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In the Name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful Blessings of Allah be on you, O Saaheb al-Asr, help us and forsake us not 
In response to objections on Azadari
There have been some objections to Azadari of late that need to be addressed so that Shias in particularare convinced in a manner that settles the debate conclusively. For this reason, we have specificallyaddressed the objections of the Shias in this note.The main objection of the Shias (at least those Shias who oppose specific instances like chest-beating/maatam or blood-letting/zanjeer/qama) is rooted in fiqh/jurisprudence. These Shias opposethese practices and while the opposition is fiqhi, the justification advanced for the same is rational/aqli.The rational opposition for opposing specific acts of azadari are:a)
 
these acts are condemned by the enemies of Islam,b)
 
they are source of ridicule for the Shias,c)
 
not understood by enemies,d)
 
no discipline in performing these acts,e)
 
open-shirted display of azadar is vulgar,f)
 
leads to infection and source of medical problems,g)
 
even leads to negligence in obligatory acts like prayers,h)
 
the maraaje passing the edict did not themselves engage in qamai)
 
historical incidents of azadari are isolated and not trend-setting
A)
 
Reply to fiqhi doubts
As far as the fiqhi angle is concerned, every muqallid is bound by the fatwa/edict of his marjaa-e-taqleed. If his marjaa permits him he can perform, else he must abstain. Likewise if there are specificinstances under which he can perform, then he can perform under those specific instances, else he mustabstain.Regarding azadari and specific acts like chest-beating
 –
most maraaje/mujtahedeen have permitted thesame. Mentioned below are some renowned and highly-respected maraaje who have permittedmaatam/qama, etc over the years:i)
 
Ayatullah Mirza Naaini (r.a.) (expired 1936 CE), teacher of Ayatullah Khui (r.a.)ii)
 
Ayatullah Mohsin al-Hakim (r.a.) (expired 1970 CE), predecessor to Ayatullah Khui (r.a.)iii)
 
Ayatullah Abul Qasim Khui (r.a.) (expired 1992 CE)
 –
one of the greatest Shia maraajeiv)
 
Ayatullah Ali Sistaani
 –
current marjaa-e-taqleed for the largest section of Shiasv)
 
Ayatullah Waheed Khorasani
 –
current marjaa-e-taqleed
 
This list is by no means exhaustive. However, it is unlikely that no Shia has heard of these names or hasnever been their muqallid at some in point in time. Nor is the absence of a name meant to send anysignal, because the non-inclusion of a name does not mean that the marjaa has NOT permitted specificazadari. The onus is on the reader to investigate rather than draw inaccurate conclusions.While some maraaje have not permitted specific acts of azadari or have given restricted approval for thesame, their edicts pertain only to their muqalledeen and not others. So long as the Shias reading thisarticle find their own marjaa-e-taqleed in this list, they can perform the afore-mentioned acts. If theyare not convinced they can approach the offices of their marjaa for an edict. Given the confusion andmischief of the last age, it is advisable to seek an edict in person or through a very reliable source.Forged/inaccurate/misinterpreted edicts on many issues have been known to be in circulationmisleading many Shias in the process. In the age of the internet and with ziyaraah of shrines an all-pervading trend, getting an edict on any issue has become a lot easier than before.
B)
 
Reply to rational arguments against specific azadari
As mentioned, although doubts against specific azadari are rooted in fiqh, some rational/aqli argumentshave been advanced which need to be addressed. Some of these doubts have been combined for easeof understanding.
i)
 
Azadari leads to condemnation and ridicule by enemies
If condemnation and ridicule by enemies becomes a cause for omitting or curtailing an Islamic act thenthere will first be a question mark on Islam itself, let alone azadari, and this question mark appears onthe day Hazrat Jibrail (a.s.) descended on the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) with the verses of Surah Alaq.Condemnation by enemies is still an acceptable action. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) was condemned forthe sake of Islam by his own tribesman, rather his own relatives. On the contrary he (s.a.w.a.) wasaccepted by those who were distant (in relation) from him (s.a.w.a.). Among the arguments advancedagainst the Islam was that it made enemies out of those who were earlier friends and even relatives.There is no Quran and hadis against Islam because it led to condemnation and ridicule by the apostatesof Mecca and the Jews and Christians. Neither is there any verse/tradition that one must abstain froman act only because of condemnation by the enemies. The enemies of this age do not condemn azadari;they condemn Shiaism itself. Stopping azadari will not bring down condemnation; rather it willencourage them to move to the next point in their agenda for the destruction of Shiaism. They will notbe satisfied until we give up Shiaism itself, not just azadari, a reality Allah has highlighted to the Prophet(s.a.w.a.) in Surah Baqarah (2): 120:
‘And the Jews will not
 
be pleased with you, nor the Christians until you follow their religion…’
 It must be noted that we are not discussing concept of taqaiyya over here because taqaiyya is practiced
to safeguard the faith and/or one’
s life and not to avoid condemnation and ridicule. Azadari does notpose a risk to either and when and if it does we can act accordingly. Moreover, the objection of theShias against azadari does not revolve around taqaiyya, it is related to condemnation by enemies.
 
 ii)
 
Rational for azadari is not clear to non-Shias
When the rational for an Islamic act is not clear then one should create and spread awareness for theaction, if the person believes such awareness will alleviate misunderstanding. Abandoning the action orcurtailing it is not the solution. Again, if ignorance is the basis for abandoning an action, then one willhave to abandon Islam itself because the enemies profess ignorance about the very tenets of Islam likethe superiority of Prophet (s.a.w.a.), truthfulness of the Quran, etc. Likewise enemies of Shiaism are notconvinced about the superiority of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.). So instead of abandoning Islam and theHoly Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) we should create awareness on such issues.Likewise, if some people are not clear about the rational for azadari one should take steps to createawareness for the same.
Omitting the action because of someone else’s i
gnorance is not permitted;
even less permissible is omitting it because of one’s own ignorance.
All the actions of Hazrat Khizr (a.s.)did not become meaningless only because Hazrat Moosa (a.s.) did not understand them (Surah Kahf (18)).
iii)
 
Lack of etiquette in azadari
This is a doubt related to the specifics and not the act of azadari itself.If an act is not performed with proper etiquette then steps should be taken to ensure etiquette isobserved rather than abandon the act itself. Again if lack of etiquette is the decisive trait, then allreligious actions like prayers, fasting, hajj, reciting Quran would come under a question mark, not onlyazadari.If an azadari procession is conducted with proper etiquette there is no reason to condemn it, rather it isan exemplary act worthy of great reward. If etiquette is not observed in a particular procession thenthat particular procession is questionable not the institution of azadari.
iv)
 
Leads to infection and medical problems
This is another doubt related to the specifics and not the act of azadari itself.Perhaps the biggest arena for the spread of infection and medical problems in the realm of Islam is Hajj.But one has yet to see a fatwa prohibiting Hajj for this reason. And those who claim that Hajj isobligatory and therefore must be performed regardless of infection, etc., should know that manyMuslims undertake it on the basis of recommendation (mustahhab) and there is no fatwa for themeither.Millions of hajis across the globe, many from poor countries, converge over a small area bringing withthem viruses, infections, diseases and those who do not have these know well that they can easilycontract the same from others. The only purpose of these Muslims is to acquire satisfaction of Allah.And when you consider that a majority of the Muslims are Sunnis it makes one think that if they can
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