However, either way; you have come to the right place, and will teach you everything there is to know about the day of Ashura, just keep reading to learn more.
So, what is Ashura? Well, literally, it means the tenth of Muharram, which is the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar. It’s the day that God provided an escape by His miracle for Prophet Musa and the Children of Israel from Pharaoh’s tyranny by splitting the Red Sea.
That is only part of the answer. If you want to read the whole answer, all that you have to do is to keep reading.
What Is the Day of Ashura?
The Day of Ashura is of prime importance in the Islamic calendar and is positioned on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar. “Ashura” literally means “tenth,” so the use of this terminology for the day explains itself.
Different Islamic communities associate different meanings with Ashura, each with its traditions undertaken on the day.
1. For Sunni Muslims:
Historical Significance: Ashura is the day of salvation of Moses and his people from the cruel tyranny of Pharaoh because of the parting of the Red Sea. Our Prophet advised us to fast on this day in memory of the occasion.
Fasting: Most Sunni Muslims fast during Ashura as an encouraged—and not mandatory—practice. Some even add another day to the fasting, the one before, the 9th of Muharram, and the one after, the 11th of Muharram.
2. For Shia Muslims:
Martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali: Ashura is mostly observed in memory of the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was martyred in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
This battle formed a turning point in Shia history and indeed symbolized the struggle against oppression and injustice.
Commemoration Practices: The event of Ashura is celebrated with mourning rituals by the Shia Muslims, which include plays reenacting the Battle of Karbala, processions, narratives of Husayn’s martyrdom in front of the public, and manifestations of grief and sorrow.
Others have practiced self-flagellation or bloodletting, but these are controversial and not universally accepted by Shia scholars.
More generally, Ashura refers to one of those days of Islam that powerfully echoes some of the broader themes within the history of the religion, religiosity, and culture regarding both solemn memory and works of devotion.
What Is the History of the Day of Ashura?
The Day of Ashura is of great value in Islamic history and holds massive historical and religious significance for the two major segments of Muslims: the Sunnis and the Shias.
The following are the main historical events concerning Ashura:
Sunni View
- Prophet Moses (Musa) and the Israelites:
Ashura refers to the day Prophet Moses and the Israelites were saved from tyranny under Pharaoh.
It has been said to define the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea in Islamic tradition, signifying that the Israelites could flee and Pharaoh’s forces were drowned.
One such incident that Prophet Muhammad came to know through the Jews of Medina was the recommendation of fasting on that day in gratitude to divine deliverance.
In so doing, it echoed the Jewish tradition of Yom Kippur, but with very marked distinctions in meaning and practice.
- Fasting:
The Day of Ashura was initially obligatory to fast for a Muslim. However, after Ramadan was established as the obligatory fasting period, Ashura became a recommended fast, but not obligatory.
Many Muslims today fast on the 9th and the 10th of Muharram or the 10th and the 11th of Muharram just to avoid the similarities with the Jewish practice of fasting.
Shia Viewpoint
- Martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali:
The most important historical event associated with Ashura for the Shia Muslims is the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
Husayn and his companions were killed in the Battle of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram in 680 CE.
This battle rose against the backdrop of huge political storms and dissensions that gripped the early Islamic community.
Husayn’s stand against Umayyad Caliph Yazid ibn Muawiya was held to be a stand against tyranny, corruption, and iniquity.
2. Battle of Karbala:
It was Husayn alone, accompanied by a few companions including his family members, as opposed to the well-equipped and large army of the Umayyads.
Thus, even while besieged and vastly outnumbered, he refused to pay homage to Yazid, which culminated in a tragic and ghastly massacre.
Husayn’s martyrdom and the sufferings of his family, with the captured women and children in particular, left an imprint that carried forward in the Shia community and its eventual evolution to symbolize resistance and sacrifice.
Remembrance and Practices
Sunni Muslims: Fasting and prayer; telling stories about past events, for example, Moses and the people of Israel.
Shia Muslims: Rituals for mourning, processions, acting out the Battle of Karbala, reading aloud of public statements, beating of the chest, or other such demonstrations of sorrow; some also practice self-flagellation or bloodletting, though the latter have both been controversial within the Shia community.
The Day of Ashura has remained very close to some important historical and theological themes that the religion of Islam has carried across human memory concerning faith, deliverance, sacrifice, and resistance to oppression.
Why Is the Day of Ashura Important?
The Day of Ashura holds seminal importance in the landscapes of Islam for divergent reasons; it reflects meanings cast not on one that relates to historical, cultural, or spiritual significance but on all of the above.
The degree of importance surpasses the recognized viewpoints of the Sunni and Shia Muslims, who give the day divergent practices and views.
Its Importance for the Sunni Muslims
- Divine Deliverance:
Ashura is the day of the redemption of Prophet Moses and the Children of Israel from the tyranny of the Pharaoh.
In the Islamic tradition, the miracle was performed by the splitting of the Red Sea to let the Children of Israel pass across but let the Pharaoh’s forces drown within it.
It is the miracle representing God’s very mercy, justice, and salvation of the trustful from unjust violence.
- Fasting:
Prophet Muhammad encouraged fasting on Ashura in gratitude for Moses and the Israelites’ salvation.
The day is considered meritorious, and it leads to the expiation of minor misdeeds committed during the previous year.
The fast of ‘Ashura’ is not wajib, though it is among the recommended acts and is generally kept together with either the 9th and 10th or the 10th and 11th of Muharram.
It is important for Shia Muslims for the following reasons:
- Martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali:
Ashura Day holds immense significance for the Shia Muslims, who consider this day to be when the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, Husayn ibn Ali, was martyred and beheaded in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
Some hold the view that Husayn’s stand against the Umayyad caliph Yazid ibn Muawiya is considered to epitomize the struggle against all forms of tyranny, iniquity, and persecution.
It has been held that his martyrdom was one for the salvation of the religion of Islam and its dogmas.
- Battle of Karbala:
The incidents of Karbala, when he and his company were surrounded, without water, and finally killed, have come to represent things like courage, loyalty, and faith.
The suffering that Husayn and his house underwent, particularly the capture of their women and children, was something that became imprinted in the Shia community forever.
This helped cement communal identity and solidarity among them.
Shia Muslims continue to observe Ashura through intense mourning rituals in the forms of processions, recitations of elegies, acting out of the Battle of Karbala, and beating of the chest to express grief and sorrow.
These rituals have attached themselves to remembering the sacrifice that Husayn and his companions made for their cause.
Broader Significance
- Symbol of Resistance:
Especially in the context of Shia, Ashura has become an epitome of resistance to oppression, a beacon to utter straight to justice no matter how overwhelmingly impossible the odds might seem.
- Unity and Reflection:
While to Sunni and Shia Muslims, Ashura serves as a reminder of the opportunity and need to ponder over and reflect upon those things at the heart of Islam, from faith and patience to fight injustices against others it is a reminder of the common history and belief that ties the Muslim nation despite the different sects.
The benefits of fasting on the day of Ashura are increased spirituality by the virtue of forgiveness of sins and enhanced piety and gratitude.
The day of Ashura is important because it stores and symbolizes important historical events, teaches spiritual and moral lessons, inculcates brotherhood and identity among the Muslims, etc.
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