The 1st day of Ashura in Zaria, Nigeria / Pics

Pictures taken during the first gathering of Ashura Mourning at Husainiyyah baqiyatullah, Zaria on 1st of Muharram 1436 (24/10/14). Sheikh Zakzaky delivered lecture on the fall of new Islamic Year 1436, the significance of new year and bloody act of the enemies of the Prophet (S) who killed his son Imam Husain (A) in the sacred month of Muharram. Hijrah, Sheikh said, is Sunnah of the Prophet and it was not initiated by any body as claimed by those who want to give credits to their favorite ones.

Sheikh further spoke on the migration of the Prophet to Medina, formerly Yathrib. It was renamed the City of the Prophet ( ie Madina) or Tayyba. The city became the city of Islam with the coming ot the Prophet (S), thus Islam got a center where Islam can be fully practiced. This shows the necessity of having Islamic state where  it can be fully practiced at full scale. From Medina Islam spread to other parts of Arabian peninsula to the extent it reached the whole world. For Islam to have center where it spread to other parts of the world is necessity.

Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) is a creation of enemies of Islam to give it a bad name, just like Boko Haram in Nigeria. All this is done to show that Boko haram and ISIL are trying to establish Islam, thus portraying Islam in bad shape. Whereas  the first center or state of Islam established- that is Madina by the holy Prophet, there was no single blood shed. In contrast, the people of Medina received the Prophet warmly as they sing the praise of him  to welcome him to the new city.

The Prophet entered Madina after having stayed for a while at Quba, waiting for his family members to arrive. Imam Ali (A) left Mecca with the family members of the holy Prophet. Before he left Mecca he challenged the pagans to chase him if they are really strong enough to face him. A group of youths, instigated by their masters, chased  him to fight him. They could not face the young Ali, though one of them tried to challenge him but humiliated. The Imam arrived in Quba, where he met the holy prophet and together they entered Medina.

Those who claimed Islam flourished through war and fighting should know that Medina – the first Islamic center,  received him and made him leader peacefully. Not only that the people of Medina defended their new leader against attacks by pagans and their allies with their blood and wealth. Medina became a center where Islam governed peacefully, without shedding of blood. Contrary to present new groups, who resorted to killings and destructions, on behalf of the enemies of Islam who created them.

Supplication of imam Hussain was recited by Leader and closing prayer.