AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): 1000-year-old ceremony of Sufeh and 500-year-old oration ritual practiced in Imam Reza holy shrine become part of Iran’s intangible heritage, says Hoj. Seyyed Jallal Hosseini, head of Organization of Libraries, Museums, Document Center of the holy shrine.
Hoj. Hosseini said: “These two ceremonies were selected through an interaction between my colleagues and their counterparts at General Office of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism two years ago. The initial documents of the two ceremonies were gathered and sent to the related committee”.
He added: “These two ceremonies were introduced and defended in the national council and finally registered in current winter”.
Oration Ritual; a Heritage from Safavid Era
In a general sense, oration or khutbah reading in Imam Reza shrine refers to reciting a speech in praise of God, the Prophet (pbuh) and the infallible Imams (AS).
In this sense, preaching orations in the holy shrine has been common since the Safavid era and according to the documents available, the preacher was one of the official jobs in a way that a provision has been made for him in some existing endowment letters.
Reciting a sermon in a special sense refers to a kind of mourning ceremony in the holy shrine on the night of Ashura and the night of the martyrdom of Imam Reza (AS) on the 30th of Safar.
This ceremony is held in Inqelab Islami Courtyard, which is the most ancient courtyard of the complex.
Sufeh Ceremony; a Ceremony with 1000 Years of Age
Sufeh ceremony is one of the most magnificent and rooted traditions of Imam Reza shrine in the field of reciting the Holy Quran, which is more than a thousand years old.
This ceremony is held every day by the servants of the complex in two occasions, half an hour after sunrise and immediately after Maghrib and Isha prayers.
The Sufeh ceremony consists of two parts; reciting Quran and reading of fourteen stanzas of Khajeh Nasir al-Din Toosi in praise of the infallible Imams (AS).
This ceremony is held by fourteen members of the guard and a number of attendants who are standing next to the entrances of the meeting Dar al-Hufaz or in some cases in Dar al-Salam porticos.
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