Al-Muharram (Arabic:ٱلْمُحَرَّم,romanized: al-Muḥarram) is the first month of theIslamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month ofSafar. The tenth of Muharram is known asAshura, an important day of commemoration inIslam. ForSunni Muslims, the day commemorates theparting of the Red Sea byMoses and the salvation of theIsraelites, observed through voluntaryfasting and other permissible expressions of gratitude. By contrast, Ashura is a day of mourning forShia Muslims, who annually commemorate the death ofHusayn ibn Ali, grandson of theIslamic prophetMuhammad and the thirdShia imam. Husayn was killed, alongside most of his relatives and his small retinue, in theBattle of Karbala in 680CE against the army of theUmayyad caliphYazid ibn Mu'awiya (r. 680–683). The Shia rituals span the first ten days of Muharram, culminating on Ashura with mourning processions in Shia cities. Also in Muharram, theAqsa mosque inJerusalem was initially set as the direction of prayer for early Muslims.
The tenth of Muharram is known asAshura, an important day of commemoration in Islam. ForSunniMuslims, Ashura marks theparting of the Red Sea byMoses and the salvation of theIsraelites.[2][3] Also on this day,Noah disembarked from theArk,[3] God forgaveAdam, andJoseph was released from prison, among various auspicious events on Ashura in Sunni tradition.[4] Ashura is celebrated in Sunni Islam through supererogatoryfasting, and also other pious acts and acceptable expressions of joy.[4][4] In some Sunni communities, the annual Ashura festivities include carnivals, bonfires, and special dishes,[5][6] even though some Sunni scholars have criticized such practices.[4][7]
By contrast, forShia Muslims, Ashura is a day of mourning as they commemorate the martyrdom ofHusayn ibn Ali, grandson of theIslamic prophetMuhammad and the thirdShia imam.[8][9] Husayn refused on moral grounds to pledge his allegiance to theUmayyad caliphYazid ibn Mu'awiya (r. 680–683) and was subsequently killed, alongside most of his male relatives and his small retinue, by the Umayyad army in theBattle of Karbala on Ashura 61AH (680CE).[10][11] Among the Shia, mourning for Husayn is viewed as an act of protest against oppression, and as such a struggle for God (jihad).[12][13] Mourners also hope to secure the intercession of Husayn in the afterlife.[14][15] Ashura is observed annually through mourning gatherings, processions, and reenactments.[16][17]
Conversion of Hijri years 1343 to 1500 to the Gregorian calendar, with first days of al-Muharram (brown), Ramadan (grey) and Shawwal (black) bolded, and Eid al-Adha dotted – inthe SVG file, hover over a spot to show its dates and a line to show the month
The Islamic calendar is lunar, and months begin when the first crescent (hilal) of a new moon is sighted. Since the lunar year (of twelvelunar months) is eleven or twelve days shorter than thesolar year.[18] Muharram days are different in consecutive solar years.[19]
2 Muharram: Arrival of Husayn ibn Ali inKarbala,Iraq, in 680. On their way to the nearbyKufa, Husayn and his small caravan were intercepted by the Umayyad army and eventually forced to camp in the desert lands of Karbala, away from water and fortifications.[10]
7 Muharram: The Umayyad army cut off Husayn's access to the drinking water of the nearbyEuphrates river.[20] Under the siege, Husayn's camp suffered from thirst and hunger in the coming days.[21][22][23]
9 Muharram (Tasu'a): Negotiations between Husayn and the Umayyads failed on this day in 680. The Umayyad commanderUmar ibn Sa'd (d. 686) was set to attack after the afternoon prayer on Tasu'a but was persuaded to delay the confrontation until the following day.[24][10] Husayn and his men spent the night in prayer.[25][26]
10 Muharram (Ashura): The Battle of Karbala was fought on this day in 680. Husayn and most of his male relatives and his small retinue were slaughtered by the Umayyad army by the end of the day. After the battle, the women and children in Husayn's camp were taken prisoner and marched to the Umayyad capitalDamascus inSyria.[27]
1 Muharram: Death of CaliphUmar (r. 634–644) by injuries from the attack of Persian slaveAbu Lu'lu'a Firuz.[28] Sunnis carry rallies on 1 Muharram to commemorate Umar.[29]
2–10 Muharram: Most mourning rituals for Karbala take place during the first ten days of Muharram, culminating on the tenth with processions in major Shia cities.[30][31]
16 Muharram: On this day, the Islamic prophet Muhammad set theAqsa mosque inJerusalem as theqibla, towards which early Muslims prayed.[1] This was superseded later by the ancientKa'ba sanctuary inMecca in connection with verse 2:144 of theQuran, the central religious text in Islam.[35]
17 Muharram: Arrival of the "people of the elephant" in Mecca, a reference to al-Fil (lit.'the elephant'), asurah (chapter) in the Quran.[1]
Bakhsh, Khwaja Muhammad Tahir (2008).Jalwa Gah-e-Dost (in Urdu) (2nd ed.). Archived fromthe original on 7 October 2011.
Beverley, J.A. (2011)."Ashura". In Gordon Melton, J. (ed.).Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations. ABC-CLIO. pp. 47–49.ISBN9781598842050.
Blank, J. (2001).Mullahs on the Mainframe: Islam and Modernity Among the Daudi Bohras. University of Chicago Press.ISBN9780226056760.
Calmard, J. (1987)."'Azādārī".Encyclopaedia Iranica. Vol. III/2. pp. 174–177.
Pinault, D. (2000). "Zaynab bin 'Ali and the Place of the Women of the Households of the First Imāms in Shī'īte Devotional Literature". In Hambly, G. (ed.).Women in the Medieval Islamic World: Power, Patronage, and Piety. Macmillan.ISBN9780333800355.
