 For those who ask, why do we wear black on the days we mourn Ahlul Bayt alayhum salam? Black is often seen as an aggressive or negative color, but it is the traditional color in many cultures of mourning, the dead or the deceased, therefore we wear black in Muharram and Safar and on other days of mourning to show our grief and sympathy towards the martyrdom dates of the Ahlul Bayt alayhum salam in respect to their tragedies. Some members from other schools of thought have come forward and said that this is problematic, it's problematic that the shay'ah wear black because it is supposedly Makroh or even Haram. The reason they give for this is because black is supposedly the dress of the people of Hellfire, however the Ahlul Bayt alayhum salam have told us that wearing black is permissible and in the case of mourning it is mustahab, recommended. For example when a student of Imam Sadiq alayhi salam saw him wearing a black cloak and inquired about it, the Imam answered, would I wear it knowing that it is the dress of the people of Hell? For the shay'ah the death of the grandson of the Holy Prophet peace be upon him and his family is just as grievous as losing a family member or a close friend, so we wear black as a form of sensitivity towards the Holy Prophet peace be upon him and his family. And his family as the massacre of Karbala was something that really pained their hearts. We do this as a form of respect as it says in the Holy Qur'an and whoever respects the signs of Allah, this surely is the outcome of the piety of the hearts. In addition Ayatullah Sayyid Hassan al-Shirazi has written that wearing black reminds the mourners that they not only yearn for Imam Hussain alayhi salam but also for the principles and goals which he represented and to revolt not only against Yazid al-Anatullah alayh but against the principles and goals which he represented. It was the custom of the Ahlul Bayt alayhum salam to wear black for mourning. As Omar the son of Imam Zayn al-Abideen alayhi salam narrates after the day of Ashura, the woman of Bani Hashim wore black dresses for a long period of time. May Allah include us among those that soothe the heart of his messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa alayhi wa sallam and his pure family alayhi salam.