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Dawoodi Bohras - News & Events

Moharram in Udaipur

Remembering the martyrs of Karbala


Like every year, Moharram in Udaipur this year - 1430 Hijri (2009) - was commemorated with usual gusto and solemnity. All the Bohra neighbourhoods were decorated with sabeels from which water and sherbet were served. Majlises were held two times a day and ended with a niyaz in the evening.

Professor Mehdi Hasan from Malegaon performed waez at Wajeehpura masjid for 10 days from 10 am. to 2 pm. He elaborated on the sacrifices of Imam Hussian (AS) and Ahle Bait and emphasised the principles of justice and truth for which the shohda laid their lives. In all the majlises he urged the young and the old to lead their lives as exemplified by Imam Hussain (AS) and his companions. Mulla Peer Ali Mohammed, Mulla Saifuddin Bhai IR&Sons also contributed greatly to the morning majlises. Heart-wrenching nohas and naats were performed by Asghar Ali Jawariya wala and party, Moiz Ali Kankroliwala and party, Hatim Ali Chachuliyawala and party and Muzammil Hussain and party.

The Girls Wing – a women’s group of reformists - organised women-only majlises between 4 pm and 5 pm everyday at Rasoolpura masjid. Several private gatherings of women commemorating Moharram were also held in various homes too.

There were late evening majlises for people who could not attend during the day. Mulla Peer Ali Mohammed, Mulla Saifuddin Bhai IR&Sons and all the noha and naat parties once again presided over these gatherings. Every evening there used to be Niaz-e-Imam Hussain at the jamaatkhana.

The Shabe-Ashoor majlis was held at Wajeehpura masjid on the 9th of Moharram. Naats and nohas were the highlights of the evening, and mumineen did purjosh maatam in memomry of Imam Hussain until two in the morning.

On Ashura day, like every year, the alam started at Moiyadpura masjid and ended at Wajeehpura masjid after passing through various mohallas. The procession, organised by Anjumane Fidaye Hussaini, is a great finale of the 10-day of Moharram and all of Udaipur reformist community spills out on to the streets. Passion and pathos of the occasion are all too evident as noha parties sing elegies and azadars perform continuous matam. Women usually line up the streets, and crowd the windows and rooftops to watch the procession pass by.

Once the procession reached Wajeehpura masjid, Professor Mehdi Hasan recounted Shahadat-e-Imam Hussain(AS) and that of his 72 companions. In the evening Sham-e-Ghariba was held at the same masjid and Dr. Abbas Alavi performed the maqtal and described the journey of Bibi Zainab from Karbala to Kufa and then later from Kufa to Shaam. Asghar Ali Jawariyawala, like every year, performed the noha "Ghabrayegi Zainab" and then “Aakhri Salaam” in his inimitable style. By the end of it, not a single eye was dry.