Crying at the door of Fatima
Crying which does not contain an obligation, awareness, a knowing of the beloved, an understanding and sensing of faith, is something which is only useful as an eyewash, to cleanse it from the pollution of the air. Don't forget that one of the first people who cried for the great Imam Husayn was Omar Sa'ad [who had ordered his killing] and the first person who forbid and condemned this kind of `crying for Husayn' was the great Zaynab [Imam Husayn's sister].
But our people cry because they are lovers. They cry so that they can bind their hearts deeply to this beloved family. It is a real pantheon, a real Olympia where several lords live who know no language other than tears. People are neither scholars nor philosophers but rather full of feelings. They are prepared to be sacrificed.
No religion, history or nation has a family such as this, a family where the father is Ali and the mother, Fatima and their sons, Hassan and Husayn and their daughter, Zaynab. They all live under one roof at one time and are one family. At the same time, there has never been so much love, sincerity, faith, poetry and blood given to a family by a nation.
Our people gather a culture around the door and roof of Fatima's house. Through this family comes a history, full of excitement, movement, courage and virtues which have continued to the present time. This history is like a pure river, life giving for all the past generations of our people, and now in the depths of their spirit, our conscience continues to flow.
- Excerpt from “Fatima is Fatima” by the late Martyr Dr. Ali Shariati