Seyyed Kazem Rashti

     Before attack

     Wahhabism was a cult made to destroy Sunnis’ beliefs. It appeared among the Sunni youth in the Saudi Arabia planned by the intelligent service of the U.K. in the Middle East centralized in the Saudi Arabia. The heads of this cult killed everybody who didn’t believe in their beliefs even Sunnis. Seyyed Kazem Rashti, Sheikh Ahmad Ehsaee’s successor lived in Karbala and attracted several disciples. When Najib Pasha attacked Karbala, he killed lots of people. His attack is being compared with the Mongol’s. Seyyed Kazem Rashti and his disciple remained safe and hurtless.

     The increasing power of the Shiites in Karbala caused them to be autonomous. Ali Reza Pasha, the governer of Iraq who has been in charge of this position since 1247 A.H. was a negligent and lenient person. Thus, several people misused secretly and formed a group called Ayyar [knight errants].

     Several rascals and villains turned to theft under the name of the knight errants. Meantime, those who had escaped from the Iraqi army and several criminals recalciterated.[1]

     This chaos caused people to be angry about the Ottoman government; so that, the name of the Ottoman king wasn’t being mentioned in the Friday sermons and the central government orders and commands were being ignored. Eventually, the Shiites stood up against the Ottoman government.

     The conflict between the Shiites and Sheiki cult believers also increased in Karbala planned by England and several Sheiki elements. Consequently, the government was anxious about it.

     By the central government, Ali Reza Pasha was commissioned to investigate Karbala situation; but people prevented him to enter into the city. He didn’t resort to force, too. After appointing the local ruler and the custodians of the holy Shrines at the city gate, he returned.

     The continuation of there conflict made the Ottoman government to send Ali Reza Pasha towards Karbala with three thousand soldiers. They blockaded the city; but it wasn’t limited to the city and Ali Reza Pasha returned Baqdad unsuccessfully while people accepted to pay more taxes.

     The Ottoman government found out that Ali Reza pasha isn’t be able to solve the problem of Karbala; so he was dethroned. Additionally, Muhammad Najib Pasha who was previously the ruler of Damascus and was known as a rough person was appointed in 1258 A.H.

     First, people were agree with Najib Pasha’s plea to enter into Karbala city; on the condition that the army mustn’t enter the city.

     The new ruler of Iraq who didn’t expect people to behave so, ordered the city to be blockaded. He gave people an opportunity for a month to be surrendered.

     Time was over; but people weren’t blockaded.

     Najib Pasha announced that if people hadn’t opened the city gate, he would have entered into the city forcefully. Following those events, Seyyed Kazem Rashti went Qajar prince; but their struggles didn’t work. Najib Pasha announced and promised that those who shelter Imam Hussein (P.H.) and Abul Faza’s ( P.H.) holy shrines and also Seyyed Kazem Rashti and Zellussoltan’s houses will be safe.[2]

     The blockaded and attact to Karbala

     Najib Pasha elected “Ne’aman Baqdadi Weisi Zadeh” as the commander to attack the city. A person who wasn’t afraid of murder, plunder and aggression.[3] According to Najib Pasha and before entering into Karbala city, Ne’aman blockaded the city for 23 days and prevented the foodstuff to be sent. During this period of time, he sometimes cannonaded the city.[4]

     Eventually, the Ottoman soldiers entered into the city through an opening in the eastern side of the city fence on NOV. 13, 1843 and committed great crimes and announced they were paying 150 Piaster (the ottoman currency) as a gift for killing each rebel.[5]

     Seyyed Kazem Rashti’s house wasn’t objected; but the holy shrines were attacked, destroyed and plundered.

     The soldiers riding on horses entered into the courtyards and assaulted people. The violent and insulting behaviors of Najib Pasha’s soldiers made him be called “Yazid Pasha” by people.[6]

The Ottoman army killed many people across the city. In the book “The amrtyrs of the virtue path”, the great scholar Amini writes according to some witness words:

     “After the Ottoman army went out of Karbala city, we realized by asking grave-diggers that the number of the killed was ten thousand people. They said they sometimes had to bury four or five dead body in just one grave. Nearly three hundred dead bodies were found in the holy shrine cellar of Abul fazl-al-Abbas (P.H.).”[7]

Sheikh Muhammad Hussein Kashiful Qeta’a’s narration

     Hearing Najib Pasha’s arrival at Karbala, Seyyed Wahhab Al To’ameh, Imam Hussein’s (P.H.) holy shrine turnkey, escaped and a person called Seyyed Mehdi Al To’ameh received Najib Pasha quickly and said humbly:

     “O’our master! We haven’t ever ignored obeying you and haven’t violated your orders. We haven’t disunited. Don’t punish us instead of those who committed crimes.”

     Najib Pasha didn’t pay attention to Seyyed Mehdi. The next day, Najib Pasha entered into Imam Hussein’s Holy shrine riding on horse. This time, Seyyed Kazem Rashti accompanied him. This time, Seyyed Mehdi went to Najib Pasha along with several holy shrine servants fearfully carrying the holy Quran and kissed his horse’s tail. Najib Pasha got off and entered in the holy shrine.

     After a while, he came back, shouted and asked Seyyed Mehdi where was the turnkey.

     Seyyed Mehdi answered: He has escaped.

     Najib Pasha deposed the escaped turnkey quickly and appointed Seyyed Mehdi as the turnkey.[8]

     Seyyed Mehdi took over the position from 1258 to 1272 A.H.

     Hajj Muhammad Karim Khan confesses:

     “People who were present in Hadrat Abbas’s (P.H.) holy shrine weren’t safe even they killed everybody who were present in the shrine and porch. Then even killed the person who sought asylum inside the sepulcher. Pasha himself had entered into the Lord of Martyr’s (P.H.) porch riding on horseback. Nobody was safe there.”[9]

     Late Seyyed Muhammad Baqer Najafi writes in this regard:

     “While Najib Pasha’s army didn’t respect even the holiest places of Shiites in Karbala, they killed the refuged people in the sepulcher and attacked the holy shrine and galloped. Seyyed Kazem Rashti’s house was safe and he himself was protected. Everybody who was seeking asylum to his house was safe, too.[10]”

     Now, we investigate Sheikism that considers itself as Shiite and believes that the commander of the Faithful Ali (P.H.) is right and his right has been usurped at the time of triple caliphs. Sheikism even exaggerates about the Household of the prophet (peace be upon them).

     According to history, the followers of Sheikism tried hard to suppress Shiite scholars in Karbala. For this reason Muhammad Najib Pasha blockaded and attacked Karbala.[11]

     Seyyed Kazem Rashti, the head of the cult was present in karbala when Wahhabism attacked the city. His house was secure. Kazem Rashti and everybody sought asylum to him were safe and secure.

     In this part of the adventure, this question arises:

     Why did the Ottomans respect Kazem Rashti and consider his house as a safe one? Was it because of his merit and piety? If it is so, why the holy shrines of Karbala which was more respectful than any body weren’t safe and secure? They killed each Shiite person. Why didn’t they kill Seyyed Kazem and his followers? And…

     Undoubtedly, the truth is that Seyyed Kazem Rashti was the Ottomans’ companion and the fact becomes obvious when we find out that: “Seyyed Ahmad, Seyyed Kazem’s offspring, the second head of Sheikism cult was of four people who possessed the permanent seat in the parliament of the Ottoman caliph.[12]”

     Also, Ali Reza Pasha was one of bigoted Sunnite governors of Baqdad who had massacred the people of Khorramshahr and Khozestan due to being Shiite. This person with the above-mentioned features attributed Abdul Baqi Omari’s satirical poems to Seyyed Kazem Rashti and considered him as a bigoted Shiite person.

     Then, Seyyed Kazem wrote a detailed interpretation for it called the satirical poem interpretation in order to strengthen his relationship with Baqdad…[13]

     You may ask yourself why Seyyed Kazem Rashti whowas Sheikism head was secure?

     The answer: Wahhabism kills those who don’t accept its beliefs and reject its holy entities. In brief, Sheikism should have been destroyed in Wahhabism attack to Karbala because Sheikism and Wahhabism were two opposite cults… It is surprising to be accepted that Hajj Karim Khan Kermani[14]  who advocates this great calamity in the Shiite world and this horrible massacre. He assumes this calamity sent down by god because the people of Karbala had annoyed Seyyed Kazem Rashti. He writes: “A year before Seyyed Kazem’s death, the enemies of the true religion were continually acting unfairly, God disfavored them. The messenger of God (P.H.) got angry with them and the holy Imams (peace be upon them) revenged; so that, Najib Pasha kindled and blockaded Karbala for a long time and destroyed and cannonaded most parts of the city.”[15]

    Kazem Rashti presumed late Najafi, the author of the book “Javaher” and reprehended the Shiite jurisconsults (in Muhammadan law0 very much and insulted them. The book “Dalilul Motehayyerin” written by Seyyed Kazem Rashti is full of insult and curse against the Shiite scholars to such an extent that it was better for the treatise to be named “the vilification treatise”.[16]

     However, why mustn’t Sheikism be vanished:

     Because Sheikism was the forerunner of Babism and Babism was that of Baha’ism. The colonialism created Sheikism to preach Babism and to weaken believing in the promised Mehdi (P.H.) and eventually to destroy Islam.

     If Sheikism was destroyed in Karbala, Babism wouldn’t be created to confront the Mahdism culture and Baha’ism wouldn’t made to attack Shiite youth and their purity and chastity. Babism was imposed on Iran when our country was weak and poor financially and culturally because of the alien aggressions. Although the colonialists such as England and Russia hadn’t had good relationships with each other, they united to cut the religious authorities out of the country affairs. Thus, they took Babism out of Sheikism to make a promised person, to misuse people’s beliefs in Mahdism and to deviant religious authorities and people’s general thoughts from the country affairs and to make them busy.

     At the end of his life in 1259 A.H., Seyyed Kazem Rashti headed off towards Kazemeyn and Samara. After visiting Najib Pasha, the became sick and died on Zel Hajjeh, 11, 1259 at night because of that illness.[17],[18]