Islam Guidance

Al-Shaykh al-Saduq (the truthful scholar) mentions:
Muhammad ibn Ali Majiluyeh said: Ali ibn Ibrahim narrated to us from his father from al Rayyan ibn Shabib, He said: I came into the presence of al Reza (A.S) on the first day of Muharram. He said to me: O son of Shabib! Are you fasting? I said: No. So he said: Verily this day is the day on which Zechariah (A.S) called upon his Lord (S.W.T). He said: My Lord! Grant me good offspring from Thee; surely Thou art the Hearer of the prayer. [Sura Ale-Imran, 3:38]. So Allah answered him and ordered the angels to call out to Zechariah (A.S) while he was standing in the mihrab (the prayer-niche), that: Verily Allah gives you the glad-tidings of Yahya. [Sura Ale-Imran, 3:39]. Whoever fasts this day and then calls out to Allah (S.W.T), Allah will respond to him like He responded to Zechariah (A.S).
Then he said:
- O son of Shabib! Muharram is the month in which the people of the ignorant (Jahiliyyah) from the past would prohibit oppression and fighting due to its sanctity but this nation did not recognize the sanctity of its month nor the sanctity of its Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P). They killed his offspring in this month and captured his women and plundered his burdens (provisions). So Allah will not forgive them that, ever.
- O son of Shabib! If you were to cry over anything, then cry over Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (A.S), for he was slaughtered like the ram is slaughtered. And eighteen men from the people of his house, the like of whom are not to be found on the earth, were murdered with him. The seven heavens and the earths wailed over his killing. Four thousand of the angels descended toward the earth but they found that he had been murdered. So they shall remain disheveled, dusty till the Mahdi rises; then they will be from his helpers. And their slogan is: Vengeance for the blood of Husain!
- O son of Shabib! My father narrated to me from his father from his grandfather (A.S): Verily when my grandfather, Hussain (A.S) was killed, the sky rained down blood and red dust.
- O son of Shabib! If you wept over Hussain (A.S) to the extent that your tears came onto your cheeks, Allah will forgive all of your sins which you have committed, minor or major, little or excessive.
- O son of Shabib! If you take pleasure in meeting Allah (S.W.T) while there is no sin over you, then visit Hussain (A.S).
- O son of Shabib! If you take pleasure in residing in the erected chamber in Jannah along with the Prophet and his progeny (A.S), then curse the murderer of Hussain.
- O son of Shabib! If you take pleasure in having a like of the reward of the one who was martyred with Hussain (A.S), then whenever you mention him, say: How I wish I was with them! I would have attained a great victory!
- O son of Shabib! If you take pleasure in being with us in the highest stages of the Gardens, then grieve over our sorrow and be happy in our happiness. And you must keep to our Wilayah, for verily, were a man to befriend a stone, Allah will raise him with it on the Day of Resurrection.

Derived from: Wilayat.net

In order for us to understand the significance and philosophy of mourning for Imam Hussein (A.S), it is necessary to take notice of the following points:
1. The Holy Quran has emphasized through many different verses on maintaining and reviving lofty virtues and traits of great men and noble religious leaders.
2. The great Shia Imams, peace be upon them, have encouraged us to keep the memory of the event of Karbala alive through different ways namely, holding mourning ceremonies, weeping and making others weep, reciting elegies and visiting the grave of the Chief of the Martyrs, Imam Hussein (A.S).
3. Muharram is the month of the victory of blood over sword. The event of Ashura has been and is inspiring nations and people all over the world to fight tyrant and unjust rulers. Therefore, remembering the event of Ashura and the suffering of Imam Hussein (A.S) and his family plays a key role in spreading his message across the world.
4. Mourning is a key element of unity and different nations' secret of success over the history. Most of the revolutions of the world have been inspired or in fact originated from the lessons learned from the epic of Ashura. An example of it is the liberation of the Indian Sub-continent from the English colonial rule. Hence, therefore, it can be said that mourning for Imam Hussein (A.S) has profuse benefits for Muslim Ummah including dignity, pride, maintenance of Islamic and religious culture and many more which on the whole indicate the importance of this great event.

The Shia Imams (A.S) and Different Ways of Mourning for Imam Hussein (A.S):
A) Holding Mourning Ceremonies:
One of the methods that the Imams used to keep the memory of the rise of Ashura alive was arranging gatherings for crying and mourning and making others cry for the tragic incidents that took place in Karbala and reminding people of those incidents on appropriate occasions.
Imam Sajjad would constantly cry and mourn for what had taken place on the day of Ashura during the years he was the Imam of the Ummah. He cried so much to the extent that he was known as and called one of the "Bakka’een" (those who cried very much). [Wasa’elul-Shia, vol. 2, pg. 922.]
Alqame Hadrami relates that Imam Baqir (A.S) would gather people in his house on the day of Ashura to cry and mourn, and the Imam himself would cry for his grandfather. There was no Taqiyyah involved and he would tell those in the house to cry for Imam Hossein and to express their condolences to each other on the day of his martyrdom. [Wasa’elul-Shia, vol. 2, pg. 398.]
On one occasion Imam Sadiq (A.S) told Dawood Ruqi: "I have never drunk cold water without remembering Imam Hossein." [Amali (Saduq), pg. 142.]
It is narrated in a hadith that Imam Reza (A.S) said: "When the month of Muharram would arrive no one would see my father (Imam Kazim) smile and sadness and sorrow would take over him until the day of Ashura. The tenth day of Muharram was the day of sorrow and sadness and tragedy and he would say: Today is the day in which Imam Hossein was martyred." [Mafatihul-Jinan, Sheikh Abbas Qummi, the section on the rituals and supplications of Muharram.]

B) Visitation of Imam Hussein's Grave Encouraged:
Commemorating the nobles and religious leaders and visiting the graves of the heroes have been a good custom, one that has been practiced by various nations. Among them, the chief of the martyrs and leader of freemen, Imam Hussein (A.S) is like a glamorous sun whose name and memory should be revived and remembered befittingly. There are so many sayings from the infallible leaders about the significance of visiting the grave of Imam Hussein (A.S) in Karbala. In fact, it can be said that those noble and divine leaders took advantage of every opportunity to encourage people to visit the luminous grave of the Chief of Martyrs (A.S). It was as though the Imams were committed to persuade people to visit the tomb of Imam Hussein (A.S) in Karbala. Not only did this create spiritual and intellectual union with the Imam but it was also a kind of campaign against the tyrant and the unjust rulers as it has always been and is the same even today. There are different narrations from the Infallibles of which we shall mention only one:
Imam Sadiq (A.S) said: "One who visits his shrine (of Imam Hussein) with eagerness and out of affection for the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P), Zahra (S.A) and the commander of the faithful (A.S), will be seated by Allah on the tablecloth of Paradise. He will dine with these holy personalities (Ahlulbayt (A.S)), while the others will be absorbed in the accounting of deeds." [Biharul-Anwar, vol. 24, pg. 284.]

Source: Islam quest.net

It is asked that if Imam Hussain (A.S) was victorious why do we cry? Why don’t we hold a celebration? Is it suitable to cry so much over a victory?
Those who make this criticism do not understand the philosophy behind mourning. They mistake the tears that the mourners of Imam Hussain shed with the weeps of weak individuals.
There are four types of crying or tears:
1. Tears of Joy: For example, the tears of a mother who has just found her child years after he went missing, or the tears of a lover who has just gained the satisfaction of the loved after years of struggle.
2. Tears of Compassion: Tears which stem from a healthy heart, not a heart that is as hard as a rock. These tears show the levels of compassion that a human has; for example, they are the tears that flow when one sees an orphan freezing in the cold and crying because he was separated from his father, or the tears that are seen when one witnesses the murder of an infant, such as the murder of the infant at Karbala.
3. Tears of Success: Sometimes one cries when he reaches his goals. In regards to Karbala, these tears are the tears that announce one’s loyalty to Imam Hussain and his companions that announce one’s loyalty to the struggle against oppression. Are such tears possible without knowing what the goals of Imam Hussain were?
4. Tears of Defeat: These are the tears of weak individuals who did not reach their goals and who do not have the motivation to continue. Never shed such tears for Imam Hussain, because he despises such tears. If you cry, make sure the tears you are shedding are happy tears, compassion tears, or tears of success.
However, knowing what Imam Hussain (A.S) and his companions stood for is more important than mourning. Practically aligning oneself with those goals is also more important than mourning.

Ref: Islamic Insight