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DOI: 10.18535/ijsshi/v3i12.9

The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention

Volume 3 issue 12 2016 page no. 3132-3142 ISSN: 2349-2031

Available Online At: http://valleyinternational.net/index.php/our-jou/theijsshi

Tears of Martyrdom and Sacrifice a Study of the Indian Poet Mir

Babar Ali Anees's Hussaini Elegy (Marsiya) of Karbala

Prof.Hana' Khalief Ghani (Ph.D)

College of Arts/Translation Department

Abstract : Mir Babar Ali Anees is a prominent Indian poet who dedicates his life to writing elegies

(Marsiya) to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain bin Ibi Talib (peace be upon them) and

his companions. The paper is hitherto unprecedented attempt to introduce this preeminent poet to the

Arabic-speaking people. It is divided into three sections and a conclusion. Section one explores the

main characteristics of the Hussaini elegies/marsiyas. Section two is a general introduction to Anees's

life and efforts in service of Imam Hussain's cause. Section three which critically analyses Anees's

Marsiya of Karbala is followed by a conclusion that sheds light on Anees's place in the Indian p oetry

and his role in eternalizes the values of sacrifice and martyrdom.

Key Words: Imam Hussain, Anees, Elegy, sacrifice, martyrdom.

I.Marsiya: The Poem of Lamentation and

Commemoration:

The death of the third Imam, al-Husayn b. Ali

(pbuh) (4–61/626–680) with his companions and

members of his family, has traditionally been seen

by Muslims of all sects and affiliations as perhaps

the greatest single calamity that befell the

community in its early history(Crow qtd in

Çellenk,2010,p.4). Because of this, the martyrdom

of Husayn was of great religious significance and

had a deep heart-searching after-effect upon the

Shi‟is, giving a new turn to the mode and nature o f

the Shi‟i movement(Ja‟fri in Ibid.). The martyrdom

of Imam Husayn has also been regarded by the

Shi‟a community as a cosmic event around which

the entire history of the world, prior as well as

subsequent to it, revolves.(Ibid) Accordingly, the

death of al-Husayn and his followers marked the

"big bang" that created the rapidly expanding

cosmos of Shi‟ism and brought it into motion. For

Shi‟ites, Karbala represents the central point in their

belief, the climax of a divine plane of salvation, the

promises of which are offered to all who take the

side of the martyred Imam. Since that time, the

Shias keep on recounting and rehearsing the details

of this tragedy.(Ibid)

The effects of al-Husayn‟s death were,

consequently, deep and sorrowful and extended to

several aspects of Muslim lives, among them, of

course, is literary production. The tragedy of

Karbala, Al-Azhari(2008, p.17) opines, is not

merely a "story of the injustice perpetrated against

an individual namely Imam Husayn, but it has a

much wider social, religious, moral, and political

significance." In fact, it was a clash between truth

and falsehood, and a war between justice and

oppression, virtue and wickedness, good and

evil(ibid). Al-Hussain, indeed, sacrifices everything

for setting things right and establishing the truth: his

life, family, relatives, wealth and friends. In this

sense, Al-Hussain performs the highest form of

„Shahada‟ or martyrdom, which is to die for the

cause of Islam, for the sake of Allah(qtd., p.18).

In his seminal study, The Karbala, Akramulla

Syed(2005, p.2) delineates Imam Husayn‟s

character. He sheds lights on him as a revolutionary

figure, a righteous man, and a religious authority

par excellence. As the representative of his

grandfather Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), his main

concern was to safeguard and protect Islam and

guide his fellow Muslims. His was a tremendous

undertaking which still reverberates throughout the

cite as :Tears of Martyrdom and Sacrifice A Study of the Indian Poet Mir Babar Ali Anees's Hussaini

Elegy (Marsiya) of Karbala;Vol.3|Issue 12|Pg:3132-3142

DOI: 10.18535/ijsshi/v3i12.9

Muslim nation. He has been a propelling force and a

seminal element in events throughout Islamic

history, particularly in the sphere of Jihad.

As a result of the deep distress and shock felt by

Muslims at what happened to Imam Husayn and his

followers in the Battle of Karbala, a tradition of

lamentation and weeping had become the center of

Shi‟ite religiosity and piety in the fourth/tenth

century during the Buyids‟ reign(Çellenk,

2010,p.4). This process resulted in the emergence of

new rituals and ceremonies purely peculiar to Shi‟as

like visiting shrines, public ceremonies, passion

play, processions, a sort of music, poetry and

literature that are all related to Husayn and Karbala.

These practices were most evident in the month of

Muharram.(Ibid)

During this month, as a Shi‟a woman in Dhaka,

India, explains, the Shi‟as "for example, do not eat

fish, get married or wear colourful clothes … as we

believe that these, representing joy, would be

inappropriately enjoyed in the month of

mourning(Annu Jalais, 2014, p.2) Around the

Muslim world, Shi‟as mark the day of Ashura by

walking in long processions down streets, floating

banners in the air, parading a white horse

(representing Husain‟s horse and the empty mount

on his back) and a highly decorated, albeit covered

in black and/or green bier. They flagellate

themselves with chains whilst calling out „Ya

Hasan‟, „Ya Husain‟, „Ya Ali‟ in self-

mortification(Ibid.).

No doubt, the tragedy of Karbala exerts a great

influence on poetry. Essentially this influence takes

two forms. The first is the Marsiya which is said to

provide the germ for early gatherings of partisans of

the House of the Prophet. Moreover, they may be

seen as the origin or earliest form of the ta'ziya as it

is known today among Shi'is. The literary forms

known as ta'ziya and Marsiya in Arabic are related,

the ta'ziya being a kind of extended lamentation

which is also intended to comfort the hearer in the

face calamity, as the root meaning of the Arabic -

'comforting' - suggests. The 'ritual context' for

lamentation on Husayn continues to be provided

today not only by the developed ta'ziya, but also by

various other gatherings within the ten days of

Muharram in which Marsiyas are recited.(Elegy on

Husayn: Arabic and Persian, Al-Islam.org)

„Ta'ziya‟ is originally a "simple passion play about

the events which occurred at Karabala and the other

tragedies that befell the House of the Prophet." In

this sense, it was an "exercise in mourning, a

religious custom severely limited in

scope."(Çellenk,p.2010,p.5) Ta'ziya has many

functions: redemption, suffering, personal religious

revivalism, public showing of a faith and etc.

Philosophically, Husayn‟s quest was seen as a

symbol of personal transformation, so joining and

being part of ta'ziya enable the Shi‟ite community

to achieve their personal transformation.(Ibid., p.6)

Traditionally, marsiyas (Elegies) are characteristic

of the so-called Muhammadan poetry, especially in

Persia and India.(T. Graham Bailey) The word

„Marsiya‟ is derived from the Arabic root „ ىثر/rtha‟,

meaning a great tragedy or lamentation of a beloved

one(Marsiya, Wikipedia). As such, they are

essentially religious in nature, and in the days

before Muzaffar Hussain Zamir and Mir Mustahsan

Khaliq, they were short devotional poems and little

attention was paid to their literary qualities. Zamir

changed that; then at the hand of Mir Babar Ali

Anees(1800-1874) and Mirza Salamat Ali

Dabeer(1805-1875), the Marsiya reached its peak

and became practically a form of epic especially in

Lucknow, India in the first half of the nineteenth

century. Lucknow here is of special importance as it

was one of the centers of Shia Muslim communities

in South Asia, where it is regarded as an act of piety

and religious duty to eulogize and bemoan the

martyrs of Karbala. In this sense, Marsiya is a poem

of mourning (Marsiya, Wikipedia). Marsiyas

usually include historical narrative, moral and

didactic teachings, description of natural scenery

and delineation of human emotions. They suffer of

course of their narrowness; each character is either

friend or enemy, altogether good or entirely evil,

and the only emotions are those which would be

brought out by such a tragedy as that of Karbala(T.

Graham Bailey).

In his seminal study, "the Art of Urdu Marsiya," C.

M. Naim (1983, 101) states that "within the Urdu

cite as :Tears of Martyrdom and Sacrifice A Study of the Indian Poet Mir Babar Ali Anees's Hussaini

Elegy (Marsiya) of Karbala;Vol.3|Issue 12|Pg:3132-3142

DOI: 10.18535/ijsshi/v3i12.9

literary milieu, the word Marsiya, unless preceded

by some qualifying phrase, refers only to one thing:

a poem describing some event related to the

martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammed‟s grandson,

Imam Husain at Karbala." Further, it always implies

a very specific context: it is to be declaimed in a

somewhat dramatic fashion at a majlis-a‟aza, i.e., a

gathering of devout people seeking to obtain

religious virtue by listening to the story of Imam

Husayn and his companions. Thus, it should be kept

in mind that Marsiyas in Urdu has a particular

public-religious context, and that it also has

somewhat an edifying goal beside the usual literary

purposes that any good poetry has(Ibid).

Since the time of Anees, marsiyas have usually

been written in six line stanzas, the last two lines of

each stanza making a particularly forceful or

pathetic point. The last verse of each stanza is

usually the cue for those listening to beat their

breasts or slap their heads and call on the name of

Husayn (ya Husayn, ya Husayn). In order to evoke

the desired reaction in the audience, pathos is an

essential ingredient of the Marsiya and its related

genres: salams and nauhas. In general women do

not appear in the main body of the congregation, but

listen behind a curtain or a wall specially erected for

the purpose. Since women can not openly

participate in public (or even private) majlises

where men are present, they often arrange majlises

of their own, occasionally composing and singing

nauhas in their own local dialect(Anis and the

Marsiya, p.x)

Naim (1983, pp.101-2) further explains that mariyas

in Urdu were first written in the sixteenth century in

South India, in the Kingdoms of Golkonda and

Bijapur which were Shi‟ite in orientation and closer

to the Iranian tradition than to Turk and Pathan

kingdoms of North India. In the beginning,

Marsiyas were written either in the two-line form,

qasida, or in the four-line form, murabba‟/rubai‟i.

These Marsiyas were usually sung, often set to

some suitably mournful raga(indian classical

music).In the murabba‟ form, the fourth line was

often a refrain, repeated by the accompanists of the

Marsiya-reciter and perhaps also by the audience.

The recitation took place both outdoors in

processions and indoors. For that reason, early

Marsiyas were shorter in length and simpler in

structure than is the case now, and emphasized

more the grief-inducing (weeping/mubki) elements

of the narrative, such as the death of some hero and

the consequent lament over his corpse.

In the nineteenth century, marsiya developed its

own tradition in Lucknow and succeeded to

establish what came to be regarded as the

fundamental characteristics of a good Marsiya.

These characteristics are essentially four: First, a

marsiya was invariably in the form of a musaddas,

the first four lines of each stanza having one rhyme

scheme (AAAA), and the remaining two having

another rhyme scheme of(BB). Second, certain

medium length meters were preferred, especially

those that could enhance the dramatic effect sought

by the declamatory style of presentation. Third,

each marsiya was usually devoted to just one hero

or incident, and showed considerable narrative

continuity. Secondary themes were allowed, but

only when they complemented the main theme.

Fourth, each Marsiya had all or some of the

following constituent sub-sections in so far as they

are allowed by the chosen theme. They are prologue

which has for its subject the praise of Allah, the

prophet, Imam Husyan or the poet himself;

introduction of the main hero; description of the

physical and spiritual qualities; the hero‟s arrival on

the battlefield; the hero‟s declaration of his noble

ancestry, personal virtues and superiority as a

warrior; description of the actual battle and it often

includes sub sections; the hero‟s death in the battle;

the lamentation of the female relatives of the hero;

the pious sentiment of the poet himself, often of a

prayful nature expressed in just one or two

stanzas(Naim, 1983, pp.102-3). "Marsiya Urdu

Poetry" adds a fifth characteristic. It tells that

although the language of marsiya draws heavily on

Arabic and Persian vocabulary, the Urdu Marsiya is

imbued with the color and flavor of the Indian

subcontinent. The best of verses are exquisite

cite as :Tears of Martyrdom and Sacrifice A Study of the Indian Poet Mir Babar Ali Anees's Hussaini

Elegy (Marsiya) of Karbala;Vol.3|Issue 12|Pg:3132-3142

DOI: 10.18535/ijsshi/v3i12.9

cameos composed of images of local flora and

fauna, drawing on local custom and

tradition(Iloveindia.com).

In Arabic, the marsiya was, like all pre-Islamic

poetry highly conventionalized. The virtues of the

deceased and the loss of the mourner are described,

which then provides an opportunity to dwell on the

pathos of this transitory life in the face of fate,

always unalterable. Often the mourner curses the

enemy and calls for vengeance. While the pre-

lslamic elegy was conventionalized, it was also

highly specific, or occasional: reflections on

mortality only serve to frame a threnodic tribute to a

specified personality (Elegy on Husayn: Arabic and

Persian, Al-Islam.org) Not only would the listener

be invited to dwell in the virtues of the deceased,

but the pathos of the situation was also revealed,

and it may be assumed that those present were then

moved to weep. Some of the earliest examples we

have of marsiya on Husayn are in fact simple poems

of this type: lamentations by his wives and

daughters. (Ibid)

Muhammad-Riza Fakhr Rohani(2007,p.3) defines

marsiya as a literary technique which enables the

poet to compose fine pieces of poetry. In elegy, the

mind and soul of the poet get elevated, for he finds

himself confronted with the mysterious

phenomenon of death. Faced with the mysteries of

life and the vicissitudes of times and fate, he tries to

find a justification for that eternal silence through

writing poetry.

In "Marsiya: A Form of Urdu Poetry", Kashif

Alhuda has further illuminated the marsiya as a

poetic genre. He defines it as a fully developed form

of Urdu-Persian poetry that is normally recited on

the death of a dear one, and says that it is wrong to

think that it is just a lamentation for the dead in

Karbala. Karbala, of course, has an important place

in Islamic history and therefore in Muslim

literature. Almost all Urdu poets use Karbala as a

symbol of great tragedy or epic battle between good

and evil(Al - Huda, "Marsiya."). In the same vein,

"Marsiya: The Poetry of Martyrdom"(2015) points

out that there are two types of marsiya: the „pure‟

versus the „non-pure‟ marsiya. He says that while

the first type is solely written in remembrance of

Imam Husayn and other martyrs of Karbala, the

second type can be written to a family member or to

any loved one as well(Lampsofdesert.com).

Although marsiyas poets were deeply interested in

history and its interpretation(Syed Hasan Zia Rizvi,

2013), historical accuracy, as Naim in "Anis and the

Maesiya"(1983, p.xiv) remarks was not given great

priority by them. For example, the events that

Anees chooses to describe or the fact that he throws

into relief in his marsiyas are those calculated to

arouse the emotion of his audience, who in turn

would not expect or even desire an unbiased

historical analysis of the battle of Karbala.

There are other characteristics of the marsiys;

namely, the lack of realism and the apparently

blatant contradictions in the narrated details. For

example, Anees sees no difficulty in describing the

desert (stanzas15-17)where his heroes are stated to

be suffering from thirst and heat as a green and

verdant garden planted with luxuriant trees and

flowers where nightingales sing, perched on the

dew-filled roses(Naim, 1983, p.xiv). However, this

can be regarded as a testimony to Anees‟s great

poetic art. The fact that they are lacking in reality

would be irrelevant, and it can always be argued

that it is Husayn‟s miraculous presence which

transforms the sands of Karbala into such a

wonderful paradise(Ibid.).

The main purpose of the Marsiya, Naim(1983, p.xv)

asserts, was to remind people (specifically Shi‟a) of

the sad events of Karbala and hence of their own

desperate plight which can be directly ascribed to

these events(For more information about the battle

of Karbala, see Al-Azhari, 2008). Thus, an

important aspect of Marsiya, according to him, is

the unashamed pathos which is achieved in a

number of ways. The final line of the stanza, to

which the audience would react most strongly, often

contains a direct and poignant summary of the rest

of the verse. Every opportunity is taken to mention

the pathetic state of the little children suffering from

the heat or killed by the arrows of the heartless

foe.(Ibid.) The women, like Zainab (stanzas 20, 31,

62, 2tc.) are made to speak in a simple, almost

colloquial, form of Urdu which everyone in Lucknw

who has heard a dying mother or a grief-stricken

sister would instantly recognize. Husayn‟s

cite as :Tears of Martyrdom and Sacrifice A Study of the Indian Poet Mir Babar Ali Anees's Hussaini

Elegy (Marsiya) of Karbala;Vol.3|Issue 12|Pg:3132-3142

DOI: 10.18535/ijsshi/v3i12.9

reasonable entreaties for peace are met with the guff

insults of the unprincipled enemy, who are not

merely content to kill the hero but must decapitate

him and stick his head on a pole for his captive

relations to see (stanzas188-193)(Ibid.).

These features will be further elaborated and

consolidated in the next section.

II.Mir Babar Ali Anees: Mir Babr Ali Anees was

born in Faizabad to a distinguished and fairly

prosperous family. (Wiki) Mir Babar Ali Anis was

born in 1803 CE at Faizabad. A Musavi sayyed,

descended from the 7th Imam, Musa al-Kadhim, he

belonged to a family of poets. In his book (Famous

Poets from the family of Mir Anis), Dr. Syed

Zameer Akhter Naqvi listed 22 poets from Mir

Anis‟ family and their poetry. Mir Anis was a fifth -

generation poet, a fact he mentioned in the first

stanza of his famous Marsiya "Namak-e-Khwaan-e-

Takallum hai Fasaahat meri." He says:

My eloquence is the salt of the food of thought

The eloquents are mute when my style they hear

Fly colours when the colour of my ink I jot

The sound of the seas are my ideas clear

Hunting in this forest (for words) spent life I mine

Praising Hussain, fifth in progeny line His great

grandfather, Mir Ghulam Hussain Zahik was

famous in Delhi for his satirical and humorous

verse. Like many of the eighteenth century Urdu

poets, who depended for their livelihood on the

patronage of rich nobles, Mir Zahik migrated to

Faizabad which was rapidly taking the place of

Delhi as a great cultural center. Mir Zahik was

accompanied by his son, Mir Ghulam Hassan, the

author of the famous masnavi (poem written in

rhyming couplets) Sihr ul Bayan (The Magic of

Rhetoric). Mir Hasan also wrote a divan of Urdu

poetry which is still admired. When Asaf ud Daula

transferred his capital from Faizabad to Lucknow,

where the enormous Imambara( a building in which

Ta‟zias , replicas of Imam Hussain‟s tomb, are kept,

was erected, Mir Hasan changed his residence and

lived in Lucknow for the rest of his life. He died in

1795. His son Mir Mustahsan Khaliq (Anees‟s

father) was highly regarded in his time as an Urdu

poet and received instruction from Mushafi, the

teacher/ustad of Na‟ab Suleiman Shakoh. Although

he wrote ghazals and other forms of lyric poetry, he

was chiefly renowned for his Marsiyas which were

rapidly becoming an integral part of the Muharram

celebrations in Lucknow. Among his

contemporaryies are other famous Marsiya writers

like Zamir, Miyan Dilgir and Mirza Fasih, whose

works are still available but tend to be known only

by a select band of Shia devotees. Mir Khaliq,

however is said to have surpassed them all.

Mir Mustahsin Khaliq was (1774-1804) was one of

the earliest elegiac poets in north India. He begin

writing poetry at an early age. His father, not having

time to instruct him, committed him to the care of

Mushafi. He made great progress and on the

occasion of a gathering of poets in his native place

in Faizabad, read one of his lyrics in such effect that

Atish, who had come especially from Lucknow to

grace the meeting, would not recite his own poem,

saying there was no need for him when Khaliq was

there. Anees, had two illustrious brothers, Mir Uns

and Mir Munis, who had followed the family

tradition of writing Marsiyas.

As is the case with famous Urdu writers, little is

known about Anees‟s early life. He was no doubt

given a traditional Shi‟a education in Faizabad and

Lucknow. However, research by Nayyar Masood

reveals that, while in Faizabad, Anis studied with

two religious scholars; one was a Shi‟a mujtahid,

Maulvi Mir Najaf Ali and the other was a Hanafi

theologian, Maulvi Haider Ali Faizabadi. Masood

also notes that Anis was well versed in Persian as

well as in Arabic. Anis also

had military training and gained a thorough

knowledge of old and

new weapons(Wikipedia.com).

It is clear from his poetry that he had a vast

knowledge of Persian and Arabic as well as of the

colloquial forms of his own mother tongue. One of

his favorite devices is to use „Hindi,‟ Arabic and

Persian words which are near synonyms in the same

line or verse. He was so clever in the employment

of his knowledge of other languages to the extent

that many believe he came to "symbolize the full

spectrum of the cultural mosaic that Urdu has come

to be"(Wikipedia.com)

In fact, such display of command over the language

was greatly admired, and is a feature commonly

found in the works of many Lucknow poets. In

some cases, the correct interpretation of a verse

depends upon knowing somewhat minor details of

Arab history, especially those details to which

mainly Shi‟as give prominence(Ibid). Moreover,

cite as :Tears of Martyrdom and Sacrifice A Study of the Indian Poet Mir Babar Ali Anees's Hussaini

Elegy (Marsiya) of Karbala;Vol.3|Issue 12|Pg:3132-3142

DOI: 10.18535/ijsshi/v3i12.9

Anees‟s master of simple, natural utterance and his

superb command on the language enabled him to

adequately express a large variety of moods, scenes,

characters and situations. He is especially notable

for presenting the same scene or situation, over and

over again, in different words or phrases, without

letting it appear monotonous (PoemHunter.com,

2012, p.2).

Anees was a Shi‟a by religion and it is known that

both his parents were religiously inclined. He seems

to have been particularly attached to his mother, an

educated lady, whose company may have inspired

certain passages in his Marsiyas like the episode in

which Zainab gently rebukes her two boys in

language reminiscent of Lucknow women‟s speech.

That Anees was an ardent believer is confirmed by

the obvious sincerity of his verse and the great

respect he shows to his religious heroes(Naim,

1983, p.v).

The majority of Shi‟as, of course, firmly believes

that Imam Ali was the rightful successor to Prophet

Muhammed, and is thus regarded not as the fourth

Caliph, but the first Imam. The death or rather the

martyrdom of Imam Ali‟s second son, Husayn, in

the battle of Karbala at the hands of Umayyd Yazid

was great blow to the supporters of the cause of

Imam Ali. Now many Shi‟as look upon the battle of

Karbala not as a political reversal but as a deeply

felt tragedy in which wickedness triumphed over

good(Naim, 1983, p.viii-ix)

The events leading up to AlTaf battle took place

during the first ten days of Muharram or the first

month of the Muslim year. The mourning for

Husayn‟s death is thus carried out at this period of

the year. During these days, each morning a

meeting of mourning (majlis „aza) is often attended

by thousands of people who congregate to hear the

events of Karbala related by a professional reciter

(Zakir). Usually before the reciter‟s sermon,

Marsiyas and other shorter compositions such as

salams (poems resembling ghazals), nauhas

(extremely pathetic poems) and ruba‟is are also

recited by well-known poets of the city(Naim, 1983,

p.ix).

The celebration of the events of Karbala and the

public mourning for the death of Husayn were well

established in India long before the time of Anees.

Muharram was given great prominence by the Shi‟a

kings of the Deccan (16th -17th centuries), who

themselves composed short Marsiyas for recitation

in the majlises organized in Bijapur and Golkunda

(Hyderabad). Most Dakani Marsiyas like those of

Muhammed Quli and „Ali Shah (rulers of Golkunda

and Bijapur respectively) in form and rhyme

resemble the ghazal. Some later Dakani

compositions however are longer and are written in

stanza form, with a poignant refrain at the end of

each stanza(Naim, 1983, p.x)

The development of the Marsiya from a short lyrical

poem expressing grief for the death of Husayn into

a lengthy narrative poem written in musaddas form,

in which the whole story of the battle, the events

leading up to it, or one famous episode of it, are

treated in great detail, seems to have taken place

mainly in Faizabad and Lucknow during the last

part of the 18th and the 1st part of the 19th century,

when the opulent Shi‟a rulers, whose ancestors had

come from Iran, provided the stimulus and the

money for Ta‟aziya celebration on a grand scale.

The famous celebrations which take place in

Lucknow, Hyderabad (where the old standard and

banners are still in existence) and to some extent in

other Indian and Pakistani cities are unparalleled in

any other part of the Islamic world. Even the well-

known „passion play‟ which is staged at Kazimain

in Iraq during Muharram has no real connection

with the Ta‟ziya in the subcontinent. More

noteworthy is the fact that the Urdu Marsiya as we

know it from the works of Anees and his equally

illustrious contemporary Dabeer has no counterpart

in Arabic and Persian literature and is one of the

few forms of poetry to which Urdu has an exclusive

claim(Naim, 1983, p.x-xi).

As we have pointed out, marsiyas were mostly

(though not exclusively) composed for recitation in

the majlises organized for the mourning the death of

Husayn. No less important than the art of marsiya

composition was the art of the dramatic recitation of

Marsiya before an audience. Often the great poets

excelled in both. Many stories are told of Anees‟s

power of recitation and during his performances he

would frequently find himself in a state of ecstasy.

It is said that on one occasion so many people came

to hear him that the walls of the enclosure where the

majlis was due had to be torn down to

accommodate the large crowd. Anees is said to have

had such a powerful voice that even those sitting

farthest away from him could hear every

word(Naim, 1983, p.xi).

cite as :Tears of Martyrdom and Sacrifice A Study of the Indian Poet Mir Babar Ali Anees's Hussaini

Elegy (Marsiya) of Karbala;Vol.3|Issue 12|Pg:3132-3142

DOI: 10.18535/ijsshi/v3i12.9

There can be no doubt that Anees was one of the

greatest Marsiya writers and until recently the Urdu

Marsiya has been regarded as being almost

synonymous with the poetry of Anees(Naim, 1983,

p.xii). This results in making Muharram and Mir

Anis practically synonymous in some parts of India.

Undoubtedly, Urdu derives much of its strength

from the Marsias of Mir Anis(Wikipedia.com)

III.Anees's Marsiyas of Martyrdom and

Sacrifice:

"Oh, Lord, give me eloquence that would soften

rocks into wax

Give my verses the force that crying has."

In Marsiya of Karbala, Anees has succeeded in

presenting a poem that manifests almost all the

characteristic of the Marsiya mentioned above. The

Marsiya is written in the form of musaddas and

consists of 197 stanzas. Although its main theme is

the martyrdom of Imam Husayn himself, several

secondary themes are also introduced, making it

more interesting(Naim, 1983,"The Art of Urdu

Marsiya, pp.104-105).

At this point, before proceeding further, it would be

useful to make note of two features that seem to be

both common and crucial to all Marsiyas. First,

what may be called the leitmotif of the Urdu

Marsiya, a belief that life is followed by death

followed by life again. In other words, Life

(transitory)-Death (transitory)-Life (eternal).

Second, the development of the themes, primary

and secondary, is always in terms of binary

oppositions. These binary distinctions arise out of a

conviction that Islam itself is anchored in a

dichotomy between Islam and non-Islam. They gain

greater scope and effectiveness from another

dichotomy that is crucial to the understanding of

most Islamic literatures, that between the external or

the obvious and the internal or the hidden, the two

layers of meaning or significance that every word or

act is believed to have (Naim, 1983,"The Art of

Urdu Marsiya, pp.106-107). In the above-mentioned

leitmotif, the cessation of life is only the external of

death; its true meaning, the hidden, is the eternity of

the hereafter. Thus, a true Muslim would look at the

internal meaning of death and welcome it, whereas

a non-Muslim would be afraid of death and cling to

life here. In the Marsiya of Karbala, there is a group

of people led by Imam who challenged the authority

of Yazid, the temporal Caliph. Their action,

however, is a rebellion on the exterior alone; its

internal meaning is the submission to a greater

authority, the Command of Allah. The Imam and

his companions are just, and thus must endure

injustice at the hands of the soldiers of Yazid, the

usurpers. As Muslims, they are aware of the end; as

against their opponents who prefer the comforts of

the hereafter. They are men of spirit and sacrifice.

The Imam has submerged his will in the will of

Allah, and his companions have done likewise

through him. They have become part of the cosmos.

When they pray, everything in nature prays; when

they are wrathful, nature is wrathful too. They live

in a cosmic time which is infinite; their enemies are

fated to have only a transitory glory. Husayn is

killed but his Islam is triumphant, Yazid wins the

battle but has lost the war. In the eternity of the

hereafter, the Imam is blessed, Yazid is cursed(Ibid.

p.107).

Another noticeable feature is that the Marsiya

consists of two types of material; the

„mubki/weeping‟ material, and the expressive of

exaltatory ideas, celebrating the piety, bravery,

resoluteness, and other virtues of the heroes of

Karbala. Further, except for the natural, long

outburst at the end, the „mubki‟ stanzas have

carefully been placed, usually in ones and twos, at

various strategic points. They act as brief but sharp

reminders of the main tragic theme as well as neat

transition devices between major sections. There is

no doubt that Mir Anees has put much careful

thought in this organization of his verses and that it

was primarily dictated by the demands of oral

presentation(Naim, 1983,"The Art of Urdu Marsiya,

pp.108).

Another feature that deserves to be noted is the

depiction in Urdu Marsiyas of indigenous socio-

cultural values and practices: the heroes and

heroines are Arabs but behave like the gentle-folks

of Lucknow. Their social mores, marriage customs,

uniqueness of feminine speech-habits, family

relationships, these all are Indian, specifically of

Muslim upper classes of Lucknow. To a pedant that

seems detracting if not ridiculous, but if we keep in

view the fundamental goal of the Marsiya writer-

make the piety-filled audience respond in an intense

emotional manner-we shall have too little to object

to. The Indianness in descriptions and details brings

these events closer to the Indian audience, and

makes it easier for it to identify with the martyrs. A

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historically accurate Arab milieu would have

created a wide gulf between the poem and its

audience, thwarting the poets in their effort to

present an ideal being who could yet be

emulated(Naim, 1983,"The Art of Urdu Marsiya,

pp.109).

Moreover, if one looks at a Marsiya in isolation,

i.e., outside of its context of a majlis, one may get a

feeling that it presents only a despairing vision.

That it begins with life, but it ends with death. As

already pointed out, that is not truly the case. In a

majlis, a Marsiya is preceded and followed by

reading of a fatiha, a verse that essentially confirms

the immortality of the human soul. The tears of the

audience are in themselves a witness to the fact that

the sacrifices of the Imam and his companions has

not been in vain that in their death lay their victory.

Thus the events of Karbala become the story of

what should be the ideal role of mankind in this

world. No wonder then that we come out of majlis

filled with admiration and exultation, not dejected

and despairing(Naim, 1983,"The Art of Urdu

Marsiya, pp.109-110).

The Marsiya poets are sometimes criticized for

being repetitive. However, one should remember

that Marsiyas are longish poems that are written

about individual heroes and heroines and that they

exist only for the purpose of being read in a majlis.

Rituals, in order to maintain their efficacy allows

little or no variation. The faithful come to a majlis

with certain expectations, which have to be met. A

radical departure from the traditional pattern may

perhaps produce an interesting poem, but can not be

expected to imbue it with that power of alleviation

that a more traditional Marsiya would have for the

piety-minded listeners(Naim, 1983,"The Art of

Urdu Marsiya, pp.110).

The Marsiya of Karbala is an account of the battle

of Karbala from the early morning, when the heroes

wake up and prepare to war, to the late afternoon

when Husayn and his companions are finally

murdered. It culminates in Zainab‟s impassioned

cry for the soul of her dead brother before she is

taken captive by the enemy. The account proceeds

episodically from start to finish, though the poem

can not easily be divided according to the ideal

scheme set out above (See section one). This is in

fact the case with Marsiyas, whatever their subject,

and it is often difficult to say exactly where the

introduction (beginning of the morning and journey)

ends and where the description of the hero

begins(Naim, 1983,"The Art of Urdu Marsiya,

pp.104-105).

At the first signs of dawn after the sun completed its

journey, the Imam who is called „the King‟ awakens

his companions and tells them "at last the time has

come"(Stanza1). This line has two interpretations:

either that the dawn has broken and the time for

prayer has come or that the last day has dawned for

the martyrs who will be all dead by the evening.

Therefore, they gather for the Morning Prayer, each

one is a paragon of spiritual virtues.

For the Imam and his companions, this day will be a

day of "strife and slaughter." It is the day in which

the blood of family of Muhammed will flow. In

spite of this violent and bloody end, the face of al-

Zahra, the Imam‟s mother, is radiant with joy for

"the day of separation has passed and the day of

reunion has come."(Stanza2-4) The members of the

Prophet‟s family are those for whom the angels will

grieve. They have spent their nights in anguish

waiting for this day.

Anees describes the evening of this day as blessed

because those who will die in it, the Imam and his

supporters, will find place in heaven. Although they

are dying of thirst in this day, they will be

compensated in Heaven by enabling them to reach

Al-Kawther spring with honor. The names of all

those killed in this day will be inscribed in the roll

of the faithful. Here, as throughout the Marsiya, we

have an emphasis on the martyrs and their role in

setting an example of sacrifice and goodness for

people.

Having heard the Imam‟s call, the faithful rose from

their beds. Each one of them was bedecked with

very elegant clothes. They all fearlessly combed

their beards and moustaches, and put their turbans.

Their clothes were perfumed with musk, civet and

attar of roses.

In spite of thirst, nothing on the Imam and his

followers‟ lips except the praise of Allah.

Therefore, they feel neither fear, panic, grief, nor

sadness. They are generous, pious, steadfast,

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accomplished, skillful, proud, brave, forbearing, and

high-minded like "Solomon in battle, like lions in

Sheba."(Stanza 6)

Anees goes on in his description of the splendidness

of the Imam‟s followers in the following two

stanzas. He praises their eloquence, fragrance,

devotion and honesty. He compares them to the

rubies and pearls. Their magnificence and greatness

make the houris (gazelle-eyed women) "declared

that they were angels, not men."(stanza8, L8)

Stanza nine is devoted to the delineation of Imam‟s

family or "some of the daring children of Fatima."

References are made to the "beautiful Qasim and

the handsome Ali Akbar", the Imam‟s eldest son,

who says the call for the prayer. There is also Aqil

and Muslim, and the young striplings of Ja‟far.

Because of their beauty, radiance, and glory, not

only rose gardens, but nature itself with its valleys,

mountains, trees and flowers were "put to shame."

All the elements of nature, fauna and flora alike

were celebrating the peerless presence of the Imam

and his companions(stanza11).

On the Imam‟s side, there is a congregational

prayer, on the enemy‟s side preparations for battle;

as the Imam, the King of the celestial throne, ends

the prayer some arrows fall near him, making him

anxious about the children; he goes into the tents to

bid farewell to the ladies. The King of the land and

sea saw the state of his women. Their faces were

pale, the hair on their heads was hanging loose.

Zainab uttered a prayer: "Oh Lord Most Glorious

(God), may the darling of Fatima be saved from this

strife. May the crop of the renowned Lady Bano

remain fresh and green." The children were also

suffering as Baqir is lying in one place and Sakina

has fainted in another. The moon-like babies have

cried themselves to sleep after a long day of

feverish heat, hunger and thirst. In spite of these

continual ordeals, the Imam was determined to

combat Yazid and his devil-like

supporters(Stanzas24, 43).

Coming near the distressed Zainab, the Lord of

court of Heaven said to her: "Do not be troubled,

for all your prayers are answered. The supporters of

Yazid are unfaithful and arrogant. They are at fault.

Therefore, the Imam shall go and show them the

road of justice. As there is no time for lamentation

and weeping, the Imam asks Zainab to bring him

the relics of his ancestors-the robes of the Prophet,

the sword of Ali, the turban, helmet, armor, shield

and other necessary preparations, and gets ready

(Stanza 46). The banner of the Imam is brought

forth and the young sons of Zainab beg her to

recommend their names to the Imam; she scolds

them. The Imam praises the children of Zainab for

their courage and determination, then at her

recommendation sends for Abbas to give him the

banner. Abbas takes the banner; Husyan‟s youngest

daughter, Sukina, asks Abbas to bring her some

water from the river; Husyan and Abbas leave the

tents in order to bring water.

In contrast to the Imam, King of Faith, the leaders

and soldiers of Yazid‟s army were wicked, ruthless,

treacherous, deceitful and false. They were keen on

using dirty means in their war against the carrier of

truth. Besides outnumbering the Imam‟s army, the

leader of Yazid‟s army tries to prevent Husayn and

his men from reaching the water for the purpose of

weakening them.

In stanzas 161-163, Anees describes the killers of

Imam Husayn. One of them was gigantic and ugly,

corrupt and dark-headed; brazen-bodied and black-

hearted, with a waist of iron, his arrows were

heralds of death; his quiver the abode of

destruction. In his heart was evil, in his evil spirit

was corruption. Accompanying him was another

warrior of the same height and form. His eyes were

dark-bleu; he had wrinkles on his black brows. He

was wicked, evil-minded, tyrannous and full of

depravity. They took their spears and girded up

their loins for conflict. One boasted about the strike

of his club the other about his fast sword; the other

about his fast sword. In stanza 165, the soldiers

were in anguish; the armies were in panic. They

feared at every moment that Husain might advance

and use his sword. They cried out that „On one side

are Marhab and „Antar and on the other Ali. Who

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will hold his head high today, i.e., who will win?

And whose head will be bowed?

After a heated exchange between the Imam and the

commander of the enemy, Ibn Sa‟d; the battle

begins, and the Imam fights with the entire enemy;

his sword is praised in detail. Unnerved by the

ferocity of his attacks and the intensity of the heat,

the Imam‟s enemies seek his refuge; the Imam, as

befits him, sheaths his sword. Ibn Sa‟d taunts his

soldiers and two of the most fierce attack the Imam;

at a command from Allah, Husayn unsheathes his

sword again and kills them both.

The courageous men of Imam created havoc. They

fought like hungry lions pouncing in anger on their

preys. In the desert, in every direction, were piles of

wounded and slaughtered men. The swords rained

down from morning till midday. The earth shook

and the skies continued to tremble. The angels

shuddered as they folded their wings. No more were

those shouts; no more was the flashing of those

swords. The shields had their day; now it was the

turn of the spears. At the time of early afternoon,

the end of the army came about.

It is mid-afternoon and the Imam is all alone; he

goes into the tents to take a final look at his infant

son, Ali Asghar ; a deliberately shot arrow killed the

infant in the Imam‟s lap; the Imam buries his son‟s

tiny body. After his little son, Ali Asghar, was

killed, Husayn came upon the army brandishing his

sharp sword. His eyes were bloodshot with

weeping, his face was red. He clothed his body with

great pomp and ceremony in the holy cloak of the

prophet. He took the shield of Hamza and the sword

of Ali(Zulfuqar). On his body was the armor of the

exalted Prophet of Allah.

The corpses of all of them were lying around, and in

the midst of them was the Imam. The cloak of the

Prophet was entirely soaked in blood. Hussain was

dejected, grief-stricken, anxious and thirsty. The

beatings of the drums of victory were like a spear in

his heart. Whenever the enemies mentioned the

name of any martyr, trembling he clasped his heart

with both his hands. Now there was no freedom

from lamentation, no respite from mourning. The

lamps which lit the house were extinguished. The

sunlight beat down on the scattered limbs of all

their bodies. There was not even a sheet on the

corpse of Ali Akbar.

From the facing enemy, ten thousands arrows were

aimed at his breast. Several hundred arrows struck

is chest at one time. Spears transfixed his heart,

arrows pierced his breast. Ten arrows hit him for

every four that he pulled from his body. Arrow-

shafts were in the body of the Shadow of God, as

spines in the body of a porcupine.

Husayn can not withstand the brutal attack of his

enemies. As he declares earlier, "the time has

come." Anees describes in detail the aftermath of

Husayn‟s fall in stanza 183. The stanza is worth

quoted in full:

Husain now falls from his horse-oh

calamity! His holy foot has slipped out of

the stirrup-oh calamity! His side has been

torn open by a dagger-Oh calamity! He has

dropped in a swoon, his turban has fallen

from his head-Oh calamity! The Quran has

fallen headlong on the ground from the

bookstand of the bridle. The wall of Ka‟ba

has collapsed. The empyrean had fallen.

Husayn‟s mother laments in Paradise; her voice

comes from the wilderness: „The community has

robbed me. Ah Muhammed! At this time who will

discharge the duties of friendship? Alas! Alas such

cruelty and the leader of both worlds. Lifting the

curtain of the tent, the daughter of Ali and Husayn‟s

sister comes bare-headed. Her legs were trembling;

her back was bent; she was bathed in the blood of

the heart. Beating her head, she was crying in all

directions „Oh Karbala, tell! Where is your guest?

Alas! Now this thirst one can not lift his feet. Hold

up my arm, and bring me to his corpse."(Stanzas

185-190)

Anees ends the Marsiya by addressing himself. He

says, „Stop speaking Anees! Your limbs are shaking

with weakness"(stanza 194, p.49). In spite of its

length, ironically, he says "May these few verses

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DOI: 10.18535/ijsshi/v3i12.9

remain a monument in the world." He wishes that

he can recite his poetry in the assemblies of

mourning for the rest of his life, thus, fulfilling the

duty of the faithful and devout poet. A concluding

stanza of pious sentiments and modest self-praise.

Conclusion:

Since the death of Imam al-Husain, or the Lord of

the Martyrs, many poets try their hands at writing

marsiyas in the dominant languages of the Muslim

communities; namely; Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and

Turkish The marsiyas are muli-purposed. They

serve to commemorate the sacrificial death of Imam

Hussain who fought oppression and injustice and

died for the sake of saving the Muslim community.

They also help to bring Karbala with its meanings

and symbols nearer to the local communities who

live far away from the real Karbala where the Imam

is buried.

In writing marsiyas, Anees follows a typical

pattern. His marsiyas, especially the epic-like,

Marsiya of Karbala are usually characterized by

lengthy and colorful description of the main

characters, their clothes, behaviors, manners,

felling, etc.; abundant references to the flora and

fauna of the poet‟s locales; sharp dichotomy, in

terms of virtues and attributes, between the two

warring parties; presenting the battle as well as life

as a journey that extends from morning, symbols of

life and beginning, to the evening, symbol of sunset

and death of day; and finally, a great emphasis on

the significance of the Imam‟s martyrdom as a

means of enliven and invigorating the spiritual

potentials of human communities.

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The Tragedy of Karbala: The Prophet's  Grandson's Struggle against an Oppressive Tyrant

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