Condolences on the Days of ʿAzā (Grief)
﷽
(I begin) In the Name of Allah, the All-Kind (or All-Beneficent), the All-Merciful (or All-Compassionate)
كُلُّ عَيْنٍ بَاكِيَةٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، إِلَّا عَيْنًا بَكَتْ عَلَى الْحُسَيْنِ (ع)، فَإِنَّهَا ضَاحِكَةٌ مُسْتَبْشِرَةٌ.
“Every eye shall weep on the Day of Judgment—except the eye that wept for Ḥusayn (ʿa), for that eye shall laugh and be joyful.” - Imām Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (ʿa)1
As we enter the sacred days of Muḥarram, our hearts turn once again to the plains of Karbala, where the blood of truth was spilled so that the spirit of Islam could be preserved. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the lovers of Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa) around the world, especially to the Imām of our time (ʿaj), on the martyrdom of Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ, Imām Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (ʿa), and his loyal companions.
Nahj al-Balāghah teaches us that true transformation requires both inner purification and outer resistance.
In these days, when grief opens our hearts, we are called to more than mourning—we are called to movement. To refine our character, to detach from ego, and to realign our lives with divine justice. Just as Karbala was not a moment of passive sorrow but a stand for truth against tyranny, we too are summoned to reflect:
How have I stood up for truth in my own life?
What injustices—within and around me—have I ignored or enabled?
What steps will I take, however small, to become of those ready for the return of our awaited Imām (ʿaj)?
This grief is not meant to paralyze us, but to awaken us. We do not mourn only for the past, but for a future yet to come—a future of divine justice under the leadership of our final Imām (ʿaj), who will rise with the banner of Ḥusayn (ʿa) and complete his mission.
May these nights of ʿazā soften our hearts, strengthen our resolve, and prepare us to be among the supporters of the one who will bring justice to the earth, just as it has been filled with injustice.
In mourning. In hope. In movement.
🕯 Labbayka Yā Ḥusayn.
🕯 Labbayka Yā Mahdī.
Ibn Qulawayh, Kāmil al-Ziyārāt, Chapter 32, ḥadīth #1
(بابُ ما يَسْتَحِقُّهُ مَنْ بَكَى عَلَى الْحُسَيْنِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلام)