Why do the Shia'tes hit themselves isn't it forbidden to Muslims to do harm to the body?
The short answer is that the Shia betrayed and lead to the death of Ali (r.a.), the 4th caliph, the cousin and son in law of Prophet Muhammad, Hasan (r.a.), son of Ali, Hussain (r.a.), son of Ali, and Zayd ibn Ali ibn Hussain (r.a.), grandson of Hussain. After the massacre at Karbala, the shia tried to make “amends” for their betrayal and went out to the massacre area and started lamenting, mourning out loud and beating themselves. So they hit themselves to punish themselves for the cowardice that they had shown that led to their Imam’s death.
The long answer is the history behind it:
During his Caliphate, Ali (r.a) shifted the Caliphate from Medinah to Kufa in Iraq. The Kuffans were staunch Partisans of Ali (Shia’t Ali). The Jew Abdullah Ibn Saba found the Kuffans to be very receptive to his claims that Ali was divinely appointed by Allah, and his followers became the Saba’ites. When the Shia’t Ali met the Shia’t Muawiyyah on the battlefield, Muawiyyah (r.a) convinced Ali (r.a) to hold a cease-fire and to use arbitration to decide who will be the Caliph. Ali (r.a) agreed to arbitration. This angered the Kuffan Saba’ites because they held the erroneous belief that Ali had been divinely appointed by Allah, so they believed that Ali (r.a) was going against the will of Allah by agreeing to arbitration. In their minds, there could be no negotiation on a matter that was decreed by Allah. Some of these Kuffan Saba’ites rebelled against Ali (r.a), turning on him and calling him an apostate. These people would be known as Kharajites (those who went out), and they would eventually assassinate their leader Ali (r.a), the same leader they had once claimed so much love for.
As for the remaining Kuffan Shias who did not become Kharajites, they would later join the forces of Hasan (r.a). However, Hasan (r.a) did not trust these Shia as they were very disloyal. Distrusting his Shia, Hasan (r.a) made peace with Muawiyyah (r.a) and gave him the Caliphate, so long as Muawiyyah (r.a) promised that Hussain (r.a) would be made Caliph after Muawiyyah’s death (r.a). After this reconciliation took place between Hasan (r.a and Muawiyyah (r.a), the Shia’t Ali remained in Kufa. After the death of Ali (r.a), the ranks of the Saba’ites and their sympathizers amongst the Shia’t Ali increased. When Muawiyyah (r.a) died, however, his son Yezid declared himself the new Caliph, in violation of the agreement settled with Hasan (r.a) which stated that Hussain (r.a) would be Caliph. This angered the Shias of Kufa. So it was that in Ramadan 60 A.H. that the Kuffans sent letter after letter from Kufa to Mecca where Hussain (r.a) was staying after his flight from Medinah. The Kuffans assured Hussain (r.a) of their loyalty and allegiance to him; they had not accepted Yezid as leader whom they resented. On certain days, there would be as many as 600 letters accompanied by messengers describing the overwhelming support of Hussain (r.a) in Kufa.
This began the karbala incident in which the Shia’s betrayed Hussain (r.a.) which led to his, his family and his companions martyrdom. You can read about the Karbala incident here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dawaah/message/2675
Four years after the massacre of Karbala, the Shia of Kufa attempted to make amends for their desertion of Hussain (r.a.). They called themselves the Al-Tawwabun, which translates to “the Penitents.” This group went to Karbala to commemorate Hussain (r.a.), and here it was that they began Matam, with loud mourning, lamenting, and self-flagellation. These Tawwabun hit themselves to punish themselves for the cowardice that they had shown that led to their Imam’s death just four years earlier. This is the origin of the Shia ritual of Matam (mourning the dead). It is a testament to this day of how they ****** their own Imam, and how their whole religion is centered around a false commitment to the Ahlel Bayt (household of the Prophet Muhammad).
Karbala was not to be the last act of treason by the Shia against the Ahlel Bayt. Sixty year later, the grandson of Hussain (r.a.), namely Zayd ibn Ali ibn Hussain (r.a.), led an uprising against the Umayyad ruler Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik. Zayd (r.a.) recieved the Bayat (oath of allegiance) of over 40,000 men, of which 15,000 were from the same Kufa that deserted his grandfather. Just before the battle started, all but a few hundred men deserted Zayd (r.a.) en masse. On the departure of the defectors, Zayd (r.a.) remarked: “I am afraid they have done unto me as they did to Hussain (r.a.).”
Zayd (r.a.) and his little army fought bravely and attained martyrdom. Thus, on Wednesday the 1st of Safar 122 AH, another member of the Ahlel Bayt fell victim to the treachery of the Shia of Kufa.
The long answer is the history behind it:
During his Caliphate, Ali (r.a) shifted the Caliphate from Medinah to Kufa in Iraq. The Kuffans were staunch Partisans of Ali (Shia’t Ali). The Jew Abdullah Ibn Saba found the Kuffans to be very receptive to his claims that Ali was divinely appointed by Allah, and his followers became the Saba’ites. When the Shia’t Ali met the Shia’t Muawiyyah on the battlefield, Muawiyyah (r.a) convinced Ali (r.a) to hold a cease-fire and to use arbitration to decide who will be the Caliph. Ali (r.a) agreed to arbitration. This angered the Kuffan Saba’ites because they held the erroneous belief that Ali had been divinely appointed by Allah, so they believed that Ali (r.a) was going against the will of Allah by agreeing to arbitration. In their minds, there could be no negotiation on a matter that was decreed by Allah. Some of these Kuffan Saba’ites rebelled against Ali (r.a), turning on him and calling him an apostate. These people would be known as Kharajites (those who went out), and they would eventually assassinate their leader Ali (r.a), the same leader they had once claimed so much love for.
As for the remaining Kuffan Shias who did not become Kharajites, they would later join the forces of Hasan (r.a). However, Hasan (r.a) did not trust these Shia as they were very disloyal. Distrusting his Shia, Hasan (r.a) made peace with Muawiyyah (r.a) and gave him the Caliphate, so long as Muawiyyah (r.a) promised that Hussain (r.a) would be made Caliph after Muawiyyah’s death (r.a). After this reconciliation took place between Hasan (r.a and Muawiyyah (r.a), the Shia’t Ali remained in Kufa. After the death of Ali (r.a), the ranks of the Saba’ites and their sympathizers amongst the Shia’t Ali increased. When Muawiyyah (r.a) died, however, his son Yezid declared himself the new Caliph, in violation of the agreement settled with Hasan (r.a) which stated that Hussain (r.a) would be Caliph. This angered the Shias of Kufa. So it was that in Ramadan 60 A.H. that the Kuffans sent letter after letter from Kufa to Mecca where Hussain (r.a) was staying after his flight from Medinah. The Kuffans assured Hussain (r.a) of their loyalty and allegiance to him; they had not accepted Yezid as leader whom they resented. On certain days, there would be as many as 600 letters accompanied by messengers describing the overwhelming support of Hussain (r.a) in Kufa.
This began the karbala incident in which the Shia’s betrayed Hussain (r.a.) which led to his, his family and his companions martyrdom. You can read about the Karbala incident here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dawaah/message/2675
Four years after the massacre of Karbala, the Shia of Kufa attempted to make amends for their desertion of Hussain (r.a.). They called themselves the Al-Tawwabun, which translates to “the Penitents.” This group went to Karbala to commemorate Hussain (r.a.), and here it was that they began Matam, with loud mourning, lamenting, and self-flagellation. These Tawwabun hit themselves to punish themselves for the cowardice that they had shown that led to their Imam’s death just four years earlier. This is the origin of the Shia ritual of Matam (mourning the dead). It is a testament to this day of how they ****** their own Imam, and how their whole religion is centered around a false commitment to the Ahlel Bayt (household of the Prophet Muhammad).
Karbala was not to be the last act of treason by the Shia against the Ahlel Bayt. Sixty year later, the grandson of Hussain (r.a.), namely Zayd ibn Ali ibn Hussain (r.a.), led an uprising against the Umayyad ruler Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik. Zayd (r.a.) recieved the Bayat (oath of allegiance) of over 40,000 men, of which 15,000 were from the same Kufa that deserted his grandfather. Just before the battle started, all but a few hundred men deserted Zayd (r.a.) en masse. On the departure of the defectors, Zayd (r.a.) remarked: “I am afraid they have done unto me as they did to Hussain (r.a.).”
Zayd (r.a.) and his little army fought bravely and attained martyrdom. Thus, on Wednesday the 1st of Safar 122 AH, another member of the Ahlel Bayt fell victim to the treachery of the Shia of Kufa.
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