With heavy hearts, we take this opportunity to bid farewell to the Martyrs of Karbala as the Ayyam-e-Aza come to an end. We will have to wait for another year to witness and experience maajlis, matam, Ashura, Arbaeen, mourning, and azadari at this scale. As we remove the black cloth from the walls, we salute the Martyrs of Karbala and declare that we are with you, we are with you, surely we are against your enemies. We will endeavour to perform your Ziyarat, and will endeavour to shed tears in your remembrance every Thursday night. Furthermore, we will strive to apply the principles you stood for in our daily lives; the foremost of which is dedication and loyalty to the Imam of the Time (A).

Ahmad ibn Is-haq al-Qummi was a great companion of Imam Hassan al-Askari (A).
On the 9^thRabi al-Awal, Muhammad Hamadani and Yahya Baghdadi came to visit him and were informed that Ahmad was busy performing Ghusl for that day. When they inquired what the Ghusl was about, they were told that Ahmad had heard from Imam Muhammad al-Hadi (A), who said: “9^thof Rabee’ al-Awwal is the day of Eid. It is our greatest Eid and the Eid of our followers.”

After performing his Ghusl Ahmad ibn Is’haq said to the two visiting men: “I have performed Ghusl because today is the Eid of 9^th Rabi al-Awwal. I visited Imam Hassan al-Askary (A) on this day and noticed that his ring was shinning. The people of his household wore new clothes and had applied perfume. When I asked the reason, Imam (A) said, ‘Today is 9^th Rabee’ al-Awwal. It is the day of Eid for us and for our follower.”

Narrators of history suggest four historic events which mark the day of 9^th Rabi ul-Awal as significant. Firstly, historians are of the opinion that the Holy Prophet (SAW) was born on the 9^th Rabi al-Awal. There are two other opinions: 12^th Rabi al-Awal and 17^th Rabi al-Awal respectively. For the Shia’hs, the most popular narration is the one which states that the Holy Prophet (SAW) was born on the 17^th Rabi al-Awal 570 AD. 

Whatever the case, its date does not make a big difference. Ayatullah Ruhullah Musawwi al-Khumaini (RA) had declared the week between 9^th and 17^th Rabi al-Awal as Usboo’ al-Wahda meaning “the week of unity amongst Muslims.” Muslims all over the world are urged to get together and celebrate the birth of the Holy Prophet (SAW) for the whole week.

Secondly, it is noted that the Prophet of Islam himself was seen smiling and ‘celebrating’ on this day while in the presence of Imams Ali, Hassan and Hussain (A) and said, “It is on this day that Allah will destroy your enemies and the enemies of your grandfather and it is on this day when Allah will accept the actions of your Shi’a and those who love you. This is the day when the words of Allah came true where He said (in the Qur‘an): ‘So those are the houses fallen down because they were unjust.’ (27:52) And this is the day when the Pharaoh (Firawn) of the time of the Ahlul Bayt was destroyed ...”

Thirdly, 9^th of Rabi al-Awal is also known as Eid-e-Zahra  meaning the festival of Fatima al-Zahra (A), because 3 to 4 years after the tragedy of Karbala, it was on this day that joy and happiness was restored in the family of Ahlul-Bayt (A). From the tragedy of Karbala in 61 A.H. till this day, the family members of the Holy Prophet (SAW) had continuously mourned and grieved the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (A). 

Then Mukhtar bin ‘Ubaydullah al-Thaqafi, together with Ebrahim bin Malik al-Ashtar and others rose to avenge the blood of Imam al-Husayn (A). They arrested every killer of Karbala and executed them. Finally, Mukhtar arrested ‘Umar ibn Sa’d (commander-in-chief of Yazid’s army at Karbala) and ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad (governor of Yazid in Kufa). He beheaded them and sent their heads to Imam Sajjad (A) in Medina. These two heads reached the Imam (A) on 9th Rabi al-Awal and on seeing them, Imam (A) went into prostration and said, “I thank Allah who kept me alive to this day so that I could see the heads of the tyrants who killed my father.” He then instructed the members of his family to remove the clothes of mourning, adorn themselves and celebrate the day with joy and happiness.  

Lastly, 9^th Rabi al-Awal is the first day of the Imamate of our Living Imam, Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (ATF) – a day of rejoicing and celebration.

It is true that an Imam is an Imam from birth but every Imam assumed the official role of his Imamate after the death of the previous Imam. The reason why we celebrate, in particular, the Imamate of our Living Imam (ATF) is to perhaps remind ourselves of his presence and about our responsibilities towards him. Imam Hassan al-Askari (A) passed away on 8^th Rabi al-Awal 260 A.H. and our 12^th Imam (ATF) assumed his Imamate formally at a young age of 5 years on 9^th Rabi al-Awal 260 A.H.

One of the ways which we can strive to be amongst the companions of our Imam is to follow the responsibilities which rest upon us, including the recitation of Dua al-Ahd (the Pledge) every morning in which we proclaim: “O’ Allah, truly I renew on the dawn of this day and all the days of the remainder of my life my pledge, covenant and allegiance to him, as my obligation, which I shall neither contravene, nor neglect … O’ Allah include me among his helpers, defenders, those fulfilling his wishes and commands, his defenders, the fore-runners to carry out his intentions and those to be martyred in his presence … O’ Allah: make him the refuge for Your oppressed servants; a helper for him who has no other helper besides You; the reviver of the commandments of Your book which have been neglected; the strengthener of the sciences in Your religion, and the traditions of Your Prophet. May Allah’s blessing be upon him and his progeny.”