Muharram
First month of the Islamic calendar
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Religious gatherings are held in mosques, husayniyyas, and other communal spaces, where scholars and maddahs recount the events of Karbala and discuss themes such as justice, sacrifice, resistance to oppression, and loyalty to the family of Muhammad. The tenth day, Ashura, is marked by particularly solemn ceremonies. Husayn's suffering and martyrdom became a symbol of sacrifice in the struggle for right against wrong, and for justice and truth against injustice and falsehood. He is a universal, borderless, interfaith and meta-religion symbol. Husayn and his companions are widely regarded as martyrs by all Muslims.
Among the practices associated with Muharram are mourning processions, recitation of elegies and lamentations, charitable distribution of food and water, and the recitation of accounts of the Battle of Karbala. The Shias practice ritual chest-beating (latmiyya or sīnah-zanī) as an expression of mourning. Muharram is also observed by Sunni Muslims, although its religious significance differs from that in Shia Islam. For Sunni Muslims, the day commemorates the parting of the Red Sea by Moses and the salvation of the Israelites, observed through voluntary fasting and other permissible expressions of gratitude. Sunnis additionally regard the killing of Husayn as a tragic event in Islamic history and commemorate it through sermons, remembrance, or other forms of reflection. Also in Muharram, the Al- Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem was initially set as the direction of prayer (qibla) for early Muslims.
Origins
Muharram (lit. 'sacred') is the first month of the Islamic calendar, with (at most) thirty days. Warfare in Muharram is forbidden, and it has been so since before the advent of Islam. The word Muharram is short for "Muharram Safar" (lit. 'sacred Safar'), which distinguishes in the ancient Arab calendar between Safar I, which was sacred, and Safar II, which was not. Over time, however, the adjective Muharram itself became the name of the first month of the year.
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Ashura
The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in Islam. For Sunni Muslims, Ashura marks the parting of the Red Sea by Moses and the salvation of the Israelites. Also on this day, Noah disembarked from the Ark, God forgave Adam, and Joseph was released from prison, among various auspicious events on Ashura in Sunni tradition. Ashura is celebrated in Sunni Islam through supererogatory fasting, and also other pious acts and acceptable expressions of joy. In some Sunni communities, the annual Ashura festivities include carnivals, bonfires, and special dishes, even though some Sunni scholars have criticized such practices.
By contrast, for Shia Muslims, Ashura is a day of mourning as they commemorate the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam. Husayn refused on moral grounds to pledge his allegiance to the Umayyad caliph Yazid 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 the Battle of Karbala on Ashura 61 AH (680 CE). Among the Shia, mourning for Husayn is viewed as an act of protest against oppression, and as such a struggle for God (jihad). Mourners also hope to secure the intercession of Husayn in the afterlife. Ashura is observed annually through mourning gatherings, processions, and reenactments.
Timing
The Islamic calendar is lunar, and months begin when the first crescent (hilal) of a new moon is sighted. Since the lunar year (of twelve lunar months) is eleven or twelve days shorter than the solar year. Muharram days are different in consecutive solar years.
Battle of Karbala
- 2 Muharram: Arrival of Husayn ibn Ali in Karbala, Iraq, in 680. On their way to the nearby Kufa, 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.
- 7 Muharram: The Umayyad army cut off Husayn's access to the drinking water of the nearby Euphrates river. Under the siege, Husayn's camp suffered from thirst and hunger in the coming days.
- 9 Muharram (Tasu'a): Negotiations between Husayn and the Umayyads failed on this day in 680. The Umayyad commander Umar 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. Husayn and his men spent the night in prayer.
- 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 capital Damascus in Syria.
Other Islamic events
- 1 Muharram: Death of Caliph Umar (r. 634–644) by injuries from the attack of Persian slave Abu Lu'lu'a Firuz. Sunnis carry rallies on 1 Muharram to commemorate Umar.
- 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.
- 5 Muharram: Baba Farid, a Punjabi Sufi saint, died on this day in 1266. His death is celebrated (urs) for six days during Muharram, in Pakpattan, Pakistan.
- 8 Muharram: In what became known as the 1782 Muharram Rebellion, on this day Bengali Muslims in Sylhet staged one of the earliest anti-British uprisings in the Indian subcontinent.
- 16 Muharram: On this day, the Islamic prophet Muhammad set the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem as the qibla, towards which early Muslims prayed. This was superseded later by the ancient Ka'ba sanctuary in Mecca in connection with verse 2:144 of the Quran, the central religious text in Islam.
- 17 Muharram: Arrival of the "people of the elephant" in Mecca, a reference to al-Fil (lit. 'the elephant'), a surah (chapter) in the Quran.