Haj Mulla Basim Ismail Muhammad-Ali al-Karbalaei (; born 11 November 1966), commonly known as Basim Karbalaei or Mulla Basim is an Iraqi

Shi'ite Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...

eulogy A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person or persons, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a ...

reciter. al-Karbalaei's voice and performance is considered particularly distinctive, the former is considered one of the most compelling instruments in the history of lamentations for the Ahl al-Bayt. His vocal abilities have allowed him to be identified as one of the greatest voices in the

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

world, widely heard by audiences all across the globe. His choice of poetry, melodies, performances, were able to attract millions of listeners, allowing them to abandon the types of music that are religiously forbidden. al-Karbalaei managed to fill a void for them, by continuously introducing new methods and styles in his recitations. He has also produced works languages other than Arabic, like

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. al-Karbalaei, for the most of it, has been apolitical with his elegies, trying to keep his elegies exclusively about the Ahl al-Bayt and their memory. In 2019, al-Karbalaei was gifted with a crown made of pure gold, and dubbed ''Sultan al-Minbar al-Hussaini'' (sultan of the Husayni pulpit), by the Hussaini Reciters Association in

Kadhimiya Kadhimiya ( ar, ٱلْكَاظِمِيَّة, al-Kāẓimiyyah, ) or Kadhimayn (, ) is a northern neighbourhood of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It is about from the city's center, on the west bank of the Tigris. 'Kadhimiya' is also the name of on ...

. He later donated the crown to the Abbas shrine museum.

Early life

al-Karbalaei was born in

Karbala Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorat ...

, to Ismail al-Karbalaei, and Siddiqa al-Tukmachi. He is the fourth of seven children. Whilst in Karbala, he was inspired by senior eulogy reciter Hamza al-Zighayir, and participated in his ''majalis'' (plu. mourning gatherings), until he died in 1976. In 1980, al-Karbalaei and his family emigrated to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, fleeing Bathist persecution. He lived in

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

, near his mother's family, and it was his uncle Rasool al-Tukmachi, who discovered al-Karbalaei's talent and began to encourage him to recite praises and lamentations in memory of the

Ahl al-Bayt Ahl al-Bayt ( ar, أَهْل ٱلْبَيْت, ) refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, but the term has also been extended in Sunni Islam to apply to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. ...

. He was then taken under the wing of a Mulla Taqi, who began taking him to the Husayniya; established by the people of Karbala who resided in Isfahan, to participate in. The first ever eulogy he recited was ''Taj al-Sa'ada Lel Yiwali Haidar'' (), by renowned late poet, Kadhim Manthoor. al-Karbalaei, then began to recite in different cities across Iran, at Husayniya's established by the Iraqi community. In Isfahan, he learns the Quran and its sounds well for five years. Then he goes to a person named Mullah Taghi Karbalaei to ask him for help. Bassem learns some poems from ( Mullah Taghi Karbalaei). His name quickly spread between the congregations, and began to attract the youth to his majalis, and through listening to him, they would cultivate pious sensibilities. al-Karbalaei began reciting eulogies mainly written by Muhammad-Ridha Fatthallah. However, after the death of Fatthallah, he was introduced to Jaber al-Kadhimi. al-Karbalaei and al-Kadhimi got on very well, and whilst the former was considered to be a talented reciter, the latter was considered one of the best poets of that time. It was here that a long relationship began, where they would produce modern melodies and lyrics, straying away from the traditional tunes and poetry that were recited before them. The first ten nights of

Muharram Muḥarram ( ar, ٱلْمُحَرَّم) (fully known as Muharram ul Haram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after R ...

(that are spent retelling the story of the murder of

Hussain Hussein, Hussain, Hossein, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein or Husain (; ar, حُسَيْن ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-i-N ( ar, ح س ی ن, link=no), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", " ...

, his family and his companions on

Ashura Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the ...

) are considered second only to

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

in its significance, and its considered the largest in congregation compared to other mourning seasons, and every Shia eulogy reciter dreams of hosting these ten nights, and al-Karbalaei's first ten night function was in 1988, in Qom. That year witnessed the beginning of al-Karbalaei's recognition as a capable reciter. In 2020 due to

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

he was infected with the virus and unfortunately he could not read for the first ten nights of Muharram because of the pandemic, but in

muharram Muḥarram ( ar, ٱلْمُحَرَّم) (fully known as Muharram ul Haram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after R ...

2021 he started reading again after he recovered and the COVID-19 crisis receded.

Career

In 1994, al-Karbalaei was invited to recite for the first ten nights of Muharram in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

. His majalis were recorded onto tape cassettes and distributed across the Islamic world. This allowed exposure on a much larger scale, and gained him international recognition. He also began to receive invitations in other countries, as close as

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

and as far as

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. He took residence in Kuwait, moving with his family. Following the advise of his mentor, Muhammad Ridha al-Shirazi, he formed a group of aspiring reciters, called ''Shabab al-Thaqalayn'', which was an ensemble of eighty youth, similar to a choir. This group often participated in auspicious functions celebrating the births of the Ahl al-Bayt. The group produced a notable amount of senior reciters. Upon many invitations, al-Karbalaei's visited Bahrain for the first time in 2002, for the first ten nights of Muharram. This was also the first time al-Karbalaei he was going to leave Kuwait in Muharram, after performing there for eight consecutive years. This proved a new challenge for al-Karbalaei, since the people of Bahrain had a slightly different approach when it came to the culture of ''latom'' (chest beating). He managed to quickly cope and accommodate to their

metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pref ...

, earning the recognition as a true innovator in the eulogy reciter's world. After the

invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Ba'athist Iraq, Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one mont ...

in 2003, al-Karbalaei visited Iraq, after being separated from his homeland for just over twenty-three years. He was welcomed greatly by his fellow countrymen. Majalis were hosted for him, in each of the holy sites, with crowds reaching up to hundreds of thousands. However, al-Karbalaei did not remain in Iraq for too long and returned to Kuwait, whilst still focusing on his performances across the globe. He spent the next couple of years of between

Manama Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is h ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for Muharram, and other Arab and Western countries for the other seasons. Eventually in 2007, he left Kuwait altogether, to settle in his wife's hometown, in

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

Media

al-Karbalaei is the first Shia eulogy reciter to produce a ''kasida'' (

elegy An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...

) in a studio. His first production was a feature in a project with Dawood Hussein, called ''al-mubahila''. After that, he went to produce over sixty albums, consisting of seven to ten tracks each. He was also the first reciter to release a music video. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he saw a huge success in album sales in

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

, Saudi and

. In 2003, after the Iraq invasion, when religious repression was lifted from the Shias, religious songs became a sought for commodity. Music stores across the country would declare that in ordinary days, people would buy ten Basim CD's to one Kadhim al-Sahir CD, as for during religious seasons, sales of Basim CDs would significantly increase. Gradually, al-Karbalaei's media presence and following became huge, his

Youtube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel began to show for this, with more than eight million subscribers and over two billion video views. al-Karbalaei has appeared on numerous state television channels, such as Bahrain, Lebanon and Iraq, and his sound tracks are constantly aired. He frequently appears on satellite channels.

Works

al-Karbalaei has authored three volumes of his book ''Hatha Ma Qara't'' (This Is What I Have Recited), which is a compilation of the elegies he has recited across his career.

Personal life

al-Karbalaei is married to an

Omani Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

woman. He has four children, a son (Ali) and three daughters (Fatima, Rayhanah and Roghayeh). His daughter Fatima, participated in his album Sawad al-Layl, in 2007, while his son Ali and daughter Roghayeh, began participating in albums with their father in 2013 until 2017.

Muharram Participations

Discography

Studio albums

*''Wa Fatimatah'' (O Fatima) (1993) m al-Banin Foundation*''Wa Tabqa Lana'' (It Remains For Us) (2000) m al-Banin Foundation*''Ya Hussain'' (O' Husayn) (2002) arbala Records*''Labayk Ya Husayn'' (Here We Are O' Husayn) (2003) arbala Records*''al-Razaya'' (The Tragedies) (2003) arbala Records*''al-Imam al-Hassan al-Masmoom'' (Imam Hassan the Poisoned) adak Records*''al-Zahra Fi Karbala'' (Zahra in Karbala) (2004) arbala Records*''Al-Adl al-Samawi'' (Justice of the Skies) (2004) niss al-Nofoss*''Ya Fatima'' (O' Fatima) (2004) arbala Records*''Bintu Muhammad'' (Muhammad's Daughter) (2004) l-Thaqalayn Records*''Wali Allah'' (Guardian of Allah) (2004) l-Thaqalayn Records*''Awdat al-Sabaya'' (Return of the Captives) (2004) arbala Records*''Nowh Iw Dami'' (Wails and Tears) (2004) l-Thaqalayn Records*''Karbala'' (2005) arbala Records*''Mata al-Multaqa'' (When Is The Meeting) (2005) l-Thaqalayn Records*''Uqsuduni'' (Come to Me) (2005) arbala Records*''Baad Ma Ashufak'' (I Will Not See You Again) (2006) nwar al-Huda Records*''Wahi al-Qawafi'' (Soul of the Words) (2006) l-Thaqalayn Records*''Qaws al-Sama (Bow of the Sky) (2006) arbala Records*''Ya Bab Fatima'' (O' Door of Fatima) (2006) arbala Records*''Usali Alayka'' (I Pray Upon You) (2007) l-Hayat Media*''Kalim al-Husayn'' (He Who Speaks to Husayn) (2007) hulfqiar Centre*''Sawad al-Layl'' (The Darkness of the Night) (2007) l-Faqih Library*''Wujudun Li Wujudi'' (Presence To My Presence) (2007) �Anwar al-Huda*''Sarab'' (Oasis) (2007) l-Thaqalayn Records*''Lahn al-Dima'' (The Melody of Blood) (2008) l-Hayat Media*''Lil Bukaa Baqiya'' (There Is Still Time To Mourn) (January, 2008) l-Hayat Media*''Kahf al-Wara'' (The Cave of the World) (January, 2008) l-Thaqalayn Records*''Sawt al-Rayah'' (The Voice of the Banner) (February, 2008) l-Raya al-Imamiya*''Bani Hashim'' (January, 2009) l-Thaqalayn Records*''Ayat al-Sabr'' (Verse of Patience) (January, 2009) [Anwar al-Huda) *''al-Mahkamah'' (The Court) (February, 2009) l-Raya al-Imamiya*''Shajar al-Arak'' (Tree of Arak) (December, 2009) l-Faqih Library*''Inaha Taqool'' (She Says) (December, 2009) K Media*''Qul Ma Tasha'' (Say What You Like) (December, 2010) l-Thaqalayn Records*''Ra'ayt al-Husayn'' (I Saw Husayn) (December, 2010) nwar al-Huda*''Uthama'' (Greats) (June, 2010) hulfiqar Centre*''Tezuruni'' (You Visit Me) (January, 2011) arbala Records*''Shams'' (Sun) (November, 2011) l-Ahrar Media*''Laka Antami'' (I Belong To You) (November, 2011) �Anwar al-Huda*''Yisajelny'' (He Registers Me) (December, 2011) K Media*''Majaninak'' (Your Insanes) (November, 2012) K Media*''Kuntu Wala Zilt'' (I Was, And Remain) (November, 2012) K Media*''Uthama 2'' (Greats 2) (July, 2013) hulfiqar Centre*''Hathihi al-Hikaya'' (This Story) (November, 2013) K Media*''Tilka al-Sarkha'' (That Scream) (November, 2013) K Media*''Qaedona al-Husayn'' (Our Leader is Husayn) (October, 2014) K Media*''Salla al-Mawt'' (Death Prayed) (October, 2014) K Media*''Maat al-Maa'' (Water is Dead) (October, 2015) K Media*''Yawm al-Arbaeen'' (The Day of Arbaeen) (November, 2015) K Media*''Banat al-Nabi'' (Daughters of the Prophet) (September, 2016) K Media*''Basim'' (September, 2017) K Media*''1440'' (September , 2018) K Media*''1443'' (July , 2021) K Media*''1444'' (July , 2022) K Media