Read Book Online : http://www.archive.org/stream/HinduQaumAurAzadari#page/n0/mode/2up

Download pdf Book : http://ia600209.us.archive.org/17/items/HinduQaumAurAzadari/HinduQaumAurAzadari.pdf

Image details : The ta'ziyahs being taken to the river for immersion on the last day of the Muhurram Festival, escorted by sepoys - 1795 Watercolour of the Muharram Festival, by an anonymous artist working in the Murshidabad style, c. 1790-1800. Inscribed on the back in pencil: 'The procession of the Tuzziers'; in ink: 'at the Mohorrum. Procession of Tazzies on the last day of the Mohorrum Festival. Mahomedan Festival.' The Muharram festival commemorates the popular saint Imam Husain, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and the spiritual leader of the Shias who was martyred in 680 AD after a battle in Karbala. This festival starts on the 1st day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, and lasts for 10 days. It is celebrated with lavishly decorated tazivas (bamboo and paper replicas of the martyr’s tomb) which are carried through the streets of the city. Mourners beat their breasts accompanied by musicians, dancers and wrestlers who enact scenes depicting the battle. In this drawing, the tazivas are being taken to the river for immersion on the last day of the festival, escorted by sepoys. One is being carried on an elephant; others are on poles supported on men's shoulders while a frenzied crowd dances around. The river, woods and hills can be seen beyond. Source : British Library

The book is actually in Urdu...

There were Hindus who fought at Karbala as they believed in the authority of Imam Hussain. Their descendants are called Hussaini Brahmans - the late Sunil Dutt was a Hussaini Brahman and his wife Nargis was half Hussaini brahman (on her father's side) and half Muslim.

Mehul thank you for sharing such a wonderful piece of ou heritage. On a related not, have you hread Josh Malihabadi's couplet "Insaan ko bedaar to ho laynay do, har qaum pukaregi hamare hain Hussain(A.S). Translated into English, it means "Let man awaken for his slumber, and every nation will claim Hussain (A.S) as their own".

R.s.R.s. Sundaresh : I recall at least two very lengthy discussions on RBSI regarding Hussaini Brahmins many months ago. Its impossible to search on this FB page and will be possible only on the website...and that only after this data is manually transferred since FB protocols do not allow export of data. So I guess it will be a long wait. : )

R.s. Sundaresh : I remember posting this article in the earlier discussion. Its possible that you are already familiar with it : http://www.chowk.com/echoboom/iLogs/religion/HUssaini-Brahmans

Salman, Thank you, my friend. Yes, I do understand Urdu, though, regrettably, I cannot read the language. Great leaders are for the ages as Josh Sb points out in his amazing poetry.

R.S.Sundaresh, Historically, Indian archers fought in many conflicts in other parts of the world. Historians like Francis Watson theorize that Alexander of Macedon's invasion of the Punjab was because of the havoc that Indian archers fighting in the Persian Army had inflicted on the Greeks. It is likely that there would have been warriors from what are now India and Pakistan who fought at Karbala. My former classmate and close friend S Anvar, who is an award winning historian and documentary film-maker, has done research that shows that there were masjids built in what is now Kerala during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. Clearly, the history of Islam in South Asia still needs to be researched and more carefully than it has in the past. We even tend to ignore the excesses committed by the Mughals against the Shias of Bijapur under Aurangzeb, which led to the invasion of India by Nadir Shah after Aurangzeb's death. Our politicians are loath to recall that Shivaji's son Shambaji actually fought along with the rump Mughal armies and was defeated comprehensively in battle by the Persian army. Clearly, the tales that we are told of an undying enmity betweel the Mughals and the Marathas are not entirely truthful. Sorry for the digression, but this is a topic that can only move in several directions from its very interesting starting point. :)

@ Mehul Kamdar Sir aren't you mixing up various historical events in your above narrative,for example Aurangzeb's conquest of Bijapur was in 1686.Nadir Shah's invasion and sacking of Delhi was in 1738-39.So there is a gap of more than 50 years in between the two events.I feel there is no basis for your stated correlation between demise of Adilshahi of Bijapur &Nadir Shah's invasion. Regarding Sambhaji ,whatever you have said is completely untrue.Are you confusing Sambhaji with Maratha Army commanded by Sadasivrao Bhau which fought the 3rd war of Panipat against Ahmed Shah Abdali in1761?Maratha's were fighting this war to save Mughal Patshahi from the invader Abdali.Another reason for this war was to decide the "Sarhad"between Hindustan and Afghanistan.Abdali wanted to include all of Punjab up to Sirhind into his kingdom which was not acceptable to Peshwa. Abdali was leading a force of mainly Afghan warriors and not Persian.Abdali was a ordinary soldier in Nadir Shah's army.After Nadir Shah's death he gathered various Afghan tribes and laid the foundation of new nation Afghanistan.As for Sambhaji and the great war of survival fought by Maratha's against Aurangzeb for nearly 26 years is a matter of separate discussion altogether.

Here is what may be of interest to those participating in discussion on this thread. Brahmins Fought for Imam Hussain in the Battle of Karbala. By Rakesh Sharma: http://smma59.wordpress.com/2007/09/19/brahmins-fought-for-imam-hussain-in-the-battle-of-karbala/ Sunil Dutt, the famour Hussaini Brahmin migrated from Pakistan. Hussaini Brahmins: The presence in Arabia of many Hindus, mostly Brahmins, before the rise of Islam, has been recorded by the historian Sisir Kumar Mitra, in his book ‘The Vision of India’, page 183. These people observed Hindu religious customs, including the worship of Shiva and Makresha from which the name of Mecca is said to have been derived. The famous astrologer Yavanacharya was born of one such Brahmin family. It was from these Brahmins that the Arabs learnt the science of Mathematics, Astrology, Algebra and decimal notation which were first developed in India. At the time of the war of Karbala (Oct. 680 AD), Rahab Sidh Datt, a potentate of Datt sect, was a highly esteemed figure of Arabia due to his close relations with the family of Prophet Mohammed. In the holy war when no Muslim King came to help Hussain,. Rahab fought On his side and sacrificed his seven sons (named Sahas Rai. Haras Rai, Sher Khan, Rai Pun, Ram Singh, Dharoo and Poroo) in the bloody war. The participation of the Mohyals Brahmins and more precisely that of a Dutt family living in Arabia(Iraq) at that time, in the holy war, is a fact of the history. An ancestor of Rahab named Sidh Viyog Datt assumed the title of Sultan and made Arabia (old name Iraq) his home. He was a tough and tenacious fighter. He was also known as Mir Sidhani. He was a worshipper of Brahma. He was the son of the stalwart Sidh Jhoja (Vaj) who was a savant and saint lived in Arabia (Iraq) around 600 AD. The supporters of Hassan and Hussain honoured the Datts with the title of ‘Hussaini Brahmin’ and treated them with great reverence in grateful recognition of the supreme sacrifices made by them in the war of Karbala. According to Jang Nama, written by Ahmed Punjabi, pages 175-176, it was ordained on the Shias to recite the name of Rahab in their daily prayer. At the time of the Karbala, fourteen hundred Hussaini Brahmins lived in Baghdad alone. TIMES of INDIA Hindus participate in Muharram21 Jan 2008, Faizan Ahmad MUZAFFARPUR: On the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of Islamic calendar, Shia Muslims across the world spend the day in mourning to commemorate the 1327-year-old martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, his family and followers. Here on Sunday, a group of Hindus participated in the Muharram procession with equal veneration. They claim their lineage to Hussaini Brahmin sect. And, from this year, they have revived their centuries-old tradition of shedding tears in the memory of the martyrs of Karbala -- which their ancestors used to do. Mostly Bhumihars, the group marched barefoot from Bara Imambara in Brahampur locality here beating their chest and chanting "Ya Hussain". They also carried a banner proclaiming their sentiments towards the Imam and his martyrdom. "Our ancestors also fought in support of Imam Hussain and sacrificed their lives in Karbala and we are equally pained at the historical martyrdom," said Bhumihar Brahmin Mahasabha convenor Arun Kumar Sharma. References in several books and records confirm that some Hindus did join Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad, when he was through a bloody battle against Yezid at Karbala (in Iraq) on October 10, 680 AD. The sect, which was later named Hussaini Brahmin, had settled on the banks of river Euphrates. Subsequently, they returned to India and assumed various titles like Datts, Mohiyals, Tyagis and many others. They also practised an intriguing blend of Islamic and Hindu traditions. This was the first time in recent memory that the people claiming the lineage joined the Muharram rituals in this part of the country. The late Sunil Dutt, who belonged to Hussaini Brahmin sect, used to attend Muharram processions.

Many thanks for the book RBSI. Although I gotta need a Lughat for this . Few English names and terms are in Roman also thankfully.