Tatbir

Self-flagellation ritual practiced by some Shia Muslims

10th of Muharram, 19th-century painting by Fausto Zonaro

Tatbir (Arabic: تطبير, romanized: Taṭbīr) is a form of self-flagellation rituals practiced by some Shia Muslims in commemoration of the killing of Husayn ibn Ali and his partisans in the Battle of Karbala by forces of the second Umayyad caliph Yazid I (r. 680–683).

The ritual is practiced in the Islamic month of Muharram, usually on Ashura. Tatbir involves striking oneself with chains or swords. It has been considered haram ("forbidden") by many Shia scholars/imams, who cite it as self-harm.

Practice

Performance of Tatbir in Iran. An image from Brooklyn Museum. The image is taken between 1876 and 1933.

Tatbir, also called Zanjeer Zani or Qama Zani,^[1] is practiced by some Shia Muslims on the day of Ashura on the 10 Muharram of the Islamic calendar and on the 40th day after Ashura, known as Arba'een (or Chehelom in Persian) by Twelver Shias around the world.^[2][3] Some Shia may also perform tatbir on other occasions as well.

The practice of Tatbir includes striking oneself with a talwar, a type of sword, on the head, causing blood to flow in remembrance of the pain felt by Husayn ibn Ali. Some also hit their back and/or chest with blades attached to chains.

Fatwas

Tatbir are contested among Shia clerics.^[4] While some traditionalist clerics allow believers to indulge in tatbir, modernist clerics deem it impermissible because it is considered self-harm, thus haram in Islam.^[5] Most religious authorities associate all forms of self-flagellation and blood-letting as ways to relate to painful deaths during the battle of Karbala by Imam Husayn and supporters.^[6]

Fatwa of Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei on tatbir by Grand Ayatollah Ishaq al-Fayadh

Criticisms

• There are different opinion about the practice of Tatbir. Some Shia Marja believe that it is a form of self-harm, so it must be forbidden. According to some Shia Marja, it is felt Tatbir reflects on Shia observers poorly, so they typically advise to avoid it in a region where Sunnis also reside.
• Iraqi sociologist Ibrahim al-Haidari has called Tatbir an irrational act. He states blood donations should replace Tatbir. Iraqi cleric Hussein Al-Sadr and his followers donate blood every year during the mourning of Husayn ibn Ali.^[34]
• Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, has also taken steps to end Tatbir. Instead of practicing Tatbir, he offered to donate blood on Ashura day to patients who need it.^[35]
• Mohammad Mehdi Shamseddine established a blood bank in Najaf to donate blood on Ashura day to patients who need it.^[36]

See also

• Shia Islam portal

• Mourning of Muharram
• Battle of Karbala
• Criticism of Twelver Shia Islam
• Self-flagellation

References

1. "Fatwa on Tatbir [Qama Zani]". Pasbaan-e-Aza. Archived from the original on 10 September 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
2. Szanto, Edith (22 February 2013). "Beyond the Karbala Paradigm: Rethinking Revolution and Redemption in Twelver Shi'a Mourning Rituals". Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies. 6 (1): 75–91. doi:10.1353/isl.2013.0007. ISSN 2051-557X. S2CID 144319026.
3. Szanto, Edith (2018), Woodward, Mark; Lukens-Bull, Ronald (eds.), "Shi'a Islam in Practice", Handbook of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Lives, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 1–15, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-73653-2_8-2, ISBN 978-3-319-73653-2, S2CID 158107119, retrieved 10 December 2020
4. Szanto, Edith (May 2012). "SAYYIDA ZAYNAB IN THE STATE OF EXCEPTION: SHIʿI SAINTHOOD AS "QUALIFIED LIFE" IN CONTEMPORARY SYRIA". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 44 (2): 285–299. doi:10.1017/S0020743812000050. ISSN 1471-6380. S2CID 162260813.
5. Monsutti, Alessandro; Naef, Silvia; Sabahi, Farian (2007). The Other Shiites: From the Mediterranean to Central Asia. Peter Lang. pp. 146–. ISBN 978-3-03911-289-0. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
6. Tabbaa, Yasser; Mervin, Sabrina (28 July 2014). Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. UNESCO. pp. 154–. ISBN 978-92-3-100028-7.
7. Istaftaat e Imam Khomeini-Vol 3 استفتأت امام خمينى
8. Estefta'at-e Emam Khomeini, vol. 3, p. 581 and 583 - Imam Khomeini's website
9. "یا زینب کبری". 29 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
10. "یا زینب کبری". 29 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
11. "یا زینب کبری". 29 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
12. "یا زینب کبری". 29 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
13. "یا زینب کبری". 29 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
14. "یا زینب کبری". 29 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
15. Ayatullah Khui shiamatam.com ^{[dead link]}
16. Al-Masa’il al-Shar’iyah, istifta’at Imam Khoei, al-Ibadat and al-Tariq al-Najah, v.2, p.445 - Tatbir.org
17. "Ayatollah Muhammad Ali Araki's Fatwa".
18. "opinions of the Maraj'e in regard to using Qama". Retrieved 19 October 2015.
19. Tatbir. "Fatawa : Tatbir - A Disturbing Innovation". Retrieved 10 May 2019.
20. "Tatbir is a wrongful and fabricated tradition: Imam Khamenei". Khamenei.ir. 7 October 2016.
21. "Tatbir is a wrongful and fabricated tradition: Imam Khamenei". Khamenei.ir. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
22. "What are the opinions of the Maraj'e in regard to using Qama in the past and in present time?". Retrieved 19 October 2015.
23. "Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Ishaq al-Fayyad response to Tatbir". Retrieved 26 October 2015.
24. "Office of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid M.S.Al-Hakeem". alhakeem.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
25. "Office of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid M.S.Al-Hakeem". alhakeem.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
26. "Office of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid M.S.Al-Hakeem". alhakeem.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
27. "نظر آیت الله وحیدخراسانی در مورد قمه زنی چیست؟". فتن. 30 October 2015. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
28. "Qom's leading cleric: Shedding blood in Azadari "lawful" - Jafariya News Network". www.jafariyanews.com.
29. "Tatbir Fatawa by Shia Mujtahideen and Scholars". ShiaMatam.com.
30. "مكتب آية الله العظمى الشيخ شمس الدين الواعظي ـ دام ظله". 9 April 2010. Archived from the original on 9 April 2010.
31. "الشعائر الحسينية والعزاء - موقع فقیه مقدس استاد الفقهاء آیة الله العظمی المیرزا جواد التبریزی ره".
32. Sirat al-Najat, v. 2, Q 1404 - Tatbir.org
33. "بررسی فتوای میرزای نایینی در جواز قمه‌زنی « مباحثات". مباحثات (in Persian). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
34. Mamouri, Ali (26 December 2014). "Iraqi Shiite pilgrimage takes political turn". Al-Monitor.
35. Hubbard, Ben (5 November 2014). "Bloody and Belittled Shiite Ritual Draws Historic Parallels". The New York Times Company.
36. "Mohammad Mehdi Shamseddine" (in Persian). nbo.ir.

External links

• What is Tatbir?
• Tatbir is a wrongful and fabricated tradition