History of Taziyadari and its ruling in Shia religion

What is Taziya and Taziyadari?

Taziya means giving homage and respect to the deceased. Taziya is a replica of mausoleum (made of out of wood or plastic) of Sayyidina Hussain رضیﷲ عنه, it is an important part of Moharram in Shia religion. This commemoration and festival is similar to Hindu Festival Ganapati Visarjan as Taziya can be brought home on any day between the eve of the first day of Muharram and the ninth day and buried on the tenth day known as Ashoora, when Sayyidina Hussain was martyred in Karbala along with some of his family members and companions.

History of Taziya

In Iranian culture it refers to condolence theater and Naqqali. In Iranian tradition, ta’zieh and parde-khani, inspired by historical and religious events.

The appearance of the characteristic dramatic form of Iran known as the ta’zïye Mu’izz ad-Dawla, the king of Buyid dynasty, in 963. As soon as the Safavid Dynasty was established in Iran  in 1501 and the Shiism of the Twelvers adopted as the official sect, the state took interest in theater as a tool of propagating Shiism.

Shia Muslims take out a Ta’zieh (locally spelled as Ta’zīya, Tazia, Tabut or Taboot) procession on day of Ashura in India and Pakistan.

The artwork is a colorfully painted bamboo and paper mausoleum. Might be Shia got influenced by Hinduism

WIKIPEDIA

So the Iranian Shias organise a dramatic play/theatre of the event of Karbala and the Shias of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh make the high rise structure of made of bamboo, wood and paper and fake graves of revered figures who were martyred in Karbala.

Taziya also holds a significance value in Sub continent as it was innovated and introduced by so called muslim Kings.

It is said that Taziya is firstly introduced in Sub continent in India, Lucknow  by a Mughal King Taymoor (1370-1405)

Shia Historian and Schoolar Mirza Jafar Hussain writes:

مراسم عزا میں تعزیہ داری کو بہت اہمیت حاصل ہے ، کیوں کہ تعزیہ ہندوستان ہی میں معرض وجود میں آیا تھا اوراسی ملک میں اس کو مقبولیت حاصل ہوئی ۔ کہا جا تاہے کر تیمور بادشاہ ہر محرم میں امام حسین کے مزار پر حاضر ہوکرسوگنشین ہوتا تھا ۔ ہندوستان پر حملہ آور ہونے کے بعد دوران جنگ محرم کا چاند نمودار ہوا اور اس کے لیے مرقد مبارک پر پہنچینا نا ممکن ہو گیا ۔ تب اس نے اپنے مشیر کاروں سے استصواب کیا اور ان کی رائے پیل کرتے ہوئے روضی طہر کی شبیہ تیار کرائی اور اسی کے حضور گریہ کناں ہوکر اپنی عقیدت مندی کو آسودہ کیا تھا ۔ تعزیہ داری کی بنیاد اس طرح قائم ہوئی تھی اور یہ بھی یقینی ہے کہ تیمور نے جو شبیہ تیار کرائی تھی وہ روضہ مبارک کی ہو بہ ہو نقل رہی ہو گی

In the mourning ceremony, Taziya has a lot of importance, because Tazyia was introduced in India and it gained popularity in that country.  It is said that Mughal King Taymoor used to visit Imam Hussain’s shrine every Muharram. After the invasion of India, during the Muharram war, the moon appeared and it became impossible for it to reach the holy shrine. Then he consulted his advisers and, taking their advice, had an image of Rauza Tahar prepared and wept in front of it and satisfied his devotion. This is how the foundation of Tazia was established and it is also certain that the image that Timur had prepared may have been a replica/copy of Rauza Mubarak.

[Qadeem Lucknow ki Aakhri Bahar pg. 340]

Taziya and Taziyadari have no place in Islam, it was introduced by some fanatic Kings and deviants. This practice is ugliest bid’ah (innovation) in the name of Islam as many Sunnis are also getting influenced by them and taking parts in their commemoration.

Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah has no place for innovations, they shun every kind of Alien things and hold the Sunnah of Nabi ﷺ dear to their hearts. There are numerous ahadith which made us aware and warn regarding innovations in Islam and similarly, Shia religion also has authentic reports which condemns innovation in Islam (Bid’ah).

Ruling of Taziyadari and other bid’at in Shia religion:

Sayyidina Ali رضیﷲ عنه said:

مَا أَحَدٌ ابْتَدَعَ بِدْعَةً إِلَّا تَرَكَ بِهَا سُنَّةً

Nobody started any new innovation (Bid’at), but they did abandon the Sunnah (traditions) because of it.” (Meaning sunnah is replaced by the bid’ah)

[Bihar al Anwar and Mirat al Uqool 1/200 Mullah Baqir Majlisi classified it Sahih]

Sayyidina Ja’far was asked “What is the least thing which makes a man disbeliever? Imam عليه السلام replied, 
أن يبتدع به شيئا فيتولى عليه ويتبرء ممن خالفه.

He innovates something in religion/bring something new to islam and make friends on it’s basis and hate the one who opposes it.

[Ma’ani al Akhbar pg. 393 sanad Sahih]

If only Shias read about their own books and followed Ali رضیﷲ عنه and their rest of the infallible Imams like they claim, they wouldn’t have fabricated and innovated this practice. Further more, Sayyidina Ali رضیﷲ عنه prohibited such replicas and copies of mausoleum/graves to be made and venerated with some heavy words. And their scholars also shunned this evil bid’ah.

Sayyidina Ali رضیﷲ عنه said:
“من جدد قبرا أو مثل مثالا فقد خرج من الاسلام “

The one who renews the grave and build or created something similar to it which depicts or resembles the grave or shrine, has left the Islam.

[Man la Yahdaru al Faqih 1/135, sanad hasan]

The classical scholar of Shias “Shaykh Saduq” said about this narration of Ali رضیﷲ عنه that

والذي أقوله في قوله عليه السلام: من مثل مثالا يعني به أنه من أبدع بد ودعا إليها، أو وضع دينا فقد خرج من الاسلام، وقولي في ذلك قول أئمتي عليهم السلام

Regarding the saying of Ali “من مثل مثالا” I have to say that, If a person innovated (Bidah) something in the religion and called people towards it and fabricated a religion then that person has left the islam, and this saying of mine is the saying of my Imams.

[Man la Yahdaru al Faqih 1/136]