Practising Stick-Fighting before the Ta‘ziya (a Replica of Imam Husayn’s Tomb Carried in Muharram Processions) and the Stipend for It

Question

Those who observe Muharram and set up the panja (a hand-shaped standard carried in Muharram) — that is, drape it with cloths and adorn it in the name of the five of the Ahl al-Bayt — and who celebrate the Twelve Imams, have from the days of royal rule until now been receiving a stipend, or have been granted land. If [these rites] are given up, the land and the stipend will be taken away, and many Muslims are being sustained by them. Therefore the [local] scholar says: give up some of the absurdities (khurafat)

Answer

How could there be any scope for ruining beliefs and deeds for the sake of a stipend? Yes, if sword-play and stick-fighting are practised as an independent pursuit throughout the whole year, mastery is acquired in this art, and the intention of jihad is maintained, then it is fine. The absurdities, in any case, must be brought to an end.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.