TEHRAN – Iranian artist Hassan Ruholamin has published high-resolution copies of a number of his paintings on the tragedy of Ashura for the use of the Muharram mourning rituals.

The digital pictures of “The Farewell”, “After Abbas (AS)”, “Are You My Brother?”, “Monastery of the Monk”, “Beginning of Silence” and several other paintings can be downloaded for free on his Telegram channel.

In a statement published on Monday, 36-year-old Ruholamin, who is most famous for illustrating stories from the history of Islam, said the decision to publish the copies of his artworks was made due to popular demand.

“These pictures are not for sale,” he noted and added, “Sales and marketing of these pictures is haram [forbidden] based on sharia [Islamic law] and I’m not satisfied with it.”

“Sharing these pictures is only for use at takaya [places for seasonal Islamic rituals], mourning ceremonies as well as at the houses of the lovers of the Prophet’s household (AS),” he explained.     

A large number of Ruholamin’s artworks are about Imam Hussein (AS) and the tragedy of Ashura.

In the year 680 CE on Ashura, the tenth day of the lunar month of Muharram, Imam Hussein (AS) and a number of his loyal companions were martyred in a battle against the oppressive Umayyad dynasty.

“The Sky Fell Down”, a large painting featuring the last moments of the life of Imam Hussein (AS), is a highlight of his Ashura collection.

The painting features the Imam (AS) on his horse, severely injured by arrows, while the enemy is busy conspiring against the Imam and his household. 

Ruholamin spent nine months doing the painting, which was unveiled at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in November 2018.

“Monastery of the Monk” is another artwork from Ruholamin’s Ashura collection.

The painting depicts the meeting of a monk with Khawli ibn Yazid al-Asbahi, a member of Umar ibn Sad’s army, when he was taking the head of Imam Hussein (AS) to Yazid ibn Muawiya, the second caliph of the Umayyad dynasty, after the Ashura event.

The artist has also blended modern events and with stories from Islamic history in some of his works.

“The Apocalyptic Companion of Aba Abdillah” is one of the paintings, which was created in memory of Quds Force commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani just hours after his assassination in a U.S. air raid in Baghdad on January 3, 2020.

The painting depicts Soleimani’s remains embraced by Imam Hussein (AS). 

Ruholamin was nominated for the title of the Islamic Revolution Artist of the Year in 2020 for creating the painting.

The Islamic Revolution Artist of the Year is selected by the Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization.

Photo: “The Sky Fell Down”, a painting depicting the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) in the Ashura event, is on display during an exhibition of paintings by young artist Hassan Ruholamin at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMCA) on November 1, 2016. (Mehr/Mohammad Mohsenifar)

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