Bani Asad Women Commemorate Karbala Martyrs in Traditional Mourning Ritual
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, in the year 2026, the city of Karbala witnessed one of its most spectacular and ancient mourning rituals on the thirteenth of Muharram. This ceremony, performed by the Bani Asad tribe, commemorates the burial of the noble bodies of the martyrs from the Karbala battlefield. The observance, with roots tracing back to the history of Ashura, is held annually with the enthusiastic participation of this tribe near the shrine of Imam Hussein (AS). During this traditional rite, women of the Bani Asad tribe, with sorrowful faces and clad in black attire, enter the holy shrine and recite elegies in mourning of the Ahl al-Bayt.
The women of the Bani Asad tribe gathered at the holy resting place of the Master of Martyrs. According to this tradition, the women participate in the ceremony carrying woven baskets. The traditional mourning by the Bani Asad women is an annual custom observed on the 13th of Muharram at the shrine of Imam Hussein (AS). In this ritual, the women of the Bani Asad tribe carry woven baskets containing shrouds and mats on their heads, and in lamentation, they chant “Labbaik Ya Hussein.” This ceremony serves as a poignant reminder of the burial of the Karbala martyrs in 61 AH, when the women of Bani Asad called upon the men of the tribe on the 13th of Muharram to bury the bodies of the martyrs, while they themselves mourned with wails and disheveled hair.
Historical accounts indicate that the Bani Asad tribe buried the noble bodies of the martyrs three days after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) while traversing the Karbala desert. According to historical books and accounts of martyrdom (maqatel), the burial of the sacred body of Imam Hussein (AS) and the noble bodies of the Karbala martyrs was carried out at the end of the twelfth day (the night of the thirteenth) of Muharram by a group of men from the Bani Asad tribe who had camped and settled near Karbala.
Bani Asad is the name of an Arab tribe, descended from Asad ibn Khuzaymah ibn Mudrikah. This tribe had the honor and distinction of burying the sacred body of the Master of Martyrs and his companions after the Battle of Karbala in 61 AH. Several companions, scholars, poets, and leaders of the Imamate hailed from this tribe. Some of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were also from this tribe. In 19 AH, this tribe migrated from the Hejaz region to Iraq and settled in Kufa and Ghadiriyya, areas near Karbala. They are considered among the valiant tribes of Arabia. During the construction of Kufa, this tribe designated a specific quarter south of the Kufa Mosque for themselves. In 36 AH, they pledged allegiance to Ali (AS) and fought alongside him in the Battle of the Camel. During the uprising of Ashura in 61 AH, they were divided into three groups: those who supported the Imam, those who opposed him, and those who remained neutral. Habib ibn Madhahir, Anas ibn Harith, Muslim ibn Awsajah, Qais ibn Mushir, Muqawqas ibn Thumamah, and Amr ibn Khalid al-Saydawi were among the prominent supporters, while Hurmala ibn Kahil al-Asadi, the killer of the infant, was among the prominent opponents. A group from the third faction (the neutral ones) passed by the battlefield after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), saw the bodies, were moved, and returned to their land to inform the men to bury the bodies. Initially, the women took shovels and pickaxes and headed towards Karbala. After some time, the conscience of the Bani Asad men was awakened, and they followed the women to proceed with the burial of the Imam and his companions. The sacrifices of the members of this tribe brought them fame, and since then, the Shiites have regarded the Bani Asad tribe with respect and affection.
