Red Shi'ism: The Religion of Martyrdom

Black Shi'ism: The Religion of Mourning

By: Dr. Ali Shariati
Islam is a religion which made its aearance in the history of mankind with the cry of !"o#! from Mohammad
$%B&'() the heir of A*raham) the manifestation of the religion of the &nity of +od and the oneness of
mankind, a !"o! which *egins with the cry of !&nity!) a cry which Islam reiterated when confronted with
aristocracy and comromise.
Shi'ism is the Islam which differentiates itself and selects its direction in the history of Islam with the !"o! of
the great Ali) the heir of Mohammad and the manifestation of the Islam of -ustice and Truth) a !"o! which he
gi.es to the /ouncil for the 0lection of the /alih) in answer to A*dul Rahman) who was the manifestation of
Islamic aristocracy and comromise. This !"o!) u until re1Safa.id times) is recogni2ed as art of the Shi'ite
mo.ement in the history of Islam) an indication of the social and olitical role of a grou who are the followers
of Ali) known for their association with the kindness of the family of the %rohet. It is a mo.ement *ased uon
the 3uran and the Traditions, not the 3uran and the traditions as roclaimed *y the dynasties of the 4mayyids)
A**asids) +ha2na.ids) Sel5uks) Mongols and Timurids) *ut the ones roclaimed *y the family of Mohammad.
The history of Islam follows a strange ath, a ath in which gangsters and ruffians from the Ara*) %ersian)
Turk) Tartar and Mongol dynasties all en5oyed the right to the leadershi of the Muslim community and to the
calihate of the %rohet of Islam) to the e6clusion of the family of the %rohet and the rightful Imams of Islam.
And Shi'ism *egins with a !"o!, a !"o! which ooses the ath chosen *y history) and re*els against history. It
re*els against a history which) in the name of the 3uran) 7ings and /aesars) follows the ath of ignorance) and
in the name of tradition) sacrifices those *rought u in the house of the 3uran and the Traditions#
Shi'ites do not accet the ath chosen *y history. They deny the leaders who ruled the muslims throughout
history and decei.ed the ma5ority of the eole through their succession to the %rohet) and then *y their
suosed suort of Islam and fight against aganism. Shi'ites turn their *acks on the oulent mos8ues and
magnificent alaces of the /alihs of Islam and turn to the lonely) mud house of 9atima. Shi'ites) who reresent
the oressed) 5ustice1seeking class in the /alihate system) find in this house whate.er and whoe.er they ha.e
*een seeking:1
Fatima:
the heir of the %rohet) the manifestation of the !rights of the oressed! and) at the same time) the sym*ol of
the first o*5ection) a strong and clear em*odiment of the !seeking of 5ustice!. In the ruling system) these are the
cries and slogans of su*5ect nations and oressed classes.
Ali:
the manifestation of a 5ustice which ser.es the oressed) a su*lime em*odiment of the Truth who is sacrificed
on the altar of inhuman regimes) and which lies hidden in the layers of the formal religion of the rulers.
Hassan:
the manifestation of the last resistance of the garrison of !Imamate Islam!) who confronts the first garrison of
!Islamic Rule!.
Hossein:
*ears witness to those who ha.e *een martyred *y the oressors throughout history) heir of all the leaders
fighting for freedom and e8uality and the seekers of 5ustice) from Adam to himself) fore.er the messenger of
martyrdom) the manifestation of *loody re.olution.
Zeinab:
*ears witness to all of the defenceless risoners in the system of e6ecutioners) and is the messenger left after
martyrdom) and the manifestation of the message of re.olution.
Shi'ites take their slogans from the em*odiment of the tri*ulations and hoes of the masses of the oressed.
Aware of the rulers) and in re*ellion against them) they cry out:1
"Seek the leadership of Ali and flee from the leadership of cruelty. Choose Imamate, and stamp 'cancelled,'
'disbelief' and 'dispossession' upon the forehead of the Caliphate.
Choose justice, and overthrow the system of parado and discrimination in ownership.
/hoose the rincile of *eing ready to rotest against the e6isting conditions) where the ruling go.ernment)
religious leaders and aristocracy try to show that e.erything is in accordance with the :ill of +od) the Di.ine
;aw and the satisfaction of +od and his creatures. Such things) to the ruling go.ernment) included their
con8uests) their lundering of mos8ues) associations) schools) gifts) trusts) and charities and the o*ser.ance of
religious ceremonies and ractices.
Choose reli!ious leadership for the central or!ani"ation of the movement.
Choose the concept of imitation of your betters so as to properly or!ani"e your ener!ies and brin! order,
discipline and direction.
Choose the vice re!ency of the Imam so as to have a responsible leader.
#ive a share of the funds to provide for the socio$political stru!!le, for educational foundations and for
teachin!, in a system where all reli!ious funds are forcibly collected by the !overnment actin! as a !overnment
of the %aw.
Choose mournin!, to continue the constant historical stru!!le of the Shi'ites a!ainst usurpers, treachery,
cruelty, and the sources of fraud, lyin! and de!eneration, and especially to keep alive the memories of the
martyrs.
Remem*er Ashura) to humiliate the ruling grou who call themsel.es the inheritors of the traditions of the
%rohet) for the remem*rance of it will ro.e that they are the inheritors of the killers and murderers of the
%rohet's family. It will show you a ath of action) and ro.ide an answer to the recurring 8uestion !:hat
should *e done<!. It will hel you to decide on the *est agenda for the struggle against the rule of tyranny. It
will a.oid allegiance to cruelty. It will ro.ide a attern for the un*roken continuity of history. It will declare
an unending struggle *etween the inheritors of Adam and the inheritors of the de.il. Ashura reminds us of the
teaching of the eternal fact that the resent .ersion of Islam $in=>?@() is a criminal Islam in the dress of
tradition) and that the real Islam is the hidden Islam) hidden in the red cloak of martyrdom.
And finally) concealment, creating a cle.er camouflage for the organi2ation) and its acti.ities) affiliations)
leadershi) ersonalities and lans) to rotect the leadershi) eole and grous from *eing harassed *y the
rulers of the day and from the hard1heartedness of the religious organisation associated with them) who might
either slander the Shi'ite mo.ement through e6communication and rouse the ignorant masses against them) or
destroy it through ersecutions) or weaken it through wholesale murders) imrisonment and deortations) and
thus to create the *est conditions for the struggle and its continuation, to ractice) carefully) the rincile of
secrecy) and maintain the distincti.e conditions of an underground mo.ement.!

:e can see that for o.er eight centuries $until the Safa.id era() Ala.ite Shi'ism was more than 5ust a
re.olutionary mo.ement in history which oosed all the autocratic and class1conscious regimes of the
4mayyid and A**asid calihates and the kingshis of the +ha2na.ids) the Sel5uks) the Mongols) the Timurids
and the two 7hanids) who had made the go.ernment .ersion of the Sunni School their official religion) and it
waged a secret struggle of ideas and action. ;ike a re.olutionary arty) Shi'ism had a well1organi2ed) informed)
dee1rooted and well1defined ideology) with clear1cut and definite slogans and a discilined and well1groomed
organi2ation. It led the deri.ed and oressed masses in their mo.ements for freedom and for seeking 5ustice.
It is considered to ha.e *een the rallying1oint for the demands) distress) and re*ellions of the intellectuals
seeking to gain their rights) and for the masses in search of 5ustice.
Because of this) throughout history) as the ower of the rulers grew) the difficulties) in5ustice) disossessions)
and the denial of the rights of the eole) and the e6loitation of the farmers) increased. Ine8uality *ecame
more ronounced *ecause of the system of aristocracy) class1ine8ualities) *rain1washing) ideological
re5udices) the connection *etween the theologians and the temoral rulers) the o.erty and ri.ation of the
masses) and the ower and wealth of the rulers. :hen this occurred) the Shi'ite front *ecame stronger) the *asic
slogans of the mo.ement more owerful) and the struggle of the Shi'ites more intense and more imortant. It
changed from a School of thought) a way of study and religious sectarianism reser.ed for the intellectuals and
the chosen few) to a way of correctly understanding Islam and the culture of the eole of the house of the
%rohet) when confronted *y +reek hilosohy and oriental Sufism) to a dee1rooted and re.olutionary) socio1
olitical mo.ement of the masses) esecially the rural masses. It caused greater fear among the autocratic rulers
and the hyocritical religious *odies who rule the eole in the name of the Sunni sect.
It is for this reason that the seudo1intellectual and free1thinking rulers) at whose courts the -ews) /hristians)
Magians and e.en the materialists en5oy freedom) honour and influence) talk of the Shi'ites with such anger and
.e6ation that a massacre of all of them would not 8uench the thirst of these rulers. They flay them ali.e) ass
iron rods through their eyes) ull out their tongues and *urn them ali.e. These are all current ractices of the
day. It reaches the oint that the historians) theologians and e.en hilosohers and men of iety of the court
considered it to *e art of their rayers to in.ent any false accusations) forgeries and falsified records that they
could against the Shi'ites# It is in such circumstances that Sultan Mahmoud of +ha2ni declares !I search the
world o.er for a Shi'ite!. It is his go.ernment which sonsors the Sunni theological decree that marriage of a
Muslim man with !eole of the Book! i.e. -ews) /hristians and Aoroastrians) is legal) *ut it is illegal to marry
a Shi'ite woman.
:ith the coming to ower of the Sel5uks) re5udices and *ias *ecome stronger against the world of thought and
religion. 9rom the social oint of .iew) the feudal and guardianshi system accentuates the degree of the
e6loitation of the masses) esecially the farmers) to an un*eara*le degree. In order to maintain the olicies of
the state) floggings and torture are necessary) resulting in the construction of many iles of skulls and eyes.
The religious *ody of the Sunni sect) which had from the *eginning *ecome 'the go.ernment's Islam') *ecomes
a conglomeration of the most de*ased and re5udiced *eliefs and harsh rules. It turns into a tool for the
5ustification of the inhuman ways of the rulers. It comromises with the autocratic regimes of the +ha2na.id
and Sel5uk Turks and the Mongols. It *ecomes an oiate for the masses) and an instrument for murder to *e
used to re.ent any thought or action that 5eoardi2es the interests of the strong and harms the landlords and
feudal chiefs.
This is what causes Shi'ism) during this eriod) to aear as the fountainhead of the re*ellion and the struggle of
the downtrodden and oressed masses) esecially the rural eole. It flourished wonderfully) in multile
facets) and in different directions) moderate or e6treme) in the form of .arious mo.ements of the masses against
the owers of the day, mo.ements like the terrorism of 'asan Sa**ah) the communal li.ing of the 3aramateh)
the e6tremist cultural and religious *eliefs of the +halat) and the re*ellion for free1thinking of some of the Sufi
sects of the re.olutionary and Shi'ite School of thought) against the harsh re5udices and the souless) etrifying
censorshi of the theological and legal system attached to the ruling grou. 9inally) the intellectual) moderate
and rich School of the Imamate) as the greatest flow of thought and culture) re*els when confronted *y the
religion and culture of the go.ernment.
The rousing call and the ossi*ilities for learning in this School of thought are *ased uon the twin rinciles of
imamate and 5ustice. It roduces the re.olutionary cries of Ashura and the aggressi.e mo*ili2ation of the
masses against e6isting conditions. It in.ites eole to await the hidden Imam who is in occultation. It raises the
critical ro*lems of the 'signs of aearance' and the 'end of time'. It kees ali.e the hoe of 'redemtion after
martyrdom'. It romotes the idea of re.enge and re.olt) faith in the ultimate downfall of tyrants and the decrees
of destiny against the ruling owers who disense 5ustice *y the sword. It reares all the oressed and 5ustice1
seeking masses who are waiting to articiate in the re*ellion. In some towns like 7ashan and Sa*2e.ar) where
the Shi'ites are strong) they saddle a white horse on 9ridays) and all the eole of the town) the rotesting)
dissatisfied and e6ectant Shi'ites) follow the horse out of town) desite the oosition of the go.ernment and
the ruling religion. They await redemtion and freedom from tyranny) and the *eginning of a re*ellion. They
discuss 8uestions which cause fear among the ruling grou.
During the first half of the eighth century) following the wholesale massacres of +enghis 7han and 'ulaku)
when the rule of the Mongols had reduced the Iranian masses to su*mission) deression) humiliation and
weakness, when the re.enge of +enghis 7han was law, when the sword and the hangman were enforcers of the
law, when the Mongol 7hans and nomads and the officers and chiefs of Mongol tri*es each ruled as a feudal
lord o.er .arious regions and estates) and had ensla.ed the easants in the most cruel manner, when) in the
towns as well) the men of religion were mostly in the ser.ice of the Mongol rulers) they called uon the masses
to su*mit in the name of 'the true Sunni religion' to the seudo1Muslim rulers who continued to *e relicas of
+enghis 7han. They circumcised themsel.es only to lease the religious sentiments of the Muslims) at the cost
of the sread of the culture) faith) morality) society and of the .ery e6istence of the Muslims#
Some of the religious men) whose iety made them a*stain from co1oerating with the rulers and tyrants) had
cret into the o*li.ion of iety in the monasteries of the Sufis) there*y indirectly *ecoming the means *y which
the ath is a.ed for oression and the ground is reared for murder. They had left the eole defenceless
against the floggings of the Mongol e6ecutioners and ro**ers) and the fraudulent men of religion.
It is under these circumstances that a religious reacher sets out in search of the truth in the way that Salman
did. Salman aroaches all those with claims to religious faith. 9irst he aroaches the ious Balu to seek the
ath of sal.ation in his School of iety and freedom. There) he sees iety remaining silent against tyranny.
:hat a shame# :hat heartlessness and selfishness) that a man should *e surrounded *y the screams of
risoners) the shouts of e6ecutioners) the o.erty of the hungry) the whis of the cruel o.er the *odies of the
helless) and) instead of .olunteering to defend them) that he should simly seek his own redemtion and try to
gain aradise for himself# Salman flees from this man in disgust and goes to Semnan to see Rukneddin 0mad1
od1Dowleh) whose iety and leadershi in Sufi ractices is well1known. 'e finds Sufi ractices also) like iety)
a means of escae from reality and resonsi*ilities) turning away from the fate of the masses) and ignoring
cruelty and tyranny. Salman finds the Sufi to ha.e a tender heart) tender feelings and a su*lime soul. But) how
is it that the ri.ers of *lood shed *y the Mongols in this country) and that the decline threatening Islam and the
masses of the eole) do not in any way distur* the eace of his soul and the tenderness of his heart< Salman
flees from him in hatred) and goes to the Sheikh ol1Islam) Imam +hiasuddin 'a*i*ollah 'ama.i in Bahra*ad)
to gain knowledge of the religious laws and the theology of the true Sunni sects from him) and to find his way
*ack to the original sring of truth. 'ere) he sees a theology that disco.ers and discusses a thousand ro*lems
in *athroom eti8uette) *ut has a total lack of any awareness of the e.il destiny facing the nation.
Disgusted with all these ro*es of iety) and satisfied that these religious teachings are all the wea.ers of the
clothes of iety to *e worn on a *ody of oression) then with a heart filled with hatred towards the cruel
Mongol rulers) and reeling with ain *ecause of the e.il destiny of the Muslim masses) as a Muslim resonsi*le
for the eole and knowledgea*le a*out the times) and as a rotestor against the e6isting system) ha.ing lost all
faith in the sellers of religion) Sheikh 7halifeh chose the Islam of Ali) the School of rotest and martyrdom.
In the dress of a simle dar.ish) he goes to Sa*2e.ar as a lonely stranger) takes u residence in the great
mos8ue of the town) and *egins reaching there. This marks the *eginning of the Sar*edaran li*eration
mo.ement. 'e is a reacher who is in re.olt against e.erything that teaches eole to *ow to ignorance and
oression) a re.olt *acked *y a faith) a School of thought and a !Red! history: Shi'ism. Slowly) the deri.ed
masses *egin to understand) to find their way) and as a result) to *ecome a threatening force. The official
seudo1clergy start their usual game of sreading rumours and then issuing religious decrees) and at last) calling
for authorised murder) saying:1
"&his Sheikh discusses worldly affairs in the mos'ue",
"&his Sheikh conjectures in the mos'ue and defiles the house
of #od", and "&his Sheikh confuses the reli!ion of the people".
The seudo1clergy try to turn the eole against him) and reare the ground for his downfall. They hel the
Mongol ruler to take his life. They write to the Mongol ruler saying that the Sheikh has strayed from the true
Sunni Religion) and is not reared to reent and retract in site of their *est efforts. They say he is roagating
worldly ideas in the mos8ue) and sreading the work of the rotesters $Shi'ites(# They continue !'is *eha.iour
calls for the death enalty) and it is u to Sultan Saied to rid the religion of this estilence!. The sreading of
rumours and the rousing of eole against him increases *ut the Sheikh's call to understanding) faith and
sal.ation) continues to attract the hearts of the deri.ed and suffering rural masses more and more to him. &ntil
early one morning) when his admirers go as usual to see him) they see his dead *ody in the mos8ue.
After the Sheikh's assassination) his discile Sheikh 'asan -uri continues his work. 'e gi.es an immediate call
to arms) organi2es his disciles and goes underground. 'e starts roaming the towns and sowing the seeds of
understanding and re.olt where.er he goes) on the *asis of Shi'ism. The minds of the eole are reared. The
hearts of the ensla.ed masses are thro**ing for re.olt under the curtain of secrecy. 4ne sark will *e
sufficient.....
A nehew of the ruler enters the .illage of Baashteen) a .illage a*out thirty1si6 kilometres south of Sa*2e.ar) as
he normally does. :ith his followers) he enters the house of A*dul Ra22a8) one of the ious and honoura*le
.illagers who is still reeling under the de.astating influence of the religious roaganda of the ruler. The retinue
asks the .illagers for food) and are duly ser.ed. Then they ask for wine# 9or the .illagers) who are Muslims and
Shi'ites) who ha.e *een deely influenced *y the words of Sheikh 7halifeh) the *ringing of wine for such
rascals) and that) too) under comulsion) is too much. 'owe.er) they ser.e it# The guests *ecome into6icated#
They ask for women# This was the *eginning of the e6losion) .ery simle and raid# The host goes to the
eole and calling the Shi'ite masses) e6claims that the Mongol ruler is asking for their women. :hat is their
rely< They say !:e are reared to die rather than *e so defiled# 4ur women for the enemy shall *e our
swords!. The result is ine.ita*le. The masses ha.e made u their minds. They kill the whole grou at one
attemt. As they know that there is no turning *ack) as they know that they ha.e already chosen death) they
sto wa.ering. The choice of death gi.es them such energy that their single .illage re.olts against that
*loodthirsty regime and is successful. The .illagers o.errun the town) fighting against the Mongol army and the
decrees of the seudo1clergy of the religion of the state. They are .ictorious. Their cry: !Sal.ation and -ustice#!
and !The destruction of the ower of the ruling Mongols and the influence of the riests of the religion of the
rulers and the *ig landowners of the ruling class!. The .ictims of the ignorance of the seudo1clergy and the
risoners of the oression of the Mongols continue 5oining the ranks of the re*els. Sa*2e.ar *ecomes a centre
of ower, like a fire that sreads through dry *rush) the Shi'ite re.olutionary guards) who en5oy the *acking of
the rural warriors and chamions of the masses) and ha.e the ideology of Sheikh 7halifeh and Sheikh 'asan
and similar kinds of well1informed) righteous and missionary men of learning) engulf the whole of 7horasan
and northern Iran and e.en inflame the south of the country. And for the first time) a re.olutionary mo.ement
*ased on Ala.ite Shi'ism) against foreign domination) internal deceit) the ower of the feudal lords and wealthy
caitalists) had an armed urising) led *y easants se.en hundred years ago) under the *anner of 5ustice and the
culture of martyrdom) for the sal.ation of the ensla.ed nation and the deri.ed masses.
And this is the last re.olutionary wa.e of Ala.ite Shi'ism) Red Shi'ism) which continued for se.en hundred
years to *e the flame of the sirit of re.olution) the search for freedom) and 5ustice) always inclining towards
the common eole and fighting relentlessly against oression) ignorance and o.erty.
A century later came the Safa.ids) and Shi'ism left the great mos8ue of the common eole to *ecome a ne6t1
door neigh*our to the %alace of 'Ali 3au in the Royal Mos8ue.

Red Shi'ism changes to Black Shi'ism!

The Religion of Martyrdom changes to The Religion of Mourning.
Re.ision *y: Dr. Bartlett M.D.