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Ashura
/ʕaːʃwrah/
Ashura is the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
How this term should be used
For the early Muslim community in Madinah, Ashura was an obligatory day of fasting, and marked the saving of the Prophet Moses from the Pharaoh of Egypt. When the command to fast the month of Ramadan was revealed, the fast for Ashura became optional, and is still observed by Sunni Muslims today.
For Shi’a Muslims, Ashura is also the anniversary of the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali’s (the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad) at the Battle of Karbala in 61 AH (680 CE), and is of great theological and historical significance. Indeed, according to Mark Soileu, the events of Karbala have “led to the development of martyrdom as a definitive value of Shiism.” [1]
The events of Karbala are commemorated by Shia Muslims on the Ashura every year through passion plays called Ta’ziyyah which reenact and dramatize the martyrdom of Hussein. Some Shi’a Muslims also perform matam, a form of communal lamentation in which mourners self-flagellate, sometimes drawing blood, as a symbol of sacrifice. [2]
See also: Karbala, Matam, Muharram, Ta’ziyyah
