Lucknow: As darkness fell over the historic Gufran Maab Imambara on Friday night, thousands of mourners sat silently under the open sky on the ground to attend the century-old Majlis-e-Sham-e-Ghariban, one of Lucknow’s most moving gatherings to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and his 72 companions in the Battle of Karbala in AD 680. It was the 100th anniversary of the majlis.Most mourners reached the Imambara after taking part in the procession taken out on the 10th day (Ashura) of the Islamic month of Muharram to attend the majlis.Addressing the gathering, Maulana Kalbe Jawwad said, “Sham-e-Ghariban (evening of the plundered) is a night to feel the pain, loneliness and suffering faced by women and children of those martyred in the battle, including Imam Hussain.”The tradition of holding Majlis-e-Sham-e-Ghariban in Lucknow was started in 1926 by a few mourners. Over the years, the tradition of holding such a majlis spread across the country and abroad.“The moment the lights went out, it felt as if time had stopped. Sitting in darkness makes us think about the fear and grief faced by the children and women of the Prophet’s family after Ashura,” said 62-year-old Syed Mehdi.Holding prayer beads in her hands, Shabana Zaidi, who has attended the majlis since childhood, said, “There are no decorations and no comforts. The darkness itself gives the message. It reminds us that the family of Imam Hussain spent that night without shelter, without food and surrounded by sorrow.”For 19-year-old university student Hasrat Ali, the gathering was about more than mourning. As the majlis ended, the crowd left quietly.
