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Muharram 2022: Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. The lunar calendar began when the Prophet decided to migrate from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD. The conversion process is called Hijra (Hijra) and the calendar year is also known as the Hijra year. The first year of Muharram is known as al-Hijri and marks the beginning of the new Islamic calendar.
Muharram and Ashura
The word Muharram comes from the Arabic root “haram” (a short sound after r and before m) meaning “forbidden”. The word “Ashura” comes from the Semitic word meaning tenth. “Yum” means day in Arabic. Literally translated, the word “Yum-e-Ashura” means its tenth day.
Meaning of Asura
The month of Muharram and the day of Ashura are important to both Sunni and Shia Muslims for various reasons. According to Sunnis, the sanctity of Yam-e-Asura was established during the Prophet’s migration from Mecca. Later, the Jews of Medina observed the “Ashura” fast to mark the victory of Musa (Moses) over Pharaoh. The Prophet told his companions (or early followers of Islam) to celebrate the victory of Moses and fast on the day of Ashura.
Sunni Muslims usually fast for two days during the month of Muharram. One is on the day of Ashura and the other is the day before Ashura (10 Muharram).
For Shias, the month of Muharram is a month of mourning and remembrance. One of the most tragic events in the history of Islam, the martyrdom of Husayn Ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet, took place at Yumueh Ashra in Karbala (now a city in Iraq).
Battle of Karbala
The Battle of Karbala took place on 10 Muharram 61 Al-Hijri or 680 AD. It was a brief military engagement in which a small group led by Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet and son of the fourth Caliph, was defeated and killed by the forces of the Umayyad leader Yazid.
Day of Mourning On this day, Shias around the world commemorate the martyrdom of Husayn Ibn Ali. A Shia preacher preaches the life of Husayn and the story of Karbala. Memorial plays and funerals are also held, and some believers practice self-mutilation as an expression of extreme grief.
