-Rida (a), who says: (May Allah have mercy on a servant who revives our cause. I said to him: And how is your cause revived? He said: He learns our sciences and teaches them to the people, for if the people knew the beauties of our speech, they would follow us).
They cannot be so except by attending to them in form and content. We can point to a set of points that contribute to guiding the Husayni institution aright, so that it becomes a beacon for all people of their various leanings. We divide this into two parts: a part specific to the administrations and custodians of the husayniyya, and another part specific to its attendees:
1/ The discourse addressed to the administrations is different from the discourse addressed to the attendees. The administration and the custodians are stewards and workers for the development of the institution in terms of content, such as taking care to choose the sincere, knowledgeable preacher and the mission-driven guide who addresses people's concerns, guided by the guidance of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and the Noble Qurʾan; and developing everything connected with attention to content.
On another side, the administration's heart should be broad, as broad as what the Ahl al-Bayt (a) guide to in dealing with the people who have come to practice the rites and the commemoration. Imam al-Husayn (a) is for everyone, everyone is guided by him, and each takes from him according to his measure. Inclusiveness is the most important policy for achieving influence through the good word in the Husayni majlis. Some may be of the opinion that we should not receive the disobedient and those who rebel against some of the laws in terms of practice, those who are not observant in their conduct, their dress, their hair or the like; but we say that these institutions are the nurturing embrace, and a gateway to acceptance, not to expulsion and harsh rebuke. This is a kind of calling to Allah and to the Ahl al-Bayt (a), whereby they are received with honor so that they may listen to the word and be invited with wisdom and good advice. The custodians and preachers have no duty except conveying the message in the best manner, counseling and reminding. As for the policy of expulsion and rejection, it is part of the harshness that the Noble Qurʾan forbade, as the Exalted said: “It is by Allah’s mercy that you are gentle to them; had you been harsh and hardhearted, they would have surely scattered from around you. So excuse them and plead for forgiveness for them, and consult them in the affairs, and once you are resolved, put your trust in Allah. Indeed Allah loves those who trust in Him.” (Qurʾan 3:159). And among the things that Allah the Exalted most commanded the Messenger (s) to do was to treat people with tact.
If some want only the pure believers to enter the husayniyya they are in charge of, they may find only very few, and this contradicts the mission of the husayniyya, because it is one of the houses of Allah and a house for coming to know the directives and sciences of the Ahl al-Bayt. Everyone must come, so that they may take provision and drink from its sweet water. How many a one who differed, and how many a deviant, has been guided because of attending these blessed majlises! They are the place of the divine mercy that embraces all things, and they are a system for correcting human conduct. History tells us that the Muslims one day came to the Messenger (s) objecting to a wine-drinker's frequenting the mosque, and the Messenger (s) said to them: Leave him, for the prayer will bring him back. This is how we, as servants of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), ought to have a broad heart, so that we may embrace others and influence them with wisdom and in the best manner.
2/ As for the discourse addressed to the attendees, it is different from, and supportive of, the mission of the administrators. The fact that the Husayni institution must embrace all people does not mean that we choose an inferior position; rather, we must strive to be in the vanguard of those distinguished in morals, conduct and observance—all of this in order to build our personalities according to the directives of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), and out of respect for the place we are in, so that we complete the ideal image of this institution, and it truly expresses the Shiʿa of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) who are an adornment for them, and so that those who differ, who watch and attend, may say: This is how Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad (a) has trained them in good manners.
Among the things that most distort the image of the blessed gathering in the husayniyyas is preoccupation with disputes and quarrels, for this harms the very essence of the commemoration, its spirit and its impact. Hence we must strive to strengthen the values of cooperation, mutual affection, thinking well of others, mutual compassion, and belief in freedom of opinion and of practices. The presence of every person in the husayniyyas in the seasons of commemoration is in itself a media message that expresses the content of this blessed institution.
Through attention to these institutions, in administration and in attendance, we can convey the message of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) to the whole world in the most eloquent of meanings, for the husayniyyas are the mirror of thought and conduct, and houses of Allah and houses of knowledge.
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Published in Ya ʿAbbas magazine, which is issued by the Ya ʿAbbas Forums, issue 3 (Bahrain). On the occasion of ʿAshura 1432 AH
