The Structural Analysis of Symbols in the Ashurayi Literature

Abstract

The tragedy of Imam Husayn martyrdom (the son of Imam Ali (pbuh), the grandson of The Prophet, 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH (in AHc: October 9, and in AHt: October 10, 680 CE) occurred in Karbala plain, beside Forat river in Iraq. Yazid, the son of Moavie, the second Umayyad Caliphate sent his messengers to pay pledge/kneel and he didn’t accept because of his deviation from Islam religion. The respected personality of Imam Husayn among the Muslims, the depth of the tragedy and telling the details of the event by the survivors namely his sister and son caused grief in important cities including Mecca, Medina and Kuffe and it was developed in all Islamic countries as the respect to this tragedy was prevalent in the Muslim culture namely Shia people. Shia people all over the world mourn the head of the martyrs to keep the sad event for ever and they applied some symbols in their mourning and they are held over the time in the form of special rites during Moharam and Safar. The frequency of the symbols indicates the deep effect of Ashura tragedy in Shia culture. The symbols have different names in different cultures of Islamic countries. The reasons and the method of the application of mourning symbols in various Islamic countries namely the pathology of the symbols in terms of negative effects on the principle of the aim of Imam Husayn are the main objective of the present study.