Chehel Minbari
Encyclopedia
Chehel Minbari is a special tradition practiced in Iran's
western Lorestān Province
, in which thousands of women commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein
.
Women from cities and towns across Lorestān Province cover their faces completely with black cloth and walk in silence as they knock on the doors of 40 houses and light candles in 40 spots as mourners beat their chests in their grief over the suffering and martyrdom of Imam Hussein along with 72 of his loyal companions in Karbala
in southern Iraq, in 680 CE.
The Chehel Minbari tradition is upheld every year on Tasu'a (which is on the 9th of Muharram
), as a show of solidarity with the sister of Imam Hussein, Hazrat Zainab
. Shia mourners throughout the world gather on Tasu'a to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein.
The Chehel Minbari ritual starts after participants have said their dawn prayers and ends at dusk prayers.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
western Lorestān Province
Lorestan Province
Lorestan Province is a historic territory and province of western Iran, amidst the Zagros Mountains. The population of Lorestan was estimated at 1,716,527 people in 2006.Lorestan covers an area of 28,392 km²...
, in which thousands of women commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein
Husayn ibn Ali
Hussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...
.
Women from cities and towns across Lorestān Province cover their faces completely with black cloth and walk in silence as they knock on the doors of 40 houses and light candles in 40 spots as mourners beat their chests in their grief over the suffering and martyrdom of Imam Hussein along with 72 of his loyal companions in Karbala
Karbala
Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
in southern Iraq, in 680 CE.
The Chehel Minbari tradition is upheld every year on Tasu'a (which is on the 9th of Muharram
Muharram
Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited...
), as a show of solidarity with the sister of Imam Hussein, Hazrat Zainab
Zaynab bint Ali
Zaynab bint Ali was the daughter of the Rashid Caliph and first Shi'i Imam, Ali and granddaughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah....
. Shia mourners throughout the world gather on Tasu'a to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein.
The Chehel Minbari ritual starts after participants have said their dawn prayers and ends at dusk prayers.