Supreme Leader's representative in Hajj and Pilgrimage affairs: Media reporters in Arbaeen rally record history, are ready to sacrifice their lives in Imam Hussain’s way

In the gathering at the Conference Hall of the Interior Ministry, Supreme Leader's representative in Hajj and Pilgrimage affairs and Supervisor of Iranian pilgrims Hojjat al-Islam Seyed Abdolfattah Navvab asked the media reporters to record the events “in that great episode in human history with painstaking care and high alertness.” 

Navvab said when the Almighty Allah swears to the pen in the Glorious Qur’an, the world pen is not restricted to what we write with, as those photojournalists who take picture that are reminders of events even after the passage of centuries, too, have pens in shape of cameras.

He said that after swearing to pen, God also swears to what the pen writes, which means what a reporter writes, or the photo that a photographer takes, too, are holy, and that shows how great and precious the job of the journalists is.

The Supreme Leader’s representative in Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization said, “Whatever we read in contemporary history is the result of the report of your colleagues in the past, and although their means of reporting work differed with yours, but they, too, were reporters.”

He said that at Hamid ibn Muslim al-Azdari, was a reporter who recorded the Karbala events at the time they occurred.

“Although that person was inclined towards Bani Umayyah (who created the horrendous catastrophe), but in his reports he has included nice and unique points. When reporting the Ashoura Day events he refers to delicate details, whose material value today is more precious than the entire gold in the world,” said Hojjat al-Islam Navvab.

He said that that reporter did not sacrifice his life in the way of defending Imam Hussain (P), but the words he has employed in his reporting are of extreme importance. Al-Azdari says: I swear to Almighty Allah, I had never before seen anybody under the shower of various types of miseries and hardships, such as being martyred of all his children and companions, and is yet so resolutely firm and jubilant, and with such a strong trust in God and such a calm heart, standing straight in defense of strong faith in the righteousness of his faith.

Hojjatoleslam Nawab stressed that of course, not everyone at the scene of the Karbala on Ashoura Day, was so selflessly passionate to sacrifice their lives in Imam Hussain’s bright path and fight alongside with his companions.

He set example of one of Imam Hussain’s companions who after the martyrdom of all of Imam’s men, went to him and said, “You are all alone now, and about to get martyred, so if I will stay with you I, too, will be martyred and I am not ready for that!”

Navvab said that such people were not spiritually ready for sacrificing their lives in Imam’s way, that is none, but God’s path.

The Supreme Leader’s representative in Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization said that in the history was come across the names of such reporters as Ibn Is’haq, Waqedi and Ibn Hesham, during the reign of Bani Ummayyah Dynasty, and Yaqubi during the era of Bani Abbas, or more recently, Sepehr, the author of Naseh ul-Tawarikh history.

He said that some reporters were affiliated to the rulers of their time, and their pens were at the service of the kings and the caliphs of the day, setting some examples.

Navvab also spoke about the secret of success of some other historians, such as precise and correct reporting, and neither aggrandizing the events, not depreciating their values.

“A reporter needs to be a truth teller, so that his/her report will influence the readers, listeners, or viewers,” he added.

“The realities need to be properly reflected; sometimes the realities are bitter, and sometimes they are sweet. If you will merely report the sweetness of the events you have deceived the people, just as is you will only report the bitterness of them, you have again deceived them,” said the representative of the Supreme Leader.

Hojjat al-Islam Navvab said that the second important point in reporting is paying attention to the values.

“The values need to be highlighted. Just like they are highlighted in Hamid ibn Muslim’s report of the Ashura Day in the eventful Ashura Day.

He said that in reporting the Arbain rally, the reporter must refrain from having merely and Iranian’s viewpoint.

“When you are amid a very huge volume of the rallying people who have come from various parts of the Islamic world, and from different Islamic schools of thought, you need to stress merely on the acceptable values of the entire Islamic world, and not a certain school of thought,” he stressed.

Navvab said that the 3rd important point is respecting the individuals’ personality and their rights.

“It is sometimes seen that the reporters narrate an event with inclination towards certain political fractions, or personalities, which is not correct. We are not allowed to belittle of defame personalities in our reports, as God fearing Muslim reporters,” he added.

Nawab said that the personality of people need to be respected, and God forbid, getting even with certain personalities should not serve as the incentive for writing a report, as in that holy rally, each and every one of us is a spiritual soldier of Imam Hossain.

The Supreme Leader’s representative in Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization said that the 4th important point in a reporter’s work is the constructive nature of his/her reports.

“The reports should be reflective of the various social classes and age groups. If fact, the children and the personalities of tomorrow, and the constructors of the future fate of the county. The teen aged people should be highly respected,” said Nawab.

He proposed that certain reporters will merely focus on children, young adults, and families, and likewise, other reporters on other age groups and social classes, including the immigrants in other countries.

The Hajj and pilgrimage official said that culture making is the 5th important point in a reporter’s career, and the entire media representatives, a sample of which can be seen in this short trip and reporting the Arbain rally events.

“The Iraqis are a hospitable nation, just like the Iranians. If they become the hosts of a number of pilgrims in their own homes, such guests should not remain in their homes for more than a day, or two, so that other pilgrims, too, could use that privilege, although your hosts will not ever mention this to you, and treat you most kindly no matter how long you stay.” he said.

The representative of Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization said that the 6th point is that a reporter should grasp the opportunities if he/she wants to grasp the attention of the audience and the media.

He said that the participants in Arbain rally should grasp the opportunity of being in such a great event, every precious second of their pilgrimage, and the reporters’ art is reflecting those tender feelings and sensations vividly and precisely for the people who are not eye witnesses there.

“That is a part of you culture building mission,” added Nawab.

He said that recognizing the needs of the audience to the type of information, refraining from acting sensationally, respecting the beliefs and ideas of the followers of other religions and faiths, are among the points to be highly observed in Arbaeen rally, since in addition to the Shi’a Muslims, the Sunni Muslims, and even the Christians and the Armenians, too, are present in that glorious and great rally.

Navvab said that this gathering is truly unique from many points of the view, and the thinkers and intellectuals should sit and deeply contemplate about how to dispatch information about its happenings.

He said there are gatherings in various parts of the world, but in this one millions of people gather to pay respect to a perfect human being who sacrificed everything he had to save the mankind, from the abyss of ignorance and darkness, so it is quite unique in the world.

Hojjat al-Islam Navvab asked the media reporters not to detract anyone on that rally and to have great attraction instead, inviting as many people as possible to be the followers of Imam Hossein’s bright and glorious path.