H-M synthesis: Hindus ( including Chaddiwalahs!) celebrate Muharram in this Uttar Pradesh town.

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H-M synthesis: Hindus ( including Chaddiwalahs!) celebrate Muharram in this Uttar Pradesh town.

by Guest Wed Nov 19, 2014 12:58 pm

Jalali, about 25 km from Aligarh, gets its name from its founder, Jalaluddin Khilji, who founded the town during the reign of Ghiyas ud-din Balban in the 13th century. Many local people trace their ancestry to the Syeds of Hamdan in Iran, who migrated to India in the 16th century. The Syeds claim descent from Shah-e-Hamdan Syed Ali Hamdanian, Islamic scholar and Sufi saint of the Kubrawiyya order. These Sufis claim direct spiritual descent from Prophet Muhammad.

Ibn Babtuta, 14th century traveller, has also mentioned the town in his famous travelogue Rihla.

Jalali has several imambaras and mosques. It stands as an example of communal harmony and cultural intermixing. Many Hindus in the town also take part in Muharram, paying tribute to Hussain by arranging for water and setting up the light decorations. They also contribute to the chanda (collection) for tabarruk (prasad).

"Muharram here is different, the richness of the town's history and the association with the Iranian Sufi order through the Syeds of Hamdan make it all quite different from Muharram elsewhere. There are no ulemas or maulanas addressing people in majlis (religious gatherings). The emphasis is on remembering the sacrifice of Hussain through soz and marsiya, (elegiac poems to remember Hussain)."

Abu Zar, who has arrived here in time for Muharram from Muscat, said, "We keep hearing of miracles that have occurred to aid non-Muslims who have visited the imambaras in Jalali. Tazia burial is popular in other places like Lucknow. Here in Jalai, we have this 70-foot tall alam, under which all those who come to observe Ashura, the 10th day of Moharrum, pay obeisance."

Ebrahim Abidi, a resident of Jalali explained that the Ram Leela committee in the town has always had a Muslim president, while the vice-president and the secretary are usually Hindus. This cultural inclusion is seen even during Muharram, he said.

BJP leader and town president Anil Kumar Varshney said he has been offering prayers at Muharram for several years. "I was always attracted to the Muharram events, but I became an admirer of Hussain after my son was healed. Until he turned seven, my son was very sickly. Then one Muharram I made my son go under the tazia, and prayed for Hussain's protection over him. Ever since, he has not fallen ill. Even today, we pay respects at the tazia," Varshney said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/Jalalis-Hindus-observe-Muharram-too/articleshow/45026473.cms

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