PHOTO ESSAY | Muharram in Old Delhi

Written and photographed by Syed Ahmad Rufai, an independent multimedia journalist and AV editor based in Delhi. Rufai belongs to the Valley of Saints - Kashmir. He is currently pursuing his Master’s in Convergent Journalism at AJK MCRC, JMI. His areas of interest are conflict, politics, culture, and environment. Rufai mostly likes to photograph time.

PROBABLY RELEVANT TRIGGER WARNINGS: Images of Injury, Blood and Ritualistic Violence. If you are a sensitive to such content, please close the tab - we promise we wont mind. Else proceed with caution.

Through the small allies, lanes and bylanes one reaches the spot near Kashmiri Gate. Shoulders rub against each other, the place is jam packed with people and no car to be seen riding on the road.

From this place, people wearing black outfits (a symbol and colour of mourning) take out one the processions for Muharram to the nearby Imambara in Old Delhi.

A person waves a flag over a Muharram procession in Old Delhi.

People move through small allies towards the Imambara- a place where people assemble for mourning of Imam Hussain-  in Old Delhi.

A person wearing a Keffiyeh - emblematic black and white headdress that has come to symbolise the Palestinian struggle for self-determination - looks over a procession.

A child among others looks over Zuljanah - a horse that symbolises the Arabian stallion of Imam Hussain in the battlefield of Karbala.

A group of women join a procession among men marking the martyrdom of Imam Hussain during the first month of Islamic calendar - Muharram.

A man beats his chest covered with blood from self-flagellation.

Two boys sit inside a coterie of men mourning the martyrdom of Imam Hussain.

Two boys part of the procession moving towards the Imambara in Old Delhi.

A kid watches the congregation of men flagellating themselves in the Imambara in Old Delhi.

Probably Relevant Side Note: According to Islamic calendar, the new year starts with Muharram, the January of the Lunar calendar. But, more than being the first month; for Shia Muslims it is a month to grieve and commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain - grandson of the last prophet (Prophet Muhammad) and the son of Imam Ali - and his companions who were martyred in the Battle of Karbala in 680 C.E. (61 AH of the 61st year of the Hijri Era).

The roots of this battle lay in political tensions following the death of Prophet Muhammad in in 632 C.E. Fought on the banks of the river Euphrates in Karbala, located in present day Iraq, the battle pitted a small army of 72 fighting men (according to the popular belief) under the command of Imam Hussain ibn Ali and 4000-strong professionally trained army of the Umayyad Empire under the rule of Caliph Yazid I.

Shia Muslims across the globe commemorate the 10th day of Muharram as Ashura (the Arabic word for the number 10) - the day when Imam Hussain and his companions were martyred in a one-sided battle against the might of the Umayyad forces. Ashura is a day of remembrance for the sacrifice and struggle against oppression and injustice.

As people marched towards the Imambara in Old Delhi, people on the sides of the roads handed over bottles of water and refreshments to the Azadars (mourners). This is known as Sabeel- stalls set up to provide drinks, food, and other refreshments, and symbolises service to the community by extending hospitality to the mourners of Imam Hussain.

To express their feelings, people on the day of Ashura beat their chests and self-flagellate to signify the sufferings of Imam Hussain and his companions before they were beheaded in the battlefield of Karbala. Though these practices have been discouraged by some Shia scholars, they remain part of public mourning rituals across the world. Hymns praising Imam Hussain and eulogies are also recited while publicly cursing his offenders.

A person mourns on the side of the road while the procession of men walks past him.

People watch the procession of mourning men in Old Delhi.

Group of men beat their chests inside the Imambara.

Congregation of people reciting Nohas- elegy - while beating their chests in remembrance of Imam Hussain.

Men flagellate themselves with knives and other sharp instruments in Old Delhi.

Women reach out to touch the Alam Sharief-  a symbol of sacrifice and resilience to honour the spirit of Imam Hussain and his companions who were martyred in the battlefield of Karbala.

There is no clear instance in history where the two mainstream branches in Islam- Shias and Sunnis- diverged into different sects. But majorly it erupted after the death of Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H.

Nonetheless, Husain’s martyrdom is central to the beliefs of Shia Muslims and holds a special place for Sunni Muslims, too. Sunni Muslims share their Shia brethren’s sentiments, but discourage the atmosphere of mourning. For them it is more important to pay homage to the reasons Imam Hussain fought at Karbala - honour, bravery, his faith and the fight against oppression and injustice.

Even so, while naming children, Hussain remains a popular name among both Sunni and Shia Muslims. On the contrary, the name Yazid is considered to be a taboo by both sects.