Ashura

Day of Ashura
Shi'a Muslims observe Ashura in Lebanon
Official Name	Arabic: عاشوراء (‘Āshūrā’)
Also Called	Translation: Tenth
Observed By	Shi'a Muslims, although other Muslims may observe some practices
Type	Religious
Significance	Marks the martrydom of Husayn ibn Ali, the traditional date Noah's Ark came to rest, the birthdate of Ibrahim, and the day the Kaaba was built
Begins	{{{begins}}}
Ends	{{{ends}}}
Date	10 Muharram
Gregorian Date (2006)	February 9
Celebrations	{{{celebrations}}}
Observances	Prayer, Fasting, Flagellation, Beating of chests
Related To	Remembrance of Muharram, which encompasses the first ten days of Muharram and Ashura, and Yom Kippur, which corresponds with Ashura in the Jewish calendar

For the mythical demon in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, see Asura

For the Canaanite and Ugaritic mother-goddess, see Asherah.

The Day of Ashura (Arabic: عاشوراء‎ ​ translit: ‘Āshūrā’, also Aashoora and other spellings) is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram but not the Islamic month. For Shi'a Muslims, it commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala in the year 61 AH (AD 680), and is a day for mourning.

Ashura is also commemorated by Muslims as the traditional date on which Noah's ark came to rest, the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was born and the Ka'ba was built in Mecca. Ashura corresponds to the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur, which was held by the Jews of Medina.

The word ashura means simply tenth in Arabic; hence the name of the remembrance, literally translated, means "the tenth day". The scholars, however, give various explanations as to why it is thus called.

Shi'a commemoration

Main article: Remembrance of Muharram

Shi'a Muslims process through downtown Montreal in commemoration of Ashura.

This day is of particular significance to Shi'a Muslims, who consider Husayn the third Imam and a rightful successor of Muhammad. Many Shi'a make pilgrimages on Ashura to the Mashhad al-Husayn, the shrine in Karbala, Iraq that is traditionally held to be Husayn's tomb. Shi'as also express mourning by thumping their chests. This is intended to connect them with Husayn's suffering and death. Husayn's martyrdom is widely interpreted by Shi'a as a symbol of the struggle against injustice, tyranny, and oppression. The regime of Saddam Hussein saw this as a potential threat and banned Ashura commemorations for many years. In neighboring Iran, the remembrance became a major political symbol during the Islamic Revolution, as also occurred in the Lebanese Civil War, and in Bahrain during the History of Bahrain. The Iranian Revolution and social and political change and the anti-government uprising of the 1990s. In the 1884 Hosay Massacre, 22 people were killed in Trinidad and Tobago when civilians attempted to carry out the Ashura rites, locally known as Hosay, in defiance of the British colonial authorities.

Shi'a Muslims in Bahrain strike their chests during the Remembrance of Muharram.

Some Shi'a observe Ashura with a traditional flagellation ritual called zanjeer zani or zanjeer matam, involving the use of a zanjeer (a chain with a set of curved knives at the end). [1] The practice is not universal - many Shi'a enact the ritual by beating their chests symbolically. [2]

Many of the events associated with Ashura are held in special congregation halls known as "Hussainia".

Sunni commemoration

Sunnis also commemorate Ashura, but for different reasons. According to Sunni tradition, The prophet Muhammad observed the Ashura fast in Mecca, as did the local population where it was a common practice. When Muhammad led his followers to Medina, he found the Jews of that area fasting on the day of Ashura - or Yom Kippūr - in remembrance of Moses, inter alia. At this juncture, Muhammad confirmed and underlined the Islamic aspect of the fast, and it became mandatory for the Muslims. Ibn Hajar al-asqalani, in his commentary on Bukhari's collection, says that the obligatoriness of the fast was superseded by fasting in Ramadan, a year later. Today, Sunnis regard fasting on the 10th of Muharram as recommended, though not obligatory. The day carries considerably less significance for Sunnis than it does for Shi'as.

While Sunnis generally consider the martyrdom of Husayn to be an extremely poignant and heartrending event and one of great historical importance, they do not ascribe credal significance to it as the Shi'a do. Hence, Sunni practices commemorating Ashura generally do not involve Husayn or his death and consist mainly of fasting and prayers.

At 'folk' level however, popular Sunni practices can resemble those of the Shi'a. Most Sunnis are unaware that Ashura is pre-Madinan (or indeed pre-Karbala). The incident is often used in some circles as a precedence for adopting practices from other religious communities in the context of 'modernisation' e.g. using the Christian calendar, which has practically supplanted the Hijira in most Muslim states.

Violence during Ashura

The Sunni and Shi'a schism is highlighted by the difference in observance by Sunni and Shi'a Muslims. In countries that have significant populations of both sects, there is often violence during the holiday. Recently, Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan have all seen suicide Sunni bombers killing Shi'ite mourners. [3]

The 2004 (1425 AH) Shi'a pilgrimage to Karbala, the first since Saddam Hussein was removed from power in Iraq, was marred by bomb attacks, which killed and wounded hundreds despite tight security.

Etymology of Ashura

The word Ashura is Arabic for tenth. In his book Ghuniyatut Talibin, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani writes that the Islamic scholars have a difference of opinion as to why this day is known as Ashura. The general consensus is that the day is the tenth day of the month of Muharram. Some scholars, however, suggest that this day is the tenth most important day that God has blessed Muslims with; hence the name Ashura.

Ashura in the Gregorian calendar

While Ashura is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year due to differences between the two calendars, since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. Furthermore, the method used to determine when each Islamic month begins varies from country to country. (For details, please see Islamic calendar.)

• 2003: March 13
• 2004: March 2
• 2005: February 19
• 2006: February 9
• 2007: January 29
• 2008: January 19
• 2009: January 7, then December 27
• 2010: December 16

(Please note that future dates listed above are only estimates.)

See also

• Remembrance of Muharram
• Battle of Karbala
• List of Dawoodi Bohra Ashura Locations

External links

• Ashura.com – explains the background and significance of the remembrance
• What is Ashura? (BBC News)
• Date of Islamic Holy Days (moonsighting.com)
• Description of Husayn's martyrdom on the day of Ashura
• Annual Muharram Procession in New York, the largest Shi'a gathering in North America.
• Description of breast beating during an Ashura gathering in North America
• A Collection of articles and poetry related to Ashura and pictures from Ashura Awareness Week
• Dates of Ashura until 2010
• Ashura Awareness Site