Ashura marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed martyred in the year 680 while refusing the Caliph Yazid’s right to rule the Islamic world.
NEW DELHI: One of the most significant events during the month is Ashura.Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is also known as Muharram al-Haram, or the Sacred Muharram.
Muslims around the world will be taking the time for introspection, thinking over their previous year and how they might wish to better themselves.
This is on the 10th day of the month – but what date will that be, what does this religious festival mean and do people need to take part in fasting?During the month of Muharram, some mosques provide free meals on certain nights of the month to all people.
Islamic months run from sunset to sunset, Ashura will begin in the evening of September 20 and end in the evening of September 21.
For Shia Muslims, this day commemorates the death of Muhammad’s grandson Imam Husayn ibn Ali – and some of his family and companions – at the Battle of Karbala.
The word ‘Muharram’ means forbidden and sinful.The Shia Muslims mark the ceremonial mourning on this day and it’s called Ashura.
As part of Ashura, many Muslims take part in an act of mourning called matam.This involves men gathering in large groups on the streets for ceremonial chest beating using their hands – or sometimes using a metal chain with blades fixed to it.
Some places of worship offer free meals from the 9th to the 11th days of the new month.In addition, some Muslims make a pilgrimage to the Imam Husayn Shrine, at the burial site of Imam Husayn ibn Ali.
Other acts of mourning include Shia lamentations by reading poems called noha, as well as public recitations from the book Rawdat al-Shuhada (Garden of the Martyrs) that tells the tale of the tragedy at Karbala.
