The Refutation of the Shi‘a in Fatawa ‘Alamgiri

Question

Did the practice of ta‘ziya (a replica of Imam Husayn’s tomb carried in Muharram processions) exist in the time of Aurangzeb? If it did, why did he not put a stop to it? And where did the practice of ta‘ziya begin, and who invented it?

Answer

Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir ﵀ had the Fatawa ‘Alamgiri compiled, selected five hundred ulama for it, and appointed as supervisor Hazrat Shah ‘Abd al-Rahim ﵀, the noble father of Hazrat Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dihlawi ﵀. In that book a severe refutation of the Rafidis is given and a strict ruling is passed on them, as is found in that very book.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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