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A common objection raised by a very famous late marja' is that Tatbir harms the image of Islam and Shi'ism, and therefore should not be practiced. Even if one accepts that concern as sincere, it remains a secondary consideration rather than a proof that the act itself is inherently un-Islamic. Religious rulings are not established by public relations, media perception, or the approval of outsiders. Throughout history, many Islamic teachings and practices have been viewed negatively by non-Muslims and even by some Muslims. Hijab, polygamy, animal sacrifice, temporary marriage, and many other religious practices have all been criticized and portrayed as backward or extreme. Yet no jurist would argue that public criticism alone is sufficient to render a religiously permissible act forbidden.
If the criterion becomes "what gives Islam a bad image," then the standard itself becomes unstable, changing with public opinion and media narratives. What is considered acceptable today may be condemned tomorrow. Islamic law, however, is built upon evidence, not popularity. The question therefore is not whether some people dislike Tatbir, but whether there is a valid juristic basis for its permissibility.
When we turn to the historical record, we find that some of the greatest marāji of the modern Shi'i seminary explicitly ruled in favor of its permissibility under the condition that it does not cause significant harm.
Portraying Tatbir itself as an inherently un-Islamic practice becomes difficult to reconcile with the documented verdicts of numerous leading authorities who regarded it as permissible. The discussion should therefore be about differing juristic conclusions, not about questioning the Islamic legitimacy of a practice that many major marāji considered allowable.
Fatwa of Grand Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Bahjat(May allah bless his soul)
Question:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate To the blessed presence of Grand Ayatollah Bahjat, Peace be upon you.
Some people claim that certain forms of the Husayni rituals lead enemies to mock us and ridicule our school of thought. Therefore, they argue that such practices are forbidden.
We request that Your Eminence provide your
blessed opinion regarding this matter.
Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
Answer:
In His Name, the Exalted: Such statements carry no weight. Otherwise, the disbelievers also mock us for establishing prayer and for our acts during Hajj.
Fatwa of Grand Marja Haj Shaykh Abd al-Karim al-Ha'iri (may Allah sanctify his soul)
Question:
Is striking the head with a blade (Tatbir) permissible on the day of Ashura?
Answer:
"It is permissible so long as it does not cause harm to the person."
Excerpt from Another Fatwa of Grand Ayatollah al-Ha'iri:
"As for Tatbir and striking the heads with blades, if it is not harmful to the condition of the one performing it, then there is no problem with it and there is no cause for concern. It is not appropriate for anyone to prevent it."
Fatwa of Grand Marja Haj Shaykh Muhammad Husayn al-Nā'inī (may Allah sanctify his soul)
There is no doubt regarding the permissibility of striking the cheeks and chests with the hands until redness or bruising appears. Indeed, the permissibility of striking the shoulders and backs with chains (zanjeer) up to the same extent is even stronger.
Furthermore, according to the stronger opinion, both chest-beating and chain-beating remain permissible even if they result in a small amount of blood being drawn.
As for drawing blood from the front of the head by means of swords and blades (Tatbir), the stronger opinion is that it is permissible provided that one is safe from harm. This refers to merely drawing blood from the forehead without striking the skull bone and without ordinarily resulting in harmful blood loss, as understood by those experienced and trained in the proper method.
Even if a person reasonably believes there will be no harm according to normal circumstances, but it later turns out that a harmful amount of blood was lost, that does not render the act forbidden. It is comparable to a person who performs ablution, ghusl, or fasting believing it will not harm him, only to later discover that it did.
However, it is preferable-and indeed more precautionary-that those who are not experienced and properly trained should refrain from it, especially young people who may not pay sufficient attention to the consequences because of the magnitude of the tragedy and the love of Imam Husayn filling their hearts.
May Allah keep them steadfast with the firm word in this world and the next.
Fatwa of Grand Marja Sayyid Muhammad Sadiq al-Ruhani(may allah bless his soul)
In His Name, Exalted are His Names.
What was stated by the late master of the jurists and mujtahids, Grand Ayatollah al-Na'ini (may Allah sanctify his soul), is indeed of the highest precision and clarity. It does not require my endorsement; however, in order to remove any doubt, I write that everything the late scholar wrote is correct and in accordance with the Sacred Law (Sharī ah).
23 Jumada al-Ula 1400 AH
Muhammad Sadiq al-Husayni al-Ruhani
(Official seal affixed).
Great Marja Syed Mar'ashi al-Najafi (may Allah sanctify his noble soul) endorses the fatwa of shaykh al-Naini
In His Name, the Exalted.
What was stated by the late and forgiven Grand Ayatollah Shaykh Mirza al-Na'ini (may Allah sanctify his soul), who was among the greatest scholars of the Shi'ah, is regarded as correct and in conformity with the truth.
1st of Sha'ban, 1400 AH
Syad al-khoei, The Teacher of Great fuqaha like sistani, ishaq fayyadh, wahid khurasani, basheer najafi, endorses the fatwa of his teacher shaykh al-Naini
In His Name, the Exalted:
The booklet containing the fatwas of the eminent scholars regarding the Husayni rituals has reached me, and my signature contained therein is authentic. I ask Allah, the Exalted, to increase His success and support for you.
Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
3rd of Rabi' al-Thani, 1400 AH
In His Name, the Exalted:
Our view regarding this question is in accordance with the fatwa of our teacher, the Shaykh (may Allah sanctify his soul). Everything that he wrote therein is correct and without any problem.
And Allah knows best.
Al-Khoei
Fatwa of Grand Marja Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani
In His Name, the Exalted:
Everything that is considered a manifestation of mourning for His Eminence Aba Abdillah al-Husayn (peace be upon him) is recommended (mustahabb), and there is strong encouragement towards it. Likewise, it is not appropriate to abandon the tradition that has been transmitted to us from the righteous predecessors regarding mourning for the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).
(Official seal: Istifta' Committee, Office of Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani, Qom).
Fatwa of Grand Shaykh Muhammad Ishaq al-Fayyadh
Question:
Our noble Marja', may Allah preserve you and prolong your blessed life,
What is your view regarding Tatbir in the mourning of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him) as a means of reviving and honoring Ashura? Is it true that those who perform Tatbir receive no reward or recompense for their action, and may even incur sin because of it?
Answer:
In His Name, the Exalted:
Tatbir, in and of itself, is permissible, unless it involves significant harm. If it is performed under the title of a religious ritual (shairah), then it is a beloved act and one is rewarded for it.
The Names of 225 Marāji Who Ruled in Favor of All Husayni Rituals, Including Tatbir
Is it reasonable, O people of intellect, that we should oppose thousands of jurists and marāji and instead follow a single opinion of a single late marja that departed from the consensus, when consensus itself is considered a proof in our school? Can such a course truly be justified, O people of understanding?
Thousands of jurists and marāji have ruled that Husayni rituals are permissible, recommended, or even a collective or individual obligation. This includes both the scholars of the past, may Allah sanctify their souls, and contemporary scholars, may Allah preserve them, who continued along the same path. They issued rulings affirming the permissibility and virtue of Husayni rituals, foremost among them expressions of mourning solidarity, Tatbir, walking on fire, and other manifestations of devotion associated with the remembrance of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him).
The list of Maraji:
Mirza Fayd Allah al-Tafrishi
Sayyid Majid al-Bahrani
Mulla Abdullah al-Tuni
Sayyid Khalaf al-Huwayzi
Mulla Khalil al-Qazwini
Shaykh al-Hurr al-Amili
Sayyid Hashim al-Bahrani
Shaykh Ja'far al-Huwayzi al-Isfahani
Sayyid Ali Khan al-Madani
Aqa Jamal al-Khunsari
Amir Muhammad Salih Khatunabadi
Shaykh Yusuf al-Bahrani
Sayyid Husayn al-Khunsari
Aqa Baqir al-Wahid al-Bihbahani
Amir Abd al-Baqi Khatunabadi
Mulla Isma'il al-Qarah-Baghi
Hajj Mulla Muhammad Mahdi al-Naraqi
Sayyid Mahdi Bahr al-Ulum
Aqa Muhammad Ali Sahib al-Maqami'
Hajj Mirza Ibrahim al-Khoei
Shaykh Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita'
Mirza Abu al-Qasim al-Qummi
Amir Muhammad Husayn Khatunabadi
Shaykh Asad Allah al-Shushtari (Sahib al-Maqabis)
Hajj Mulla Hasan al-Qazwini
Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsa'i
Sayyid Muhammad al-Mujahid
Shaykh Musa Kashif al-Ghita'
Hajj Mulla Ahmad al-Naraqi
Mulla Muhammad Sharif al-Ulama
Shaykh Muhsin al-Khanfar
Hajj Mir Fattah Sahib al-'Anawin
Hajj Shaykh Mahdi al-Khalisi
Hajj Mirza Baha al-Din al-Nuri
Shaykh Ahmad Al Kashif al-Ghita'
Hajj Mirza Ali al-Shahristani
Hajj Aqa Mahdi al-Kirmanshahi
Sayyid Abu Turab al-Khunsari
Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi al-Khunsari
Shaykh Radi al-Khalisi
Shaykh Husayn al-Rashti
Shaykh Sha'ban al-Rashti al-Najafi
Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Ishkuri al-Kaylani
Sayyid Husayn al-Ishkuri al-Kaylani
Sayyid Sadr al-Din al-Qummi (Commentator on al-Wafiyah)
Mirza Sadiq Aqa al-Tabrizi
Shaykh Muhammad Jawad al-Balaghi
Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Dahkurdi
Hajj Mirza Ali al-Irawani
Sayyid Hasan Sadr al-Amili
Sayyid Mirza Ali Aqa al-Shirazi
Hajj Shaykh Abd al-Karim al-Ha'iri al-Yazdi
Mirza Muhammad Husayn al-Na'ini
Aqa Diya' al-Din al-Iraqi
Hajj Shaykh Murtada al-Ashtiyani
Hajj Aqa Husayn al-Qummi
Mirza Hadi al-Khurasani
Mirza Hadi al-Khurasani
Sayyid Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din
Shaykh Muhammad Kazim al-Shirazi
Sayyid Jamal al-Din al-Gulpaygani
Sayyid Sadr al-Din Sadr
Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Al Kashif al-Ghita'
Mirza Mahdi al-Husayni al-Shirazi
Sayyid Husayn al-Burujirdi
Mirza Abd al-Hadi al-Shirazi
Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim
Sayyid Mahmud al-Shahrudi
Sayyid Ali Madad Qa'ini
Sayyid Husayn al-Musawi al-Hammami
Shaykh Muhammad Hasan al-Muzaffar
Sayyid Muhammad Jawad al-Tabataba'i al-Tabrizi
Shaykh Abd al-Rasul Al Sahib al-Jawahir
Sayyid Ali al-Fani
Shaykh Hashim al-Amuli
Shaykh Muhammad Ali Sibawayh al-Ha'iri
Sayyid Murtada al-Husayni al-Firuzabadi
Shaykh Muhammad Rida al-Tabasi al-Najafi
Hajj Aqa Mahdi al-Kirmanshahi
Sayyid Husayn al-Musawi al-Khadimi
Shaykh Muhammad Baqir al-Ashtiyani
Sayyid Rida Mustanbat al-Najafi
Shaykh Muhammad Tahir Al Shubayr al-Khaqani
Sayyid Ahmad al-Gharawi al-Shahristani
Shaykh al-Madani al-Kashani
Shaykh Baha al-Din al-Mahallati
Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sultani
Mirza Khalil al-Kuh-Kamara'i
Sayyid Mustafa al-Mahdawi al-Isfahani
Sayyid Mustafa al-Khwansari
Shaykh Mujtaba al-Hatami al-Lankarani
Shaykh Ali al-Namazi al-Shahrudi
Sayyid Muhammad Ali al-Alawi al-Karkani
Hajj Mirza Husayn al-Shahristani
Hajj Mulla Muhammad al-Ashrafi
Sayyid Husayn Al Bahr al-Ulum
Mirza Muhammad Hashim al-Khunsari
Shaykh Hadi al-Tihrani
Sayyid Jawad ibn Sayyid Haydar
Sayyid Isma'il al-Nuri
Hajj Mirza Habib Allah al-Rashti
Hajj Aqa Rida al-Hamadani
Shaykh Muhammad al-Shirbiyani
Shaykh Muhammad Hasan al-Mamaqani
Shaykh Muhammad Taha Najaf
Hajj Mirza Husayn al-Khalili
Sayyid Muhammad Al Bahr al-Ulum
Shaykh Muhammad al-Shushtari al-Masmum
Shahid al-Islam Hajj Shaykh Fadl Allah al-Nuri
Ali ibn Musa Thiqat al-Islam al-Tabrizi (al-Shahid)
Aqa Shaykh Abdullah al-Mazandarani
Aqa Najafi Shaykh Muhammad Taqi
Mir Sayyid Ali Sahib al-Riyad
Sayyid Nasir al-Basri
Shaykh Muhammad Qasim al-Ardubadi
Aqa Abu al-Qasim al-Ardubadi
Shaykh Muhammad Amin Al Shaykh Asad Allah
Hajj Mustafa al-Kashi
Sayyid Jawad al-Amili
Sayyid Muhammad Kazim al-Yazdi
Hajj Sayyid Isma'il al-Sadr
Mulla Muhammad al-Khunsari
Hajj Shaykh Fath Allah Shaykh al-Shari'ah
Mirza Muhammad Taqi al-Shirazi (Leader of the 1920 Revolution)
Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Husayn al-Mazandarani
Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Hujjat al-Islam al-Shafti al-Isfahani
Aqa Sayyid Ali Aqa al-Tabrizi
Shaykh Muhammad Husayn al-Isfahani (Sahib al-Fusul)
Hajj Muhammad Ibrahim al-Karbasi
Shaykh Hasan Kashif al-Ghita'
Shaykh Khidr ibn Shallal
Sayyid Ibrahim al-Qazwini (Sahib al-Dawabit)
Sadr al-Din Sayyid Muhammad al-Amili al-Isfahani
Hajj Mulla Ali al-Barghani
Mulla Muhammad al-Barghani
Shaykh Muhammad Hasan al-Najafi (Sahib al-Jawahir)
Hajj Shaykh Ali Akbar al-Nahawandi
Mulla Muhammad Salih al-Barghani
Hajj Mulla Asad Allah al-Burujirdi
Hajj Sayyid Muhammad al-Jabalqi
Hajj Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari
Mulla Aqa Baqir al-Darbandi
Shaykh Muhammad Taqi al-Isfahani (Sahib al-Hashiyah)
Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Qazwini
Shaykh Abd al-Husayn al-Tihrani
Sayyid Hajj Mirza Ali Naqi ibn al-Sayyid al-Mujahid
Hajj Sayyid Asad Allah al-Isfahani
Mirza Abu al-Qasim al-Kalantari
Hajj Mulla Muhammad al-Kashi
Sayyid Ali Al Bahr al-Ulum
Sayyid Ali al-Qazwini
Shaykh Ja'far al-Saburi
Sayyid Husayn al-Kuh-Kamara'i
Sayyid Mahdi al-Qazwini
Hajj Mirza Musa al-Tabrizi
Hajj Sayyid Mahdi al-Hilli al-Najafi
Sayyid Sadiq al-Salawati
Shaykh Muhammad Baqir al-Isfahani
Shaykh Abd al-Husayn al-Tustari
Sayyid Sadiq al-Tihrani
Hajj Shaykh Ja'far al-Shushtari
Mirza Muhammad al-Tankabuni (Sahib Qisas al-Ulama)
Mirza Abd al-Rahim al-Nahawandi
Shaykh Muhammad Husayn al-Ardakani
Mulla Muhammad Fadil al-Irawani
Hajj Mulla Ali al-Kani
Mir Hamid Husayn al-Hindi (Sahib Abaqat al-Anwar)
Hajj Mulla Ahmad al-Kabir
Mulla Nazar Ali al-Taliqani
Hajj Mirza Lutf Allah al-Tabrizi
Hajj Sayyid Muhammad Ibrahim al-Hindi
Sayyid Ibrahim al-Sayyid Haydar al-Kazimi
Shaykh Muhammad al-Kazimi
Shaykh Zayn al-Abidin al-Mazandarani
Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Husayn al-Mazandarani
Shaykh Muhammad al-Iraqi
Hajj Mirza Mahmud Shaykh al-Islam
Hajj Mirza Muhammad Ali al-Qarajeh-Daghi
Akhund Mulla Lutf Allah al-Mazandarani
Mirza Muhammad Hasan al-Shirazi (Leader of the Tobacco Movement)
Sayyid Ali al-Hindi
Mirza Muhammad Taqi al-Tabrizi
Mirza Muhammad Baqir Sahib al-Rawdat
Shaykh Ibrahim al-Lankarani
Sayyid Abu al-Hasan Jilwah al-Isfahani
Shaykh Radi al-Kazimi
Sayyid Karamat Allah Malik Husayn al-Shirazi
Sayyid Ja'far al-Murawwij al-Ahwazi
Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi al-Ishkuri
Sayyid Muhammad al-Kazimi al-Burujirdi
Shaykh Rida al-Ansari
Shaykh Muhammad al-Karmi
Shaykh Ahmad, Grandson of Shaykh al-Ansari (Ahmad Sibt al-Shaykh al-Ansari)
Shaykh Abu al-Qasim al-Faqih
Martyr Sayyid Kazim al-Shari'atmadari
Sayyid Abdullah al-Shirazi
Shaykh Murtada al-Ha'iri
Al-Muhaqqiq Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei
Sayyid Abd al-A'la al-Sabziwari
Sayyid Muhammad Rida al-Gulpaygani
Sayyid Shihab al-Din al-Mar'ashi al-Najafi
Shaykh Muhammad Ali al-Araki
Sayyid al-Beheshti
Martyr Sayyid Muhammad al-Ruhani
Sayyid Rida al-Sadr
Sayyid Kazim al-Akhawan al-Mar'ashi
Sayyid Muhammad Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr
Sayyid Muhammad al-Wahidi al-Tabrizi
Martyr Sayyid Muhammad al-Husayni al-Shirazi
Sayyid Muhammad Ali al-Muwahhid al-Abtahi
Sayyid Muhammad al-Fatimi al-Abhari
Sayyid Sadiq al-Husayni al-Shirazi
Sayyid Muhammad Sadiq al-Ruhani
Sayyid Hasan al-Qummi
Sayyid Taqi al-Qummi
Sayyid Muhammad Sa'id al-Hakim
Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Bahjat
Sayyid Mahdi al-Akhawan al-Mar'ashi
Shaykh Husayn al-Wahid al-Khurasani
Shaykh Mirza Jawad Aqa al-Tabrizi
Shaykh Lutf Allah al-Safi al-Gulpaygani
Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Husayni al-Kawkabi
Sayyid Muhammad Ali al-Tabataba'i
Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Shirazi
Shaykh Hafiz Bashir
Did Imam’s do khooni Matam
Today, people often ask: "Did the Imams (a.s) ever do Khooni Matam? Did they ever tell anyone to do Tatbir?" But this question is built on a misunderstanding of how Islamic law works.
Interestingly, a very similar objection was raised during the time of the Imams themselves. Awn al-Abrash wrote to Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a.s) objecting to the Imam tearing his garment in grief, saying: "Who has seen or heard from any of the Imams tearing their garments as you did?"
The Imam (a.s) replied:
"O fool! What do you understand of this matter? Verily Prophet Musa tore his shirt for Harun."
(Rijal al-Kashi, p. 572, hadith 1084)
Notice the mentality being challenged here. The objection was essentially: "Where did the previous Imams do this exact action?" The Imam did not respond by producing an example of a previous Imam doing the exact same thing. Instead, he established the legitimacy of the act through a broader principle of grief and mourning.
The same mistake is often made today. Of course, during the time of the Imams (a.s), Zanjeer-zani in its modern form did not exist. Organized Khooni Matam as practiced today did not exist. Many forms of collective mourning that we see today did not exist. These rituals developed culturally over time. The culture of Iraq, Iran, the Indian subcontinent, and other regions produced different expressions of grief and mourning.
It is as if someone were to say: "Why are you eating pizza? Imam never ate pizza, so you shouldn't eat it either." We do not take religion like this. Nobody derives rulings by asking whether an Imam specifically ate pizza, rode in a car, used a microphone, printed books, or built Husayniyyahs with electricity. Instead, we derive general principles from the Qur'an and the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s) and then apply those principles to new realities.
If the Imams were required to give a separate hadith for every cultural practice that would emerge in the future, they would have had to issue thousands of narrations on customs, technologies, and social practices that did not even exist in their own time. Instead, they gave us qawa'id kulliyyah (general principles) from which later applications could be understood.
One of the clearest examples is the narration of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a.s) found in Kamil al-Ziyarat: "Crying and jaza' are disliked for the servants of Allah over every matter except crying and jaza' over Husayn ibn Ali (a.s). Verily, the one who cries and performs jaza' over Husayn (a.s) shall be rewarded."
Notice that the Imam did not say, "crying and chest-beating," nor did he say, "crying and striking with chains," nor did he provide an exhaustive list of every permissible form of mourning until the Day of Judgment. Had he intended to list every possible form, the list would never end.
Instead, the Imam gave a general principle: jaza'.
Jaza' refers to intense grief, anguish, lamentation, and outward manifestations of sorrow in response to a calamity. It is a broad term, not a narrow one. The Imam intentionally used a comprehensive concept that could encompass different expressions of mourning across different cultures and eras.
This is precisely why major jurists did not simply sit down and say, "Khooni Matam sounds cool, let's permit it."
They examined the narrations, the concept of jaza', the traditions of mourning for Imam al-Husayn (a.s), and the general legal principles transmitted by the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s). Based on those principles, many of the greatest maraji' in Shi'i history concluded that Tatbir falls under the umbrella of permissible manifestations of grief and mourning, provided that significant harm is absent.
Critics often quote the narration, "Be an adornment for us and do not be a disgrace upon us," and then simply assume that Tatbir is a disgrace. But that is precisely what needs to be proven.
The problem with this argument is that the same logic could have been used against Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a.s) when he tore his garment in grief. Someone could have said, "This looks extreme. People will mock us. This is a disgrace." Yet when the Imam was questioned about tearing his shirt, he did not condemn the act or apologize for it. Rather, he defended it and referred to Prophet Musa (a.s). Clearly, not every intense expression of grief becomes a disgrace simply because some people dislike it or fail to understand it.
If acts of mourning can automatically be declared a disgrace based on public perception, then even the Imam's tearing of his garment could be labelled a disgrace. But no believer would accept that conclusion.
The standard therefore cannot be the opinions of outsiders or personal feelings.
The real question is whether a practice falls within the boundaries of jaza' and mourning established by the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s). This is exactly why many major maraji', after studying the narrations, ruled that Tatbir is permissible under certain conditions. They were fully aware of the narration "Be an adornment for us and do not be a disgrace upon us," yet they still did not conclude that Tatbir was forbidden.
The issue, therefore, is not what some people think looks bad. The issue is what the Shari'ah actually defines as permissible mourning.