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Day of Ashura

Posted by Amir Keshavarz (Shiraz, Iran) on 28 January 2010 in Lifestyle & Culture.

The Day of Ashura (عاشوراء (ʻĀshūrā’, Ashura, Ashoura, and other spellings) is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram.

It is commemorated by Shia Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 02, 680 AD[1]). According to Sunni Muslim tradition, the Prophet Muhammad fasted on this day and asked other people to fast.[2][3]; Sunni Muslims also celebrate the day claiming that Moses fasted on that day to express gratitude to God for liberating the Israelites from Egypt.

In some Shia countries and regions such as Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali has become a national holiday and most ethnic and religious communities participate in it. Even in Sunni dominated Muslim community of India, Ashura (often called Moharram) is a public holiday.

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