The Legacy of the Fāsiqs: Celebrating What Should Be Remembered with Grief
The martyrdom of Sayyidina Imam al-Husayn (علیہ السلام رضي الله عنه) shook the conscience of the Ummah. Yet among the oppressors, rebels, and fāsiqs who sought to protect the image of the Umayyad regime, ʿAshura was deliberately recast as a day of celebration. Through propaganda, fabricated reports, and state-sponsored customs, they attempted to drown the cries of Karbala in displays of joy. Their efforts could not erase the truth, but traces of this distortion remain a stain upon Islamic history.
THE DAY OF ASHURA
How the Umayyads turned it into a Day of Celebration
A POLITICAL MANIPULATION
As a deliberate means of countering public mourning for Imam al-Husayn, the Umayyad regime introduced customs of festivity. They adorned themselves, hosted gatherings, and encouraged displays of cheer.
The impact of this manipulation has endured for centuries, and traces remain today in claims that “Muslims should rejoice on this day.”
THE ARAB HISTORIAN
“This custom of treating the 10th of Muharram as a day of joy was introduced by Hajjaj bin Yusuf during the reign of Abd al-Malik bin Marwan, to oppose those who mourned on the Day of Ashura. I myself witnessed the celebrations held by the Ayyubids.”
— al-Maqrizi
Al-Khitat al-Maqriziyya, vol. 2, p. 385
THE SHAFIʿI JURIST
“The first person to institute celebrations on the Day of Ashura was Hajjaj bin Yusuf al-Thaqafi, in the presence of Abd al-Malik bin Marwan. It was then announced that remembering al-Husayn and his afflictions in sermons was forbidden.”
— Ibn Hajar al-Haytami
Al-Sawaʿiq al-Muhriqa, p. 221
THE AZHARI SCHOLAR
“Some among the Umayyads and their supporters tried to make the Day of Ashura a day of joy, in opposition to those who loved the Ahl al-Bayt. They spread fabricated hadiths about its reward, and this was nothing but political manipulation.”
— Muhammad Abu Zahra
Imam al-Husayn, p. 118
GRAND IMAM OF AL-AZHAR
“It is not from the religion of Islam to mock or turn away from the tragedy of Husayn. The attempts by some rulers to turn Ashura into a festival were not from the Sunna of the Prophet ﷺ; it was a political distortion which Muslims today must acknowledge.”
— Dr Muhammad al-Tantawi
Grand Imam of al-Azhar University
FABRICATED HADITHS
“Scholars of hadith were asked about the practice of applying kohl, bathing, using henna, cooking grains, wearing new clothes, and displaying joy on the day of ʿAshura. They replied, ‘No authentic hadith has been transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ regarding these acts. Nor did any of the imams of the Muslims consider them commendable.’”
— Ibn Hajar al-Haytami
Al-Sawaʿiq al-Muhriqa
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 