Ya Hussain
Yā Hussain (Arabic: يَا حُسَيْن, romanized: Yā Ḥusayn) is an Arabic phrase used by Shia Muslims to invoke the memory or intervention of Hussain ibn Ali. It is especially used in the context of the Mourning of Muharram. It is commonly found on flags.[1] Hussain is assigned a high status in Shiism and is considered the third imam.[2][3][4]
The British in colonial India heard Shia chanting "Yā Hussain! Yā Hassan!" (a reference to Hussain ibn Ali, brother of Hasan ibn Ali) during the Mourning of Muharram, and approximated it as "Hobson-Jobson", which became a term referring to the similar derivation of an English equivalent for a foreign-language word by adapting English words or names that have a superficial resemblance in sound.[5][6][7]
Flag
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Husayn is invoked on red Shia flags in modern Iran, particularly in the form ya la-thara al-Husayn ("O ye avengers of Husayn"). According to a Shia legend, the troops of Husayn fought under a red banner.[8] The association of red color with Husayn symbolizes the blood of martyrs and was further entrenched in some hadiths. For example, Al-Mojamul Kabir and Majma al-Zawa'id allege that at the time of Husayn's martyrdom the sky became deep red, and for several days it seemed that it was smeared with blood.[9] According to certain Iranian Shia traditions, ya la-thara al-Husayn should be a rallying cry for believers upon the return of the Hidden Imam.
The red flag was raised particularly on the Jamkaran Mosque after the assassination of Qasem Soleimani "to avenge [his] blood", according to Yassine Hossein Abadi, the Jamkaran Mosque administrator.[10] It was also raised for the revenge purpose on the same mosque during the 2025 Israeli strikes on Iran.[11]
See also
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- Descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib
- Day of Ashura
- Day of Tasu'a
- Sermon of Ali ibn Husayn in Damascus
- Ya Muhammad
- Ziyarat Ashura
References
[edit]- ^ "Shi'ite Religious Flags (Iraq)". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ^ "Husayn ibn Ali | Biography, Death, & Significance | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ^ "Husayn B. 'Ali: Life and Significance in Shi'ism | The Institute of Ismaili Studies". www.iis.ac.uk. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ^ "Imam Hussain (AS) | Biography, Characteristics & Teachings – International Shia News Agency". 2025-02-02. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ^ Yule & Burnell, 419
- ^ Sir Henry Yule; Arthur Coke Burnell (1903). "HOBSON-JOBSON". In Crooke, William (ed.). Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive (The University of Michigan ed.). J. Murray. p. 419. ISBN 9780710028860. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
It is in fact an Anglo-Saxon version of the wailings of the Mahommedans as they beat their breasts in the procession of the Moharram -- "Yā Hasan! Yā Hosain!' It is to be remembered that these observances are in India by no means confined to Shī'as. Except at Lucknow and Murshīdābād, the great majority of Mahommedans in that country are professed Sunnis.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^ ""Labbaik Ya Hussain" Means the Eternal Struggle against the Oppressors of the World". Hawzah News Agency. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ^ Е. А. Дорошенко (1985). Шиитское духовенство в современном Иране (in Russian). Наука. p. 71.
- ^ "Signs and Incidents that Became Appeared after the Martyrdom of Imam Husayn". Al-islam.org. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "No, a 'red flag' of revenge was not raised for the first time on an Iran mosque". Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Iran Raises Red Flag of Revenge". Kashmir Observer. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.