This spiritually ceremony was attended by a large number of Iranians, embassy staff, Shia Muslims, and believers from Pakistan, India, Iraq, African nations, the Philippines, and other lovers of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) and enthusiasts of Husseini culture. The program included congregational Maghrib and Isha prayers, the recitation of Ziyarat Ashura and Ziyarat Warith, lectures by Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Syed Aftab Haider Razavi—Head of the Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly in South Africa—as well as traditional lamentations (marsiya) and chest-beating (sineh-zani), all held in a deeply spiritual atmosphere.

 

Over the course of these eleven nights, Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Syed Aftab Haider Razavi delivered profound and insightful speeches addressing topics such as: responding to the call of Karbala and living through the eyes, ears, and heart in the path of Imam Hussein (AS); from love to betrayal; the legacy of the Imam and the enduring message of Ashura; Imam Hussein (AS) as the Divine proof for free will and the revival of Islam; Karbala as a test of the self against arrogance and deviation; the deception of Satan and the pure light of Karbala; resistance against tyranny and arrogance; the silent majority and the reality of martyrdom from the Quranic perspective; discerning truth and falsehood beyond the standard of the majority from the time of the prophets to Ashura; the everlasting purity of resistance in Karbala; Imam Hussein (AS) as the heir of the prophets and a mercy to humanity; and finally, the divine sacrifice of the Imam and reflections on human dignity in his life and martyrdom. These discussions were met with great interest and appreciation by the audience.

 

It is worth noting that on the night of Ashura—one of the most significant and widely attended nights of mourning in the month of Muharram—the sacred red flag of the dome of Imam Hussein’s (AS) holy shrine, bearing the blessed inscription “Ya Abu Abdullah Al-Hussein (AS),” was ceremoniously raised at the Husseiniyah of the Cultural Section by an Iranian servant of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (AS). This flag, a symbol of reverence for the sanctity of the Master of Martyrs (AS), was unfurled and presented to the mourners as a blessed relic, further linking the hearts of the grieving to the sanctified plains of Karbala.

 

Also noteworthy is that, for the first time, Shia centers based in Manila and surrounding towns gathered at the Cultural Section to jointly hold the Muharram mourning ceremonies—an initiative aimed at fostering spiritual unity, spreading the message of Ashura, and strengthening solidarity among Muslims.

 

The ceremony concluded with lamentation recitations by Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Syed Aftab Haider Razavi, followed by collective chest-beating and mourning rituals. In the end, guests were served refreshments.