'Juma' Mosque Icherisher

In the name of Allah
The Compassionate The Merciful

     Address
     Be the participants of the scientific conference “Every day is Ashura, everywhere is Kerbelah” to the believers of the country with regard to the approach of the Ashura day.

     18th February
     City of Baku

     In the Name of Allah, The Compassionate the Merciful! Dear believing sister and brothers! The respected true believers, the worthy servants of the The Most Compassionate Creator! The regular month of Mukharram has arrived. The month which symbolizes courage, bravery, dignity, fortitude and the true service to the Most High. This is the month comprising Ashura. Ashura is the everlasting, eternal alarm which is addressed until the Judgment Day to the human conscience, reminding the mankind about its high mission.
     On the day of Ashura in the place called Kerbelah Imam Husseine (a) and his heroic followers, having raised against evil and injustice, said “NO!” to the tyranny of Yezid. They sacrificed to the altar of the truth and justice the most precious they had – their lives. And at the price of life they did not let the Divine truth be fallen into oblivion. In Kerbelah Imam Husseine (a) and his followers erected the monument to courage and bravery, to the clear civil stand.
     For centuries our people being moved by the voice of love for justice and of hatred towards evil have honored the heroes of Kerbelah. Even the atheistic power of Bolsheviks was unable to deprive our people of the culture of holding the month Mukharram and Safar. This contributed a lot to the self – consciousness of our people, preservation of their culture and the mainest to keeping to Islam – the religion to which more and more people come in all the parts of the world. Unfortunately, over the past years there have started being heard speculative, irresponsible and touchy for the believers’ feelings statements regarding the month of Mukharram and the procedure of its holding. There is risen an artificial agiotage around the external ritual ceremonies, there are spoken out irresponsible and ignorant thoughts concerning the ceremonies of remembering the shekhids (martyrs) of Kerbelah. All the attention of the public is, for some reason, directed to the discussions of such issues as whether to hold Ashura in its generally accepted in the whole world classical form or in some different way etc. analytical activities, to make researchers discovering the essence of historical epochal events is much more difficult than to make popular statements regarding the external attributes of Ashura ceremony. Taking all the above into consideration, we find it necessary to bring the following to the attention of the respected believers:
     1. The attempts to destructively and negatively revise the national customs and rituals are fraught with great danger. Customs, traditions, rituals and the national folk art are the essence of a nation’s mentality, its backbone. Naturally, the life makes its changes in certain traditions etc., but now the point is not about the attempts to exert a mechanical influence on the mental base of the nation.
     2. People, filled with the love for Allah, the followers of Akhli-Beyt (a) have for centuries naturally and sincerely held ceremonies for the heroes of Kerbelah and nowadays this process is continued in all the parts of the world. Ceremonies of Mukharram and Safar months have for centuries been one of the basic themes of our classical literature and culture. Our people have always been in the vanguard of holding and preserving the traditions of Ashura ceremonies and in our present they carry on this mission. With this regard, the purposed introduction of some individual views into the people’s mind is an inappropriate action and in its essence it is done to cause the public consciousness fell last. And if to analyze it then it is the attempt to destroy the national unique style.
     3. The culture of remembering shekhids (martyrs) of Kerbelah during the months of Mukharram and Safar is on the one hand composed of the sadness and sorrow ceremony directing to the internal repentance and on the other hand it brings up the civil courage enabling to say the decisive “NO!” to evil, meanness and contributing to gaining dignity, selflessness and bravery. The attempts to take Ashura culture away from us are more suitable for the enemies who have occupied our holy lands. But all these attempts are vane. The people have always remained faithful to their moral criteria and expressed their contempt to filth in all its manifestation.
     4. For centuries the ceremonies of remembering the shekhids held during the month of Mukharram and Safar have played a big role to solve problems facing the people. And today, along with the other results these ceremonies have played a big role in implementation of the program “Asma-ul-Husna” – the program, which for already 7 years has provided for supplying the sick kids with blood in “Juma” mosque in Icherishekher. Bur some ignorant people say about replacement of remembering ceremonies by the blood supply. But, actually, these people insult the feelings of believers who give their blood to children. Because this blood donation campaign is the result of these very remembering ceremonies during the month of Mukharram and Safar preserved by our ancestors. And these ceremonies prompt a man to internal purification and as a result to the life style corresponding to the high status of a believer. Besides, it is necessary to stress that the donation campaigns under “Asma-ul-Husna” program are held all years round. And just as no one would think of replacing sacrifice and the holiday namaz during Gurban Bayram by donation, the same way the suggestion to replace ceremonies on Ashura day by the blood donation is of the same ridiculous and provocative nature.
     Dear believers!
     Let us try to hold these Days the way so that they can be worthy of Imam Husseine (a) and Kerbelah heroes’ memory and shall not put into oblivion those holy values for the sake of which they gave their lives.
     Let every day for us be Ashura in its true understanding – the real service to the Most High Allah!
     Let the Most High Allah protect you!

The Table of Azan time for Mukharram month for the year 1426 by lunar calendar (hijra) (2005)

Mukharram month	February	Morning Azan	Dawn	Afternoon Azan	Evening Azan	Midnight
08	18	6-11	7-31	12-55	18-36	00-22
09	19	6-09	7-30	12-55	18-37	00-22
10	20	6-08	7-29	12-54	18-38	00-22
11	21	6-07	7-27	12-54	18-39	00-22
12	22	6-05	7-26	12-54	18-40	00-22
13	23	6-04	7-25	12-54	18-41	00-22
14	24	6-03	7-23	12-54	18-42	00-22

HISTORY

The 9th of Mukharram month (this year the indicated date corresponds to the 19th February) is held by Muslims as Tasua day – it was the day precedining to the tragedy in Kerbelah.

ASHURA

The 10th of Mukharram month (this year the indicated date corresponds to the 20th February) is the day of Ashura. This is the day of heroic, martyr death of Imam Husseine (a) and his followers with the purpose of preserving the religion of Islam Prophet (s) and saving the mankind. In the evening of the same day there will be held the ceremony “Shamu Gariban”.

SHEHADET

The 12th of Mukharram month, 95 year by the lunar calendar (this year the indicated date corresponds to the 22nd February) is the day of martyr death of the fourth imam – Imam Zaynal-Abidin (a).