Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi
The Significance of 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal for the Followers of the Ahl al-Bayt
As the sun sets on 8 Rabiʿ al-Awwal and the night of the ninth begins, a profound transition takes place in the devotional calendar of the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt. The extended season of mourning that began with Muharram has reached its conclusion. The black associated with azadari gives way to colour, sorrow gives way to thanksgiving, and the remembrance of martyrdom is joined by the affirmation of hope. The ninth of Rabiʿ al-Awwal, popularly celebrated as Eid-e-Zahra, is therefore not merely a day of festivity. It marks the movement from mourning to renewal, from Karbala to the continuing Imamate, and from remembrance of suffering to confidence in the ultimate triumph of justice.
A tradition widely cited in connection with the day is attributed to Imam Ali al-Hadi, the Tenth Imam, through Ahmad ibn Ishaq al-Qummi: “The ninth of Rabiʿ al-Awwal is the day of Eid. It is our Eid and the Eid of our followers.” Versions of this tradition describe Ahmad ibn Ishaq observing the day with ghusl, fine clothes and perfume, practices associated with celebration. The report has consequently played an important role in the devotional understanding of 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal.
At the same time, some caution is necessary when reconstructing the historical origins of Eid-e-Zahra. Several different traditions have become associated with 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal over the centuries, and they do not all possess the same degree of historical or hadith authentication. The significance of the day is therefore best understood by distinguishing between what can be established historically, what belongs to transmitted devotional tradition, and what the festival has come to mean in the lived religious culture of the Shiʿa.
The End of the Season of Mourning
Perhaps the most immediate meaning of Eid-e-Zahra in South Asian Shiʿi culture becomes clear only when it is placed beside 8 Rabiʿ al-Awwal.
For more than two months, the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt have travelled symbolically with the family of the Prophet. Muharram brings the approach to Karbala, the martyrdom of Imam Husain on Ashura, the captivity of the women and children, and the suffering of Imam Ali Zain al-Abidin. Safar continues this landscape of grief through Arbaʿin and the commemorations associated with the Prophet and the Imams. Finally comes 8 Rabiʿ al-Awwal, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hasan al-Askari, the Eleventh Imam.
In the traditions of Awadh and much of the Indo-Shiʿi world, this is the culmination of the Ayyam-e-Aza. The Chup Taziya and other observances of 8 Rabiʿ al-Awwal, as we have seen in my earlier post, give ritual expression to a final farewell to the martyrs of Karbala.
Then comes the ninth.
The contrast is deliberate and emotionally powerful. The azadar does not forget Husain when the black clothes are removed. The mourning ends, but the covenant with Karbala does not. What was expressed for two months through tears, majlis, marsiya, nauha and matam must now be expressed through conduct.
In this sense, Eid-e-Zahra asks an important question: what remains after the mourning of Husain is over?
The answer must surely be the principles for which Husain stood: justice, truth, dignity, resistance to oppression, loyalty to the Ahl al-Bayt and refusal to surrender one’s conscience before power.
Thus the transition from 8 to 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal is not a transition from remembrance to forgetfulness. It is a transition from mourning Karbala to living Karbala.
Why is it Called Eid-e-Zahra?
Popular tradition calls the day Eid-e-Zahra, the Festival of Fatima al-Zahra, the beloved daughter of the Prophet and mother of Imam Hasan and Imam Husain.
One explanation associates the festival with the punishment of those responsible for the tragedy of Karbala. After the martyrdom of Imam Husain in 61 AH, Mukhtar al-Thaqafi established control over Kufa and sought vengeance against a number of those who had participated in the killing of Husain and his companions. Among the principal figures associated with the forces at Karbala was Umar ibn Saʿd, who commanded the army confronting Imam Husain.
A powerful devotional tradition consequently grew around the idea that news of the punishment of Husain’s killers brought consolation to the surviving members of the Ahl al-Bayt, particularly Imam Ali Zain al-Abidin. In popular retellings of Eid-e-Zahra, the arrival of the news is remembered as the moment when happiness returned to a household overwhelmed by the tragedy of Karbala. Just as Fatima Zahra is supposed to have miraculously appeared in Karbala when Imam Husain was martyred and wailed over him, similarly, on getting the news of her son’s executioner being killed, brought her joy. It was on this occasion that her daughter, Zainab and other women of the Household, smile and expressed happiness after an year of intense mourning.
The underlying idea is readily understandable. Eid-e-Zahra represents the conviction that injustice does not have the final word.
Yet the precise chronology found in popular accounts needs qualification. Mukhtar’s revolt and the deaths of the principal figures responsible for Karbala occurred at different times, and the assertion that all the relevant events occurred specifically on 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal cannot simply be treated as established historical chronology. The tradition is better understood as part of the later devotional memory of the day.
Its religious message nevertheless remains powerful: the oppressed may suffer, but oppression is not eternal; power may temporarily belong to the tyrant, but moral victory belongs ultimately to the victim who refuses injustice.
Seen in this light, the joy of Eid-e-Zahra should never become simply joy at another person’s death. Its deeper meaning is rejoicing in the defeat of zulm, not delighting in cruelty; celebrating justice, not vengeance for its own sake.
The Beginning of the Imamate of Imam al-Mahdi
There is, however, another significance of 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal which gives the day a much deeper theological meaning for Twelver Shiʿas.
Imam Hasan al-Askari died on 8 Rabiʿ al-Awwal 260 AH/874 CE. With his death, the Imamate passed to his son, Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi, the Twelfth Imam. Shiʿi sources therefore connect the death of the Eleventh Imam with the emergence of the Twelfth Imam as his successor and with the beginning of the period of occultation.
For Twelver Shiʿism, Imam al-Mahdi is not simply a historical figure whose memory is commemorated. He is the Living Imam, the Imam of the Age, al-Hujjat and al-Qaʾim, whose reappearance is awaited. Twelver doctrine holds that he will ultimately establish justice and equity in a world overcome by injustice.
This transforms the meaning of 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal.
The previous day commemorates the martyrdom of an Imam. The following day affirms that the chain of divine guidance has not been broken.
The Eleventh Imam departs, but the Imamate continues.
For this reason, 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal may be understood not merely as Eid-e-Zahra but as a renewal of allegiance to the Imam of the Age, Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi.
And herein lies perhaps the greatest significance of the day for the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt.
What Does it Mean to Await the Imam?
To celebrate the beginning of the Imamate of Imam al-Mahdi cannot simply mean waiting passively for his appearance.
The idea of intizar, awaiting the Imam, carries a moral responsibility. If the Mahdi is awaited as the restorer of justice, then those who claim allegiance to him must themselves attempt to practise justice. If he represents truth, his followers cannot knowingly support falsehood. If he stands with the oppressed, allegiance to him cannot coexist comfortably with indifference towards oppression.
The celebration therefore invites self-examination.
What does it mean to say that we are waiting for the Imam if our conduct contradicts the society of justice we expect him to establish?
The true muntazir, the one who awaits, prepares himself morally for the Imam he claims to await. He cultivates truthfulness, knowledge, compassion, courage and justice. He protects the weak, resists prejudice and refuses to participate in oppression.
Thus Eid-e-Zahra connects Karbala with the Mahdi.
Karbala teaches why injustice must be resisted. The Mahdi represents the promise that justice will ultimately prevail.
Between the two stands the believer.
An Eid of the Ahl al-Bayt
There is another beautiful dimension to the name Eid-e-Zahra.
Fatima al-Zahra stands at the centre of the spiritual genealogy of the Imams. She is the daughter of the Prophet, wife of Imam Ali, mother of Hasan and Husain, and ancestress of the succeeding Imams. The tragedy of Karbala is therefore also the tragedy of the children of Zahra.
To call the ninth of Rabiʿ al-Awwal Eid-e-Zahra gives the festival an intimate familial character. After weeks in which the believer has shared symbolically in the grief of the Prophet’s household, the believer now shares in its joy.
This is an essential characteristic of Shiʿi devotion: to rejoice in the happiness of Muhammad and the Ahl al-Bayt and to grieve in their sorrow.
Eid-e-Zahra therefore belongs to the same emotional universe as Muharram. The tears of Ashura and the happiness of Eid are not opposites. Both arise from wilayah, love and loyalty towards the Prophet and his family.
Clarifying a Misunderstanding: Umar ibn Sa’d, Not Umar ibn al-Khattab
It is important to address a misunderstanding that has, unfortunately, tarnished the reputation of this beautiful festival. In some circles, 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal has been associated with the death of the second Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab. This has led to allegations that Eid-e-Zahra is a festival of condemning the Khulafa, causing unnecessary sectarian friction and diverting attention from the day’s true significance.
The confusion arises from a simple but significant historical error: the similarity of names between Umar ibn Sa’d and Umar ibn al-Khattab. Let us be absolutely clear about the facts.
Umar ibn Sa’d was the commander of the Umayyad army that confronted Imam Husain at Karbala. It was he who led the forces that massacred the family of the Prophet. According to historical reports, he was killed on 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal by Mukhtar al-Thaqafi as part of the latter’s campaign to avenge the martyrs of Karbala.
Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Caliph, has no connection to this date whatsoever. Historical records, from both Shia and Sunni sources, are unanimous on this point. He was wounded on 26 or 27 Dhu al-Hijjah and died three days later, in the same month of Dhu al-Hijjah, not in Rabiʿ al-Awwal. The Caliph died in 23/24 AH, whereas the daughter of the Prophet, Fatima Al-Zahra died approximately 6 months of the Prophet’s death.
The renowned historian al-Tabari, in his famous history, explicitly records this event in late Dhu al-Hijjah of the year 23 AH. Ibn Sa’d, in his al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, also records his death in the same month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Most significantly, Shaykh al-Mufid, one of the towering figures of Shia theology and history, states clearly in his Masar al-Shi’a that the second Caliph was wounded on the twenty-sixth of Dhu al-Hijjah and died on the twenty-ninth of the same month.
This consensus among historians demonstrates that the association of this event with 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal is entirely without historical foundation. The root of this misunderstanding lies in a confusion of names and a conflation of events over time.
Therefore, the celebration of Eid-e-Zahra need not, and should not, become an occasion for insulting the sacred personalities of other Muslims or deliberately causing hurt to fellow believers. That is the practice of Mu’āwiya and the dynasty which he established. He fine tuned the art of cursing the Ahl al-Bayt.
Love for the Ahl al-Bayt is not strengthened by counter abuse.
Indeed, if Eid-e-Zahra commemorates liberation from oppression and allegiance to the Imam of Justice, then its celebration should embody the ethics of the Ahl al-Bayt: dignity in disagreement, generosity towards others, concern for the oppressed and restraint even towards one’s opponents.
The festival is at its noblest when it celebrates the Ahl al-Bayt rather than hatred of anyone else. As Ayatollah Bahjat wisely advised, in addressing the significance of this day, one should focus on reasoned argument and the demonstration of truth, stating that “neither abuse, nor insult, nor curse is necessary.” He encouraged using the occasion to present clear and convincing arguments for the truth, rather than engaging in practices that cause division.
Prominent Shia scholars and authorities do not consider it permissible to hold gatherings in which the holy figures of other Muslims are abused. The true spirit of this day lies in celebrating the Imamate of Imam al-Mahdi and the principles of justice he represents.
A Day of Joy, Not Sectarianism
The celebration of Eid-e-Zahra need not, and should not, become an occasion for insulting the sacred personalities of other Muslims or deliberately causing hurt to fellow believers. Love for the Ahl al-Bayt is not strengthened by abuse.
If it commemorates liberation from oppression and allegiance to the Imam of Justice, then its celebration should embody the ethics of the Ahl al-Bayt: dignity in disagreement, generosity towards others, concern for the oppressed and restraint even towards one’s opponents.
The festival is at its noblest when it celebrates the Ahl al-Bayt rather than hatred of anyone else.
From Tears to Hope
The real beauty of 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal lies in where it occurs in the sacred calendar.
For weeks the Shiʿa has remembered loss.
Husain has fallen at Karbala. Abbas has fallen beside the Euphrates. Ali Akbar and Qasim have been mourned. The infant Ali Asghar has been remembered. Zainab, also known as ‘Sāni e Zahra’, the second Zahra, has travelled from Karbala to Kufa and Damascus. The captives have returned. Arbaʿin has passed. The deaths of the Prophet and other members of the Ahl al-Bayt have been commemorated. Finally, on 8 Rabiʿ al-Awwal, Imam Hasan al-Askari is mourned.
And then, almost suddenly, the direction changes.
The ninth morning is a morning of hope.
That transition contains a profound theological statement. Shiʿism does not end at Karbala. Its ultimate message is not despair.
Karbala teaches that truth can apparently be defeated and still remain victorious. Eid-e-Zahra carries that lesson forward: oppression passes, but the cause of justice survives. An Imam may be martyred, but the Imamate continues. The world may be filled with injustice, but the believer must never surrender the expectation of justice.
That is why the most meaningful celebration of Eid-e-Zahra is perhaps not merely new clothes, perfume, sweets or gatherings, beautiful though these traditions may be. It is the renewal of one’s covenant with the Ahl al-Bayt and especially with the Living Imam.
After more than two months of saying:
“Labbaik Ya Husain”
the believer now asks what that declaration demands in everyday life.
And on 9 Rabiʿ al-Awwal, he renews another pledge:
“Labbaik Ya Mahdi.”
The message connecting the two is ultimately one and the same: we stand with justice against oppression, with knowledge against ignorance, with truth against falsehood, and with the Ahl al-Bayt in sorrow as well as in joy.
Thus, this occasion is not a celebration of death. It is not a festival of sectarian division. It is a profound affirmation of life, justice and hope. It marks the transition from mourning to living, from grief to action, from remembering Karbala to awaiting the Mahdi.
As we put aside our black clothes and gather with family and community, let us remember that the true spirit of this occasion lies in renewing our commitment to the principles for which Imam Husain stood and for which Imam al-Mahdi will rise. It is a day to rejoice in the continuity of divine guidance, to strengthen our bond with the Ahl al-Bayt, and to prepare ourselves to be worthy of the justice we await.
May Allah accept our azadari for Imam Husain and the martyrs of Karbala. May He grant us the tawfiq to translate our mourning into righteous conduct. May He keep alive in our hearts the wilayah and love of Muhammad and his progeny, strengthen our allegiance to the Imam of our Age, and count us among those who recognise him, await him and are worthy of assisting the cause of justice for which he will rise.
Eid-e-Zahra Mubarak!
Allahumma salli ʿala Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad.
Allahumma ʿajjil li-waliyyika al-faraj.
ASHA: Blast From The Past 