Garcin De Tassy
Dr.Mazhar Naqvi
The
month of Safar, the second Islamic month, is inauspicious may be debatable. But
it surely has figured prominently in the memoirs of 19th century French
indologist Garcin de Tassy. The description in the memoir originally written in
French and translated into English later by Prof.M.Waseem of Jamia Milia
Islamia University, New Delhi reads as follows:
"In
the month of Safar, Muhammad, the friend of God, fell ill. The vehemence of
pain continued for thirteen days and it could recede only at the intervention
of the creator’s bounty. It is for this reason that the Muslims consider inauspicious
the first thirteen days of this moon. On the thirteenth ,which they call violence,
Tezi, they have the practice of making in the prophet’s name offerings of
chick-peas and wheat, which they distribute in small quantities.
Tassy
has given different version about the last Wednesday of the month. He has
written that the Imamis consider the last Wednesday of Safar as inauspicious and
they don’t dare to come even out of their house on this day but Sunnis rejoice
on this day and go for strolling in the garden. Why it so? he has not mentioned
but given in his memoir two special prayers that should be recited on this day.
He has quoted a Muslim prayer book printed in Calcutta titled Hidayatul Islam(
Guide to Islam) as source of his information.
The
first prayer reads : ‘We address you with respect and submission. You know what
is there in their hearts. We seek your mercy, O the most Generous of generous
beings”
The
second prayer consists of the following versus of the holy Quran “Salutations
to you. Enter Paradise joyfully to live there eternally. Such is the greetings
of the merciful Lord. Salutation among the created beings to Abraham,to Moses
and Aaron ,to Elijah, peace till the dawning of the day..... Moreover
,the 28th and 29th of this whatever day of the week they
may fall on –are considered unlucky; the 28th ,because it was on
this date that Hasan, (the grandson of Prophet
Muhammad and elder brother of Imam Hussain)was poisoned to death by his wife
and the 29th ,because harmful vegetables Are supposed to grown on
this date."
Tassy has based his description on the ‘Bara Masa’(Twelve months ) a
didactic poem written by Kazim Ali Jawan and who has given a faithful
description of Indian festivals in his account. The memoir of Tassy was published
for the first time in 1826.
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