At 73,he delivers 53rd Muharram sermon in a row at Moghal Mosque

He has been conducting the majlis during the 10-day Muharram for the past 52 years at the same mosque. Athar,who stays in Lucknow and is principal of the Lucknow Shia College,has been travelling to Mumbai every Muharram since he was 21 when he first delivered his sermon.

“Father is popular among the young and old for his excellent oratory and use of simple Urdu understood by Bohri Muslims,Kashmiris and Muslims from the south alike,” said Athar’s son Maulana Yasoob Abbas.

Athar’s sermons are seen live across the world through satellite TV. “I had a chance to settle in other parts of the world but I am attached to this city. I don’t mind even if I die during my majlis today…I want to die here,” said Athar who has high blood pressure,diabetes and a heart problem.

Majlis is a congregation that gathers during Muharram to hear sermons on the death of Imam Hussain,the grandson of the Prophet.

On Monday,children,men and women walked quietly from Imamwada in Dongri to Sonapur cemetery in Raey Road singing praises of Hussain’s martyrdom and hitting their chests to express grief. “Ya Hussain ya”,sings three-year-old Sajid Sheikh as he beat his hand on his tiny forehead. ‘Live Like Ali,Die Like Hussain’ read a big black banner on the mosque. A sword marking Hussain’s martyrdom rose high into the sky.

Along the queues,groups of young men and children flagellated themselves with knives tied to chains. “Har dum Hussain” (Long live Hussain),said 24-year-old Abbas Qadri as he whipped his bloodied back.

“Hussain stood up for justice and laid down his life and we feel indebted to him. These are just a few ways in which they remember him and mourn his death,” Athar,who is also the president of the All India Shia Personal Law Board,said.

Muharram sermons usually talk about the story of how pain was inflicted on Hussain,his 18 family members and 54 followers for nine days before they were massacred on the 10th day— Ashura— in Karbala. “However,the sermons are not rigid and evolve over time into contemporary discussions. In the past few years,I have been condemning terrorism through my sermons. There is no place for terrorism in Islam,” said Athar.