Sayyidina Imam al-Hussain s Mosque in Cairo

By: Syed Muhammad Bokreta
Algiers, Algeria
The Mosque of Sayyidna Imam al-Husayn (AS.) exemplifies Islamic revivalism popular in the khedival period , where you can find three high-tech umbrellas open in front of the mosque to shade the overflow congregation on Fridays ,they are similar to courtyard umbrella-columns in the Great Mosque at Madinah true to say that the Mosque is a major centre for Congregational prayers in Cairo today, and on Fridays at noon the sidewalks and Maydan are covered with mats and rugs laid down by the overflowing congregation.
Imam al-Husayn (A.S.) was the son of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb(A.S.) and Fatima Zahra (S.A.) daughter of the Beloved Prophet Mohammed (SAWA), After Imam Ali's assassination and Imam Hussain's brother Imam Hasan's martyrdom through his wife Dja'ada, Imam Husayn (A.S.) was urged by all people of Kufa (Iraq) to come and get allegiance for the Caliphate but he was martyred at the Battle of Karbala on the 10th of October 680 AD- the 10th of Moharram 61AH.
According to different historic sources , Imam Hussain's head was brought to Cairo in 1153 and a shrine was built for it on the site of the mosque ,all that remains of the Fatimid structure (and even this is doubtful) is the lower part of the gateway at the south corner of the present mosque, the Bab al-Akhdar, A minaret with wonderfully carved arabesque panels in stucco, added by the Ayyubids in 1237, rises above the remains of the Fatimid gateway; the additional Turkish-style minarets are part of Khedive Ismai'l's mosque. Al-Husayn's wooden cenotaph, a magnificent specimen of twelfth-century wood carving, is on display in the Museum of Islamic Art.
The shrine is also still a major pilgrimage centre,. Men and women enter the tomb chamber through separate doors, the men through one in the mosque sanctuary and the women through one beyond the Bab al-Akdhar,the great silver Mashrabiya screen that surrounds the grave was a present from the Bohra Isma'ili brotherhood in India , both Muslim Sunni and Shia continue to seek his intercession in many areas of their daily lives.
In 1187, Ibn Jubayr, a tourist in Cairo, recorded his impressions of a visit to the shrine: "We observed men kissing the blessed tomb, surrounding it, throwing themselves on it ... calling out invocations ... and offering up humble supplications such as would melt the heart and split the hardest flint."

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Williams, Caroline. 2002. Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 193-194.