Stick-Fighting before the Ta‘ziya

Question

In the month of Muharram people play a game with a stick and a small shield (گٹکا فری). Is this permissible or impermissible, and what is its origin? It is said that Hazrat ‘Ali ﵁ instituted it for the protection of life.

Answer

The games that are played in Muharram before the ta‘ziya (a replica of Imam Husayn’s tomb carried in Muharram processions) are, according to the Sacred Law, baseless and impermissible; this is the way of the Rafidis. It is by no means established from Hazrat ‘Ali ﵁.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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