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The foundation (behind Azadari) is love and devotion,
and this is the very reason that they beat their chest.
It's due to this love and devotion that they strike their heads with swords.
It's due to this love and devotion that they hit their bodies with chains.
However, we should be careful not to create new traditions, because the past traditions where authentic.
Tatbir, for those who do it, is an authentic tradition.
It's love, and you can't stand in the way of it. It's wrong to stop it.
Through their love and devotion they strike their heads.
They (the wounds) heal instantly and there has not been a single case where someone has been harmed by these actions.
The Ulema who say it harms people are incorrect.
In fact, not only is it harmless, rather it has benefits.
It has spiritual benefits. They calm the pain in their hearts by showing their love.
It also has medical and physical benefits.
It is known that if they do not perform it one year they suffer headaches!
They do it almost unconsciously, and therefore it can't be said that it's wrong or haraam.
It is for this reason that Imam Khomeini, a Grand Marja, never said that it was haraam.
He only said that in some conditions it may be better not to do it, and those were very special conditions.
However, my opinion is that these actions are performed through love and therefore they must be continued.
For example, tatbir has a very long history and so we can't say don't perform tatbir.
In the event of Karbala, when Hazrate Zainab (AS) reached the markets of Kufa
and saw the head of Imam Hussain (AS), She hit Her head on a bar, causing blood to flow.
She never hit Her head on the bar for no reason. If someone did that for no reason then it would be wrong.
Rather it was because of the love and feelings She had for Her brother, the infallible Imam, that She hit Her head, causing blood to flow.
And this is exactly the same as those who perform tatbir.