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Event
Information:
Ashura in 2010 falls on 16 December
The
Day of Ashura is on the 10th day of
Muharram in the Islamic calendar and
marks the climax of the Remembrance
of Muharram.
It is
commemorated by Shia Muslims as a
day of mourning for the martyrdom of
Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the
Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the
Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in
the year 61 AH (October 2, 680 CE).
According to Sunni Muslim tradition,
Muhammad fasted on this day and
asked other people to fast; Sunni
Muslims also remember the day
claiming that Moses fasted on that
day to express gratitude to God for
liberating the Israelites from
Egypt.
In
some Shia countries and regions such
as Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq,
Pakistan, Lebanon, and Bahrain, the
Commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali has
become a national holiday and most
ethnic and religious communities
participate in it. Even in
predominantly Hindu country like
India, Ashura (often called Moharram)
is a public holiday. India is home
to more than 40 to 55 million
Shiites.
The
word ashura simply means tenth in
Arabic language; hence the name of
the remembrance, literally
translated, means "the tenth day".
The day is indeed the tenth day of
the month, although some Islamic
scholars offer up different
etymologies. 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,
with some scholars suggesting that
this day is the tenth most important
day that God has blessed Muslims
with.
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