Zilhajj, the month for performing Haj and Idd-e- Akbar, Gadeer-e-Khum. It is also the month of speculations and awaiting the big news of "where will Maula perform Ashara mubarak this year". The news is equally awaited by both those who go for Ashara each year and those who do not.
As I am drafting this article, my heart is pounding. It is 6.00am and I am wondering that maybe by the time I send this over the net, the news will have already come. We all experience the change in environment on the arrival of Ramazaan. There is a different gunna in the air. Similarly, at the onset of Zilhajj there is an excitement and a different gunna in the air.
Conversations are dominated by the topic of Ashara mubarak as to where will they be this year. Each one of us have some bit of information on it. As for this year, Columbo is strong, oh did you know London is strong too? By the way Ahmedabaad and Madras have finished all the preparations; but Maulana has not done Ashara in Bombay since a long period so that is a possibility too -- and so on.
All eyes and ears are turned towards Maula. The speculations start getting stronger and stronger and then arrives Gadeer-e khum. Since past few years Maula (TUS) has been bestowing the mumineen of Misar with barakaat naa baarish on Gadeer and the news of Ashara mubarak have been breaking in from Misar. The excitement reaches the peak at Gadeer and then an unexpected silence spreads over. No more speculations now, it's the news everyone is waiting for. The restlessness increases and the silence is torturing as each day passes after Gadeer. There is so much to be done.
I cannot describe the many feelings and emotions that so many of us go through. But I can say it is one of the best. It is nothing but the mojiza of Maula (TUS) that where the world awaits the moments of enjoyment and pleasure, we mumineen, await the period of maatam and bukaa on Imam Hussain (AS).
Behold, I just got the news that Ashara mubarak is in Columbo this year and my fear is right that by this time as you might be reading this mail you all must be aware of it. Anyways.
We all wait so that the year long thirst (atash) of doing maatam and buka and of deedar and kadambosi gets quenched by our Maula (TUS). We wait to offer our Maula the hadiya of our tears as this is the most precious hadiya our Maula expects from us and it pleases him and makes him happy.
In return of our hadiya, our Maula gifts us with the most precious hadiya; the hadiya which one would expect to get after this life is over. But our Maula gives it to us in this world and in this life itself. By now you must be knowing what I am talking about. Indeed it is Jannat. Our Maula grants us the hadiya of Jannat in return of our tears and is this not the maqsad of our existence? Could there be anything above this pleasure for a mumin? So why would a mumin not shed oceans of tears to please his maula and be eligible to do talakki of his hadiya mubarak.
Every year the number of mumineen going for Ashara is increasing and so is the barakaat. I remember one of our Amilsaheb had once mentioned that "Hak to Maulana noj che ke Ashara mubarak par eko ek mumin ne jame kari, ne maatam karawe ane ashura naa dine Imam Hussain (AS) ni shahadat no dardnaak manzar mumineen ne dikhawe, kem ke aap eh gharaana na waaris che aaje satar naa zamaan ma. Magar aa duniya naa haalaat naa sabab ane apna gunaho naa sabab apne sagla Maulana ni noorani hazrat maa pohchi nahi sakta tesi karam ane ehsaan farmaawi Maula (TUS) hum gulaamo ne razaa ape che,ke tame jai ne maatam karawo."
So mumineen, due to our gunaah, if we cannot be physically present in Maulana's majlis at least we can do the neeyat "ke dil si to Maulana ni majlis maa haazir rahiye, to eh neeyat no sawaab to apne Maula (TUS) apse ane apne bhi jannat naa hadiyaa maa shaamil karse."