Against the backdrop of the ongoing tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and between Sunnis and Shi'ites throughout the Middle East, Saudi Princess Basma bint Sa'ud bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz wrote an article in the Saudi daily Al-Madina, in which she condemned the rites performed by the Shi'ites on the Day of 'Ashura, calling them "pagan."
Following are excerpts:[1]
The Shi'ite 'Ashura Rituals Are "Among the Ugliest and Most Primitive Pagan Rites Banned by the Prophet"
"'Allah, bless our master Muhammad, his family and all his companions.' That is what we [Muslims utter] after every prayer, every [quote from the] Sunna, and every [performance of a religious] commandment. However, every year for the last few centuries, [some] Muslims have been [doing things] that are at odds with this.
"The Sunnis mark the Day of 'Ashura by fasting, in accordance with the teachings of their Prophet. They [mark] this holy month [of Muharram] by fasting, and by benefiting from the merit and internalizing the lesson of [this month]. In contrast, we see our brothers in some of the other Islamic sects [i.e. the Shi'ites, marking the Day of 'Ashura by] running around hysterically while screaming and shouting, as though they do not know that Allah commanded [us] to keep our voices down, even while praying...
"We Muslims regard the martyrdom of Hussein [son of 'Ali], may he rest in peace, as a tale that holds a lesson for us and for all generations – past, present and future. But his story and his teachings, and those of his grandfather the Prophet [Muhammad] and his entire family, are far removed from the deeds of some [Muslims] whom we see on television, in the press and in nauseating images on the Internet, and from [the behavior of these Muslims] on the Day [of 'Ashura], which is supposed to be a day of humility, calm, reflection, fasting, [performance of] duties, and taking of lessons from the injustice and aggression that were suffered by [Hussein and his family] at the end of their lives...
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"These [Shi'ite] disciples take to the streets by the thousands and scour [their own flesh] with chains and sticks. They spill their own blood in the name of [Hussein] – the Martyr of Islam, the grandson of the Prophet and the Master of the Youth of Paradise – whose teachings made no mention of these despicable customs of [self-] flagellation. [In fact, these customs] are among the ugliest and most primitive pagan rites banned by the Prophet.
"Thanks to the sound nature with which God has endowed us, and from our reading of the Sunna and of the history of the Prophet's family, we know that these rites are all pagan customs that were injected into Islam, [and which are] like a sword that divides our ranks, our teachings, our identity and our beliefs… so that we cease to be one nation, as our Prophet commanded us, and do not live in peace, which is at the heart of Islam…"
"At a Time When Our Prophet is Cursed and Attacked [by Westerners]... [The Shi'ites Are] Preoccupied with Bemoaning the Fate of His Grandson"
"Doesn't our natural inclination induce us to adhere to the teachings of the Prophet, to the Koran and to the Sunna, [instead of following] those who betrayed the faith, deified 'Ali and his sons, and cursed the companions of the Prophet?...
"At a time when our Prophet is cursed and attacked [by Westerners], and films insulting him are distributed, [we see] our brothers in some of the [other Islamic] schools [i.e. the Shi'ites] preoccupied with bemoaning the fate of his grandson. They have forgotten that the Prophet is the core!
"Hussein's [last] will was for [all of us] to adhere to the teachings of his grandfather. The enemies of Islam [i.e., the Shi'ites] were sowed among us centuries ago, and they divided our ranks and permitted what is forbidden – and all this in the name of the Prophet's family.
"[The Prophet] Muhammad bin 'Abdallah and his family are innocent of all the blood that has been spilled in their name, and of all the forbidden innovations that were ascribed to their teachings. Isn't it time to wake up and repent?
"Let us unite and defend our Prophet in the face of the [non-Muslim] enemy. [Let us] support him in word, deed, thought and by following his Sunna. Let us avoid playing into the hands of those who wish to divide and weaken us so that our voice is not heard and we do not unite into a force that will awe the world. [Let us not play into the hands of those who prefer it if] nobody respects our opinion, our religion, and our Prophet."
Endnote:
[1] Al-Madina (Saudi Arabia), January 4, 2010.
