Muharram
The story of Ashura is deeply ingrained in Islamic history, particularly for Shia Muslims, as it marks the climax of Muharram, commemorating the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, in the Battle of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 680 CE). Sunni Muslims also have similar accounts of these events, although the ceremonial mourning rituals have not become a tradition, though poetry, eulogies, and retelling of the events have been and continue to be common.
In Iran, Ashura falls on the 10th day of the month of Muharram. For most Shia Muslims, Ashura is the peak point of remembrance during Muharram, commemorating the death of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, in the Battle of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 680 CE). Sunni Muslims also have similar accounts of these events, although the ceremonial mourning rituals have not become a tradition — though poetry, eulogies, and retelling of the events have been and continue to be common.
The mourning rituals for this event began almost immediately after the Battle of Karbala. General elegies composed by poets to honor the Battle of Karbala emerged during the periods of the Umayyads and Abbasids, and the first public mourning ceremony was held in 963 CE during the rule of the Albuoyeh dynasty. In Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan, Ashura has become a national holiday, with many ethnic and religious communities participating in it. In Sunni Islam, Ashura is also the day when Moses and the Children of Israel were saved from Pharaoh by God and is the Islamic equivalent of Yom Kippur.
Other commemorations include Noah’s departure from the Ark and Muhammad’s arrival in Medina. The mourning begins with supplications, followed by large congregations, often dressed in black attire, some with green scarves, chanting and beating their chests while reciting the name of Husayn. The etymology of the word “Ashura” in Semitic languages means “tenth.” Therefore, the mention of it translated into the word “tenth day.” According to orientalists, this name is taken from the Hebrew word ʿāsōr with an Aramaic ending. In fact, this day is the tenth day of the month, although some Islamic scholars offer various etymologies.
Sheikh Abdul Qadir Gilani writes in his book “Ghunyat al-Talibin” that Islamic scholars differ on why this day is called Ashura. Some believe that the tenth day is significant, as God has blessed Muslims with it. In the Battle of Karbala: The Battle of Karbala took place in a critical environment resulting from the succession of Yazid I. Immediately after the succession, Yazid ordered the governor of Medina to force Husayn and several other prominent figures to pledge allegiance. However, Husayn, believing that Yazid openly contradicted Islamic teachings and altered the traditions of Muhammad, refrained from such allegiance and, along with his family, sons, brothers, and Hasan’s children, left Medina to seek refuge in Mecca.
Meanwhile, upon hearing of the death of Muawiya, the people of Kufa, through letters, asked Husayn (a) to join them and support them against the Umayyads. In response, Husayn wrote to them, sending his cousin Muslim bin Aqil to report back to him on the situation, stating that if their intentions were as stated in their letters, he would swiftly join them, as an Imam must act in accordance with the Qur’an and establish justice and proclaim the truth. Muslim’s mission was initially successful, and according to reports, 18,000 men pledged allegiance to him. But when Yazid appointed Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad as the new governor of Kufa and ordered him to deal harshly with Ibn Aqil, the situation changed dramatically.
Before the news of the unfavorable turn of events reached Mecca, Husayn set off for Kufa. Along the way, Husayn learned that his messenger, Muslim ibn Aqil, had been killed in Kufa. Husayn encountered the army of Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad near Karbala. Husayn addressed the Kufan army, reminding them that since they did not have an Imam, they had invited him. He told them that he intended to move towards Kufa with their support, but if they opposed him now, he would return to where he had come from.
In response, the army asked him to continue on a different path. Therefore, he turned left and arrived at Karbala, where his army was forced to stop and halt in a place where there was no access to water. The guards under the command of Umar ibn Sa’ad, the commander of the Kufan army, cut off access to the Euphrates for Husayn and his companions. The next morning, Umar ibn Sa’ad ordered the Kufan army to engage in battle. With the guidance of a eulogist’s voice, circles formed.
The heat intensified and easily exceeded 50 degrees Celsius. Bodies were thrown, and to the hypnotic rhythm of the chant “Husayn, Husayn,” they swayed. A small group of Husayn’s companions and family members (a total of about 72 men, women, and children) fought with a large army under the command of Umar ibn Sa’ad and were killed near the river (Euphrates) to which they were denied access. In order to obtain water, when the Umayyad forces killed Husayn and his companions, they looted the tents and removed the jewelry from the women and took the skin on which Zain al-Abidin had prostrated himself. Zainab, Husayn’s sister, and the other women were taken to the caliph in Damascus, and after a year, they were finally allowed to return to Medina.
