According to Mr. Behnam, the Imam Reza shrine’s Deputy Office for Sites, the special ritual of ‘Ezn Aza’ (permission for mourning) will be performed in the shrine in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad on Saturday afternoon, July 6, with mourning processions and servants of the shrine in attendance.
During the ritual Imam Reza shrine’s flag will be granted to some 140 prominent mourning sites across the country.
At the end of the ritual, the golden dome of the shrine and its courtyards will all be clad in black flags to prepare for Muharram.
In addition, the traditional ritual of ‘Sala’ is scheduled by the shrine’s servants for Sunday morning at 8am to herald the start of Muharram.
The ritual, which has a 300-year history, is undertaken across the courtyards of the shrine with eulogists chanting eulogies for Imam Hussain’s martyrdom anniversary.
Imam Reza shrine’s Deputy Office for Islamic Ideology Dissemination also has announced that the husayniyya (mourning site) of the shrine will be ready to host processions from across Iran.
“In the first ten days of Muharram, the husayniyya will be prepared to host all mourners from different ethnic backgrounds in Quds Courtyard from 21 to 23:30 hrs”, said Hoj Shariatinejad.
According to him, not only mourners from different Iranian provinces, but also Shias from Afghanistan and Pakistan will have mourning ceremonies in their native languages and rituals.