Egypt.. Sufi orders commemorate the “coming of the head of Imam Hussein” to Cairo

Cairo, Egypt - The Sufi orders in Egypt commemorate the arrival of the head of Imam Hussein to the capital, Cairo, through celebrations and religious events that began on September 29 and continue until the closing night on October 6, with the participation of followers of the orders and lovers of the Al-Bayt, while the main events are concentrated in the Imam Hussein Mosque area in Cairo, in addition to celebrations held by the orders at their headquarters and other places. The celebrations come within the timetable for the births announced by the General Sheikhdom of the Sufi Orders, and it begins with the anniversary of Imam Hussein, before the activities move to the birth of Sidi Ahmed Al-Badawi in the city of Tanta, then the birth of Sidi Ibrahim Al-Desouki in the city of Desouq in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate.

Imam Hussein is Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Talib, the descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. He was born in Medina and was martyred in the Battle of Karbala in the year 61 AH, corresponding to 680 AD. The Sufi orders commemorate him by recalling his biography and his status among the lovers of the Prophet’s family. The celebrations are linked to a historical narrative that says that the head of Imam Hussein moved from Ashkelon to Cairo, and settled in the place currently known as the Imam Hussein Mosque. The Egyptian Fatwa House also says in an old fatwa that the issue of the location of the head is a historical issue and not a matter of belief, while citing historical narratives and sources that support its transfer from Ashkelon to Egypt, including what the historian Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi reported about the head’s arrival in Cairo, along with other historians who reported the same story.

The sheikh of the Siddiqa Shadhiliyya order and former scientific advisor to the Mufti of the Republic, Dr. Magdi Ashour, said that when the Sufi orders commemorate the stability of the head of Imam Hussein, they celebrate his biography, his exploits, his virtues, and his morals, citing the saying of the Prophet Muhammad: “Hussein is from me and I am from Hussein. God loves whoever loves Hussein. Hussein is a tribe of the tribes.” Ashour added that the celebration focuses on reviving the biography of Imam Hussein as the grandson of the Prophet, and his good morals and imitation of the Prophet in most of his circumstances, noting that the Sufi orders recall the system of morals that the descendants of the Prophet had, including Imam Hussein.

Ashour explained, in exclusive statements to Ofoq News in Arabic, that reviving this moral system comes in light of the need to return to morals and revive it at the present time, pointing out that every Sufi order celebrates in its place or in the places where it holds its events, whether around the Imam Hussein Mosque or in other places. He pointed out that these celebrations aim to commemorate Imam Hussein and his biography, as a large segment of Egyptians are associated with this anniversary because of the prestige that the story of the head’s arrival to Cairo represents, and the presence of the Al-Bayt family in Egypt represents an honor for its people.

Regarding the historical dispute regarding the location of the head of Imam Hussein, Ashour said that there is a disagreement among some scholars about whether the head arrived in Egypt or not, but he added that the investigation of the narratives and documents, from his point of view, confirms its arrival in Egypt. He explained that among what he relied on for this was a document preserved in the Louvre Institute, dated 549 AD, which he said dealt with the arrival of the head to Egypt, in addition to what he described as two eyewitnesses from a European town who documented in this document the Egyptians’ celebration of the arrival of the head of Imam Hussein, along with accounts from jurists and hadith scholars that support this, adding that the respected scholars and scholars of Al-Azhar agreed on the settling of the head in this place.

Regarding the extension of the celebrations over several days, Ashour explained that the period from September 29 to October 6 does not represent a period with a specific religious significance, but rather is related to the nature of the organization of the celebration, especially since the coming day is often the last Tuesday of the month of Rabi’ al-Akhir, while the celebrations begin days before this date to provide the opportunity for the roads, devotees, and visitors coming from distant governorates to come and settle in Cairo before the celebration date. Regarding the criticism that is sometimes directed at the celebrations of the Sufi orders, Ashour said that “the celebrations are essentially correct from a legal standpoint, with the possibility of some mistakes occurring on the part of the common people, especially with the gathering of large numbers of people,” explaining that “if errors occur that contradict the Sharia in a matter that is originally permissible, the original should not be prohibited due to a forbidden incident, but rather people should be made aware not to fall into these mistakes and return to the original permissibility of celebrating this anniversary.”

The sheikh of the Azmiyya order, Muhammad Alaa Abu Al-Azaim, said that the celebrations commemorating the arrival of the head of Imam Hussein include reciting the Qur’an, talking about the memory of Karbala, and how the head of Imam Hussein arrived in Egypt, indicating that the celebration activities are not limited to the Hussein area, but are held in other regions as well, as some orders celebrate at their headquarters, while others choose to hold celebrations in their homes or other places. Abu Al-Azaim explained, in special statements to Ofoq News in Arabic, that the extension of the celebrations over several days is linked to the multiplicity of participating Sufi orders, as several orders celebrate on different days, and three or four orders may participate in the celebration on the same day, indicating that the usual date for celebrating the anniversary of the arrival of the head of Imam Hussein is the last Tuesday of the month of Rabi’ al-Thani, while the celebrations this year extend until October 6.

He continued that the occasion is related to the anniversary of the arrival of the head of Imam Hussein from Ashkelon to Cairo, noting that the head, according to the story on which it is based, initially settled in a place on Al-Muizz Street, before moving to the mosque currently located in the Al-Hussein area. He pointed out that this anniversary brings to mind the martyrdom of Imam Hussein in Karbala, the status that the Al-Bayt represents in the religious conscience, and the celebrations associated with them in Egypt, pointing out the presence of a number of Al-Bayt in Cairo, including Mrs. Zeinab and Mrs. Sakina, and the related celebrations celebrated by fans of the Al-Bayt and Sufi orders.

In response to the dispute over the stability of the head of Imam Hussein in Cairo, Abu Al-Azaim said that the skepticism raised about that is not based, from his point of view, on what some officials and scholars had seen previously, pointing to an incident in which he said that Sheikh Mansour Ubaid, former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments, talked about seeing the head, and that it was wrapped in a green shawl, and that he talked about a pleasant smell emitting from it. Likewise, according to his account, there are people who saw the head during a period of time. The rule of the late President Anwar Sadat, and it was located in a wooden coffin. The General Sheikhdom of the Sufi orders announced that the activities of the birth of Imam Hussein began on September 29 and will continue until the closing night on October 6, before the celebrations move to the birth of Sidi Ahmed Al-Badawi in the city of Tanta, whose activities begin on October 16 and continue until October 22, then the birth of Sidi Ibrahim Al-Desouki in the city of Desouq from October 23 to 29.

The official spokesman for the General Sheikhdom of the Sufi orders, Ahmed Qandil, said that these events represent important religious and spiritual milestones, and witness the participation of members of the Sufi orders, lovers of the Prophet’s family and righteous people from various governorates, with coordination with the relevant authorities to organize the events.