Karbala in Shiʿi Ritual
Authors: Mohammad Afsar 
Published: March 2021

The ten-day battle of Karbala that occurred in 7th-century Iraq has remained a key event in the history of Islam, as it marked a split between Sunni and Shiʿi Muslims. In the battle, the grandson of the Prophet and his followers were martyred, and their history tied together the entire community of Shiʿi Muslims. In contemporary debates, the impact of this protest and resistance transgressed the limits of Shiʿi devotion and extended further into a symbol of new Muslim identity discourse. Recent studies have recognized this shift, and most observe it as a specific mode of identity discourse, known as the “Karbala Paradigm.” Throughout the world, various levels of ritual and narrative practices of Shiʿi Muslims and the battle of Karbala display a diversified mode of Islam. Despite its status as a minority sect, Shiʿi Muslims take on an assertive role, as well as a clearly marked identity, separating themselves from the dominant Muslim practices and narratives. This aspect of diversity and a different mode of narrative tradition in Shiʿism actually begins with its intriguing history itself. Since then, Shiʿism has become a major school of thought and practice in Islam, referring specifically to the followers of ʿAli, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. ʿAli and his family, including his wife, Fatima, and sons, Hasan and Husain—often spelled Husayn—took the role of the heirs of the Prophet, and their sacrifices for the community remain the center of the Karbala narrative both in global and local Islams. Each year during the month of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar, thousands of Muslims including Shiʿa and Sunni, join to commemorate the battle of Karbala and the martyrdom of Hasan and Husain. However, Shiʿi and Sunni Muslims participate in different sets of storytelling and devotional practices that represent their different viewpoints of the history and legacy of the Prophet. Undoubtedly, the history and theology of Shiʿi Muslims impact the making of many everyday practices of Shiʿism. In order to understand the contours of several everyday practices of Shiʿism, we need to learn about their specific practices, such as the ten-day commemorations during the month of Muharram, and their narrative and ritual practices surrounding this event. According to these definitions, it is imperative to comprehend the contours of various living practices within the larger frame of the conceptual issues that Shiʿi Muslims, and even non-Muslims in various other contexts, involved in different rituals and narrative performances of Shiʿi Islam. Along with the overview and the section on the living Shiʿism as related to the battle of Karbala, this bibliography also includes Karbala-based studies on the public event of Muharram, Shiʿi literary and narrative cultures, and interactions among Shiʿi Muslims, Sufis, and non-Muslims. Most practices of Shiʿi Muslims hinge largely on their agreements and disagreements with these specific groups of communities. Daily practices of Shiʿism are inseparable from its historical memory, such as the battle of Karbala and the concept of the martyrdom of Husain. Shiʿi Muslims participate in their everyday devotional life while remembering these events from the history of Karbala martyrdom. Many rituals commemorate the memory of the battle of Karbala, religious gatherings (majalis) dwell deep on these historical details, and visitations to the symbolic shrines of the martyrs (ʿalam or taziyeh) also highlight this memory.