Q. The Shiites observe some customs on the tenth day of Muharram every year, expressing remorse and sadness for the slaying of Hadhrat Hussain Ibn Hadhrat Ali (Radi Allah Anhuma). They strike their cheeks, hit their heads, and slash their backs until they bleed. Are such customs permissible in Islam? (B. Shah, CROYDON)

A. Nothing in the Shari'ah prohibits sadness for the death of dear People; it is an innate (natural) feeling. However, one should demonstrate such sadness without violating the rules of Islam. For example, slapping the face, tearing clothes, slashing the back and hitting the head with swords are all forbidden acts. If one does so, then he is harming himself, and in Islam one is not allowed to even expose himself to harm or ruin. If People do such deeds to show sympathy for Hadhrat Hussain (Radi Allah Anho), then they should rather show it by spreading justice, as Hadhrat Hussain (Radi Allah Anho) sought to do. Moreover, reviving past sorrows is not permissible. That is why the interval specified for mourning someone's demise is just three days after death. Thus, these Shiite customs done to mourn Hadhrat Hussain (Radi Allah Anho) have no Islamic basis, not even in the Shiite jurisprudence itself. Such acts are no more than individual practices that developed into regular customs of millions of People with the elapse of time so that anyone who acts against them is resented. However, most contemporary Shiite scholars prohibit such acts and practices and consider them a type of backwardness. (ALLAH TAA'LA IS ALL KNOWING!)