A video showing a large gathering of mothers in Iran offering their babies as symbolic martyrs for God and Imam Husayn has gone viral on social media. The video is from the Hosseini Infants Ceremony, an annual ritual held on the first Friday of the Islamic month of Muharram. This year, it took place on June 27.
The video opens to show hundreds of women lifting their babies into the air in a powerful gesture of devotion to Imam Husayn, the martyred grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. As the video progresses, the toddlers can be seen dressed in green and white with headbands to commemorate the sacrifice of Ali Asghar, Husayn’s six-month-old son, who was killed during the Battle of Karbala. The video ends with a woman holding her baby high up in the air as a symbolic martyr.
Since Iran is currently involved in the conflict with Israel and the United States, the video has taken on a broader political meaning. The ceremony, which CNN witnessed, reflects the spirit of resistance, defiance and sacrifice.
A woman at the event told CNN that they are not scared of anything and will support the state until the enemies are destroyed, as she holds her toddler, who was wearing white clothes. She added that Imam Husayn is everything for them and that they should sacrifice their lives for him. One mother told CNN that the headband is a “symbol saluting Imam Husayn”.
The crowd also chanted “death to America, death to Israel”, CNN reported.
Battle of Karbala
It goes back to the Battle of Karbala in Karbala, Iraq, which started after Umayyad caliph Mu’awiya I nominated his son Yazid as his successor after the Prophet Muhammad. The decision was contested by many it violated the agreed-upon succession process. The battle was then fought between Husayn ibn Ali and his small band of followers against the much larger army of the Umayyad caliph Yazid I.
During the battle, Yazid’s army blocked their access to the Euphrates River- the only water source in the desert. Husayn held his six-month-old baby, Ali Asghar, in the air, asking for a few drops of water to be given to him, who was dying of thirst. However, he was killed by Yazid’s army and became one of the youngest martyrs of Karbala.
Husayn’s forces were defeated, and he, along with most of his companions and family members, was killed. This event is a grave tragedy in Shia Islam and is commemorated annually on the Day of Ashura.