Muharram is an Islamic holiday that marks the beginning of the Islamic New Year. The holiday is observed by Muslims around the world. For Shia Muslims, the 10th day of Muharram is referred to as the Day of Ashura and is observed as part of the Mourning of Muharram. Conversely, for Sunni Muslims, it is a day for celebrating the victory of Moses over the Egyptian Pharaoh through fasting.
Prior to the institution of Muharram, the month of Muharram was considered sacred. The name of the holiday is derived from the phrase ‘haram’ which means ‘forbidden.’ During the pre-Islamic period, it was forbidden for the tribes in the Arabian Peninsula to engage in fighting. This period of peace among the warring tribes was convenient for the people as it allowed them to engage in the construction of infrastructure such as the tombs of Imams. The tribes ceased from fighting for four months of the year. Muharram was one of them and when Islam was adopted, the holiday was maintained. There were provisions made to accommodate instances that would deem war necessary, for instance, a threat to the sovereignty of the empire.
The battle of Karbala is one instance in which this law of peace for four months was challenged. The battle took place on the 10th day of Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 10th 680 AD). The battle was between Husayn Ibn Ali and Muawiyah’s grandson Yazid I. After the death of Muawiyah in 680, Husayn refused to give allegiance to Yazid as he considered his succession to power a breach of the Hasan-Muawiyah treaty. Many partisans from Muhamad’s late cousin and son-in-law u02bfAlu012b ibn Abu012b u1e6cu0101lib felt that leadership of the Muslim community rightly belonged to the descendants of Ali. As a result, an opposition against the rule of Yazid rose from Al-Ku016bfah (modern Iraq). The people of Al-Ku016bfah requested Husayn to take refuge with them and promised to make him caliph (religious leader in Islam). When Yazid heard of this, he sent u02bfUbayd Allu0101h, the governor of Al-Basrah to restore order. The governor was successful in restoring order.
However, as Al Husayn set out from Mecca with his family to Al- Ku016bfah, he was attacked at Karbala by an army of 4000 men sent by Ubayd Allu0101h. Al Husayn, his friends, and family were murdered and their bodies mutilated at Karbala. The murder of Al Husayn forever shaped the identity of the Shiites. Husayn’s devout partisans blamed themselves for being unable to protect Muhammad’s grandson. Umar, u02bfUbayd Allu0101h and Yazid I were forever accused as murderers. This tragic event marked Muharram as a season of sorrow.
In Karbala, the locals enact passion plays that show the tragedy that befell the family of Husayn. Shia Muslims commemorate this holiday by putting on black clothes as a sign of mourning. From day one to day ten, the Shiites keep away from any joyous events such as weddings. Assemblies known as Majalis, are held where Shia orators depict the tragedy that befell Husain. Some Muslims fast on the day of Muharram. In some cases, Shia Muslims fast for the whole month. The 10th day, the Day of Ashura, is the most sacred day in the month of Muharram.
Sunni Muslims consider this holiday a day of celebration. Pious Muslims hold a fast (Roja) as required by the Hadith. The Hadith reports that Prophet Muhammad saw the Jews fasting on the 10th of Muharram to commemorate their liberation from Egypt and the destruction of Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea. Prophet Muhammad liked the custom as he believed that it was Allah who saved the Israelites from the Egyptians. He decided that he would fast just as the Jews but in the next year. However, he died before he could hold the fast. As a result, Sunni Muslims are advised to fast on the 9th and 10th of Muharram or on the 10th and 11th days of the same month.
The Shia ritual of mourning is considered an aid of salvation on the Day of Judgment while allowing the believers to mourn over the death of their great leader. There are many other rituals that have been adopted in commemoration of the day. In Iran, for example, some Shiite processions have the believers floating on live tableaux representing scenes of the tragedy in Karbala. The believers also carry Husain’s symbolic bier known as nakhl (date palm). The nakhl is carried because, according to tradition, Husayn’s mutilated body was carried on a stretcher made from the branches of a date palm. Some nakhls are so large that they are carried by 150 people.
In the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent, Muharram is observed using huge artistic interpretations of the tragic events that occurred on that date. The procession carries Husayn’s mausoleum. At times the mausoleum is wheeled in the procession. At the end of Ashura, structures called u02bfziya are either cremated, buried in a local cemetery, or immersed in water as a sign of mourning.
From 1845 to 1917, the Muharram observance was introduced in the Caribbean Islands by Indian laborers who migrated there to work in the Island’s sugar plantations. Trinidadian Muslims recognize the Day of Ashura as Hosay, a name derived from Hussein. The first Hosay celebrations occurred in 1854, a decade after the arrival of the first Indians. At the time, Trinidad was under British rule. The British prohibited Hosay celebrations. About 30,000 people took to the streets in protest to the prohibition. The British fired shots that killed 22 people and injured over 100. The Hosay massacre or Muharram massacre is also commemorated in the month of Muharram. During this observance, Muslims in Trinidad create colorful floats known as ‘tadjahs.’ This float is made up of wood, paper, tinsel, and bamboo. The structures range from a height of 10 to 30 feet. The floats are paraded by people beating drums and two men carrying crescent moon shapes colored red and green. The crescents represent the death of Hussein and his brother Hassan. The red represents the blood of Hussein whereas the green represents the poisoning of Hassan.
Over the years, tadjahs have become more elaborative as they have become somewhat of a status symbol for the families that design them. Unlike the Shiite who identify Muharram as a period of mourning, the day is more joyous in the Caribbean region. People celebrate with music and festive attire. However, some Muslims in the region to observe the holiday in a more somber tone. Presently, Muharram has become a symbol of the Shiite’s struggle for justice as the minority group in the Muslim community.
Regional customs and moon sightings cause a variation in the date of this Islamic holiday. The holiday begins at sundown before the specified date of the holiday. Muslims use the Islamic lunar calendar and days begin at sunset. As a result, there is a one-day variation depending on when the new moon is first sighted. To the Shiites, Muharram can extend to the months of Safar and al-Rabiu02bf al-Awwal. The Shiites view the holiday as a time for sacrifice and suffering. As such, they attend mourning assemblies (Majlis) where they listen to discourses (rowzeh khwani) that focus on the ideal qualities (faza’el) and tragic suffering (masa’eb) of Imam Husayn, his family, and loyal supporters. The Shiite Muslims also recite poems of lament (marsiya, salam, and suz). Followers of the assembly conclude the readings by beating their chests (Arabic latam; Persian/Urdu matam) in a rhythmic form of mourning (nauha).
Husayn’s martyrdom is significantly reenacted in Iran, India, Turkey, Pakistan, and the Caucasus, Iraq, and Lebanon in the region of tau02bfziyeh, where the men and other professional actors take on the roles of the heroes and villains of Karbala.
United States
Muharram is not considered a public holiday in the U.S., and so businesses and public offices remain open on this day. However, some Islamic organizations post notices reminding people to observe Muharram as it is one of the sanctified months in the Islamic calendar. Some Muslims choose to fast on this day, while others choose to engage in prayers. On the Day of Ashura (the most sacred day of the month), a majority of the Sunni Muslims fast. Alternatively, Shia Muslims use the day to remember the martyrdom of Hussein while others perform charity activities. It is forbidden for Muslims to fight on Muharram. This is because just like the month of Ramadan, the month of Muharram is considered a holy month.
Iran
In Iran, people hold a ritual known as rawda khwani. During this ritual, a storyteller known as rawda khwan from the Shiite martyrology sits on a pulpit in a special edifice on a minibar. He evokes the audience’s emotions with recitations, chanting, sobbing, and body language. There is another ritual known as majalis al-aza. In this ritual, the people sing of the accounts of the battle of Karbala. The ritual tau02bfziya of Iran involves a theatre or drama performance of the martyrdom of Husayn and other Shiite martyrs. However, this ritual is not only performed in the month of Muharram but all year round.
Turkey
In Turkey, the Alevi community in Turkey, a branch of Shia Muslims, has a unique approach to Muharram. The Alevi use this holiday as a time to commemorate the persecution they experienced in the hands of Recep Tayyip. They believe that the month of Muharram is the time when Noah’s ark came to rest in Turkey’s Nuh’un gemisi after the flood. Legend has it that Noah used the remaining food in the ark to make a pudding known as Au015fure. Presently, Turks celebrate the holiday by making an Ashura that consists of winter grains, dried fruits, nuts, wheat, walnuts, hazelnuts, and more. This pudding is sold in bakeries and patisseries across the country. Also, people bake pudding in their homes and share it with friends and neighbors. This is done in a bid to strengthen the bond among neighbors, friends and family members.
India and Pakistan
In India and Pakistan, the holiday is known as matam or Matam-Dari/Sina Zannee (chest beating). Muslims dress in black and practice chest beating. This practice was introduced in the 19th century by the Indian Syed Dildar Ali Nasirabadi. The concept was adopted from Iran as a way of commemorating the calamities that befell the Prophet’s family. Muslims from the Isfahanis’ mosque assemble in the middle of the courtyard and randomly begin beating their bare chests in a melodic format.
South Asia and South Africa
In many regions of South Asia and South Africa, Muslims hold mourning rituals for Husayn and his family. The rituals are considered a way of paying respect to the Prophet Muhammad.
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