The holy city of Karbala witnessed the massive mourning procession of the Bani Asad Tribe, which commemorates the burial anniversary of the al-Taff martyrs’ bodies on the 13th of Muharram, with the participation of the Karbala tribes, amid strict security and health measures.

The procession, which starts with an all-women procession, set off after the noon prayers from the shrine of Sayyed Jowdah (3km from Imam Hussein Holy Shrine) heading towards Imam Hussein Holy Shrine, and then concluding the mourning at the al-Abbas Holy Shrine.

The black-clad women offered their condolences to Sayyeda Zainab, peace be upon her, for what she witnessed on the day of Ashura.

The all-men procession consisting of Bani Asad Tribe and other Iraqi tribes followed, amidst strict security and health measures aimed at preventing the spread of the pandemic.

It is narrated that on the third day after the Battle of Karbala (al-Taff), as women from the tribe of Bani Asad were drawing water from the Euphrates River, they found the pure bodies scattered in the desert covered with blood as if they were killed on the same day. The women rushed back to their tribe wailing and saying, “You are sitting in your houses, and this is Imam al-Hussein, the grandson of the Messenger of Allah and members of his family and companions massacred like sheep on the sand, how will you face the Messenger of Allah, Imam Ali and Fatima al-Zahra, when you meet them? If you have missed fighting with them in the battle then you should stand up now and bury the pure bodies.” Therefore, the men of Bani Asad came to bury the pure and headless bodies.

Historical sources report that the first to arrive in Karbala to bury the pure bodies with Imam al-Sajjad, peace be upon him, was the Bani Asad Tribe, and since then the tribe and other Iraqi tribes have been reviving the burial anniversary every year on the 13th day of Muharram.