Statistical Analysis of Historical Citations Regarding Āshūrā Used in Madīna Maʿājiz al-aʾīmma al-ʾasnā- ʾashar

Conducting the mourning rituals of Āshūrā and Āshūrānegārī were highly useful practices in order to preach Shīʿīsm and Shīʿa doctrines during the Ṣaffavīd period. Among such works, Buḥrānī’s Madīna Maʿājiz al-aʾīmma played a crucial role. Therefore, it proves necessary to analyse the citations used in this work in reference to Shīʿa resources.The present essay adopts the mixed method of research. Data is collected through library research, while statistics and citations are provided in tables and charts in order to recognize the citation rate after counting the number of citations to Shīʿa and Sunnī resources. The study reveals that 95% of the book’s citations refer to Shīʿa resources, with the remaining 5% referring to Sunnī resources. All in all, the book does not hold a high academic standing because it has made use of unreliable contemporary resources. Buḥrānī has used such resources in an act of favoring Sunnī manuscripts and as a kind of ultimatum presented to the Sunnīs. Most of the Shīʿa resources used by Buḥrānī are related to rituals, pilgrimage, and manāqib. On the other hand, most Sunnī resources cite and refer to historical events.