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‘Ashura Through the Ages
On the 10th of the month of Muharram, 1331 years ago, on the plains of Karbala, two armies stood facing each other. The bloody battle which ensued resulted in the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh*) at the hands of the Caliph Yazid’s men.
Shi’a Muslims across the world regard this day, known as ‘Ashura, as a day of mourning, and footage of mourning rituals is broadcast on our TV screens. Whilst most of what we see in the brisk coverage on the evening news may be footage of practises in Iran, this day is, in fact, also honoured by Shi’a Muslims in Trinidad and Tobago, of all places. Renamed Hosay, ‘Ashura constitutes part of a 13-day festival whereby a 10-day fast is observed, followed by three days of lively celebrations, featuring what seems to be rather a lot of tinsel. Quite a different image to ‘Ashura in Iran or Iraq.
Yet what is often missed amongst all this, is that the 10th of Muharram is in fact a day which Muslims from all denominations commemorate, whether Sunni or Shi’a, and this is based on events which took place long before the Battle of Karbala.
According to Islamic tradition ‘Ashura, meaning ‘tenth’ in both Arabic and Hebrew, marks the day God rescued the Children of Israel from the tyrannical grasp of the Pharaoh by splitting the Red Sea.
In remembrance of God’s mercy upon this group of people who had been oppressed at the hands of a brutal dictator, according to the Islamic tradition, Jews at the time of the Prophet Muhammad used to fast on this day. As testament to the fact that Muslims too revere and believe in Moses as a prophet and messenger of God, and in commemoration of God’s aid to His followers, and in the spirit of shared bonds between Muslims and other people of Scripture, Muslims too were ordered to fast on the day of ‘Ashura, along with either the day preceding or following it.
Various Islamic sources also relate that this day was also the day that Adam was forgiven for his transgression, Noah was saved from the flood, Job was healed from his illness, and Jesus was brought up to heaven.
The month of Muharram itself is a sacred period during which, even before Islam, fighting of any kind was strictly prohibited, a directive which continued into the Islamic period. Being the first month of the Islamic calendar, it is also a chance for Muslims to reflect upon the Hijra, the migration of the early believers from Mecca to Medina in order to escape persecution, an act which signified the start of the Islamic calendar 1433 years ago.
Recounting these additional significances to the day of ‘Ashura, and the month of Muharram as a whole, in the midst of the turmoil gripping several countries in the Middle East, one cannot help but be struck by the way in which history repeats itself. And whilst it would be naïve to think that any religious prohibition of violence during this month would be adhered to, one can only pray that this new Islamic year brings with it the salvation and freedom for those seeking to practise that which they believe in.
About the author
Anna-Maria Ramzy
Anna-Maria Ramzy is Associate Editor of Spirituality at The Platform.
Anna-Maria Ramzy is Associate Editor of Spirituality at The Platform.
5 Comments
E+
Saif,
“So God saved all these people on the day of Ashura (the holy Jewish day) and He (s.w) couldn’t do so for His dearest of creatures grandson?”
seems to me a huge misunderstanding of the significance that the Shia place on Ashura. The martyrdom of Imam Hussain is both tragic but was also part of God’s cosmic plan. In that sense Imam Hussain had to die and there is no theological question of the possibility of God “saving” the Imam as he had to be martyred in order to become a symbol of justice for us today. In this sense while there is cause for mourning the Imam, there is also cause for celebrating what he and his family stood for in dying for Islam. Therefore I don’t think you should be so offended by what others choose to do on this day. In any case leave each to his own traditions.
while there are legitimate disputes over the hadiths you speak of (and I for one don’t agree with the Sunni narrative on Ashura), you make some unfounded and unhelpful assertions about Sunnism.
Firstly, it is not the case that all Sunnis side with Yazid as well as Imam Hussain. That is mainly a position which is held by groups such as salafis/wahabis which does not account for the majority of Sunnis. Many Sunnis from Sufi backgrounds as well as other backgrounds also rightly see Yazid as a tyrant. In any case your provokative remarks are certainly not in the spirit of Muharram, surely we should be focusing on Imam Hussain’s overall message of justice rather than attempting to stir up sectarian conflicts over the internet.
Saif
To E+,
Nowhere in my answer did I state sunnis as a whole, in fact my comment was directed at the opinion of the writer, as that is the one that counts here.
There are many opinions in the school of Ahlul Sunnah, where scholars like AlBaghdadi, also a historian, remarked that Yazeed must be cursed, and with this opinion many many sunni scholars sided.
In fact, my speech was also directed at those who are against that, named by yourself as “salafis/wahabis” and I did not mean to name anyone but the direction of my contribution in general was aimed towards the aforementioned group.
As to why didn’t God save the imam, that was a cynical rather a sarcastic question by me where I followed the writer’s logic through which she positions the day of ashura as a historical day of joy, a day when Allah (s.w) blessed many believers with miracles, and joyful blesses. In a cynical tone, which probably escaped your attention as I may have not made it clear, I challenged this theory by putting forth a fact, one which really is the reason of the contribution to begin with. Furthermore, I listed some questions above that remain unanswered, one of which was “why and when did Muslims take the beginning of the year on 1 of Muharram, when hijra was actually done on 1st of Rabi’ (I). I wanted to expose the politics behind it in the everlasting attempts and continuous efforts to confuse the Muslims and try to wipe away the sadness that must be felt by the ummah on that day… with more joyful festivities of course.
I hope you’re in the best of health.
Salam
AM Ramzy
Thank you for your comments, though it seems an non-existant narrative and a few suppositions have been read into what was written. I shall clarify.
Firstly, nowhere in the article did I use the word ‘celebrate’ when referring to Sunni practise on the day of ‘Ashura. You are wrong to suppose that it is regarded as a day of festivities, rather it marks a day to remember and reflect upon events which happened in the past. (Whether or not you choose to believe the hadith is up to you.)
Secondly, the article does not state that the Hijra took place in the month of Muharram (though I admit the text is not clear so thank you for raising this), rather that this event marks the first year of the calendar, just as the Christian calendar, theoretically, dates back to the birth of Jesus but does not start on 25th December.
No ‘you’ v ‘us’ attitude was intended or included here. Rather, the point of the article was to draw attention to the fact that ‘Ashura is a day of remembrance for all Muslims, though their reasons for reflection may be different (and not by any means mutually exclusive). It should be something which unites us, not something which promotes criticism, or indeed scathing remarks, of the ‘other’.
Thank you.
voji91
hi
i made a video of our (iranian) religious mourning for Imam Hussein (that was held by university students) and i was wondering if you could watch it and tell me your opinion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRrKYbcluhs
wish you the best
So God saved all these people on the day of Ashura (the holy Jewish day) and He (s.w) couldn’t do so for His dearest of creatures grandson?
We celebrate the escape of Jews from tyranny, while the blood of the prophet was spilled with Islamic tyranny? Fishy analysis, I’m afraid.
You suppose that God saved Adam on the 10 of ashura based on what? That the prophet already done the hijra or the Jewish calender was active at that time i.e. before Adam was sent down to earth?
My point of view is that all the celebrations of festivity you speak of were the result of careful umayyad plotting and some from even before to try and wipe away the shame they put on themselves by killing the “Master of youth of heaven”. Oh and the kind followers of Islam surely kept traditions and followed them to their highest detail but when they were beheading the man who grew up on his grandfather’s lap, at that point for some reason all the teachings were dashed out of the window?
The two-faced preaching between siding with the killer and the murdered has become a trademark of a certain sect in Islam, surely the shias are not the ones to do so… and they are hated and declared satanic because of such.
Fast in celebration while we mourn with sadness, Allah (s.w) will judge between us.
Final question, does real hijra start in the month of muharram???
Take care