Hussainia

A Hussainia (Arabic: حسينية Persian: "Hosseiniyeh" Urdu: "Imambargah") is a congregation hall for Shia ritual ceremonies, especially those associated with the Remembrance of Muharram. The name comes from Husayn Ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad and an Imam of the Shia. Hussain was killed by Yazid I in Karbala, Iraq, over 1,300 years ago. Shias still mourn the death of Hussain every year on the day of Ashura in Hussainias all over the world.

A Hussainiya is different from a Mosque in that it is made mainly for gatherings for Muharram in the mourning of Hussain ibn Ali, and may not necessarily hold prayer in jumaa'at or Friday Prayer unless there is a gathering at the same time, where they would make a jumaa'at at the time of prayer.

In South Asia, a Hussainia can also be referred to as an "imambara", "imambargah", or "ashurkhana". In Bahrain it is called a "ma'tam" (مأتم). Some examples of Hussainias are the Bara Imambara and Imambara Ghufran Ma'ab, both in Lucknow, Imambara Wazeer Un Nisa Amroha India [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
] India, and Hosseiniye Ershad in Tehran, Iran.

In Afghanistan and Central Asia, the equivalent term for a Shia congregation hall is "takyakhana."

See also

* Ashura
* Mourning of Muharram
* Battle of Karbala
* Husayn ibn Ali
* Hoseni Dalan

External links

* [http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v12f5/v12f5050.html Hussainia] by Jean Calmard, an article of encyclopedia Iranica