Muharram 1“Al- Muharram has 30 days of which, in addition to the first as the beginning of the year, the following are specially noted: the ninth as the fast-day of the Shi’i ascetics; the tenth as the anniversary of Karbala (60/680), on which al-Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib fell fighting against the caliph Yazid b. Mu’awiya and therefore the great day of mourning for the Shi’a, celebrated by pilgrimages to the sacred places of the Shi’a, especially to Karbala, in which the passion play, representing the death of ‘Ali’s sons, plays the most important part; also the sixteenth as the day of the selection of Jerusalem as the kibla and the seventeenth as the day of the arrival of the “people of the elephant”” (M. Plessner, “Al-Muharram, Encyclopaedia of Islam).
Today, August 31, 2019 Muslims are beginning a new year: 1441 AH (After Hijrah).
Muharram marks the origin of the Islamic Era; the beginning of the Islamic calender (Islamic year).
Muharram is one of the four sacred months, second most sacred after Ramadan, when fighting is prohibited. The Qur’an states,
The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year)- so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are sacred: that is the straight usage. So wrong not yourselves therein, and fight the Pagans all together as they fight you all together. But know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves (Sura 9:36; translated by Yusuf Ali).
What do Muslims do on Muharram?
According to timeanddate.com, some Muslim Americans choose to fast during this month, although fasting is not obligatory. Many Muslims engage in voluntary prayer, including evening prayer, during Muharram.
Ashura
The Day of Ashura (or Ashurah) is known as the most sacred day in the month of Muharram. It is the 10th day of Muharram and is a day of fasting for many Sunni Muslims. Many Shi’a Muslims use the day to commemorate the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali in 680 CE. Some Muslims give to charity on this day.
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