Muharram to be observed in a special way in Chennai
Posted on: 05/Nov/2013 3:56:30 PM
Tomorrow our Muslim brethren in Chennai will be observing Muharram. Fast and make a prayer to the Prophet during Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar and the chances are that it will be answered. There are peaceful spiritual retreats in homes, community halls and mosques across Chennai, far removed from the tempestuous sea of chest beating mourners, who take out processions in Triplicane, Royapettah and Thousand Lights. Chennai practices a milder form of `Matham`, a Shia ritual of self-flagellation and bloodletting by tiny knives touched to the chest, to commemorate the martyrdom centuries ago of Hazrat Imam Hussain, grandson of Prophet Mohammed, in Karbala, now in modern day Iraq. And this year, it`s going to be gentler with the focus on curtailing the blood rites and using more banners to convey the message of Muharram.
"Youth have requested us to have banners in Tamil this year in addition to those in Urdu and English which have been the traditional practice and also shown an inclination to cut down on ritualistic bloodshed," says Ghulam Mohammed Mehdi Khan, chief kazi of Shias approved by the Tamil Nadu government. Mourners will march in processions on the 7th and 10th days in the month of Muharram.
