Ashur, also called Yawm Ashura, is the tenth day of the Islamic calendar’s first month, Muharram.
The word comes from the word in Arabic for the number ten. Ashura is an important day in the history of Islam, and it is celebrated in different ways all over the world. Let’s look at what Muslims do on Ashura, how it came to be, and what are the most important duas to say on this special day.
What Ashura Means
The orientalist A. J. Wensinck thinks that the word “Ashura” comes from the Hebrew word “sr.” It means “the tenth,” so the day of Ashura is the tenth of the month. But some Islamic scholars have different ideas about where the word came from. Most English dictionaries say that it is a day of worship for Muslims.
What’s the significance of the name Ashura?
Muharram and “Ashura” are both derived from the Arabic term haram, which translates to “forbidden.” War was prohibited in Islamic tradition during the month of Muharram, one of the holiest months of the year.
What is the Ashura Day?
Muharram is traditionally one of the four holy months when fighting is not allowed.
Ashura is a solemn day of mourning for Imam Hussain (PBUH), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who was killed at Karbala in what is now Iraq in
the year 680 ADS. For other sects, it is a voluntary day of fasting to remember when Prophet Nuh (PBUH) left the Ark and when Allah saved Prophet Moses (PBUH) and the Israelites from Pharoah and his army.
How the story of Musa
The Quran says that Allah (SWT) sent Musa (as) to guide and warn the Pharaoh of Egypt and his people, as well as the Israelites.
Musa (AS) is talked about more than anyone else in the Qur’an, and his life story is told and talked about more than that of any other prophet.
Blessings of Ashura?
Fasting on the Day of Ashura will result in Allah (SWT) pardoning your sins from the previous year. The Israelites escaped in the middle of the night to flee slavery after years of being tormented and held captive until they reached the Red Sea. The Israelites warned Moses that Pharaoh and his soldiers would ambush them. According to the Qur’an, Allah (SWT) gave Moses the order to smite the Red Sea with his staff so that the people wouldn’t have to worry
about being overwhelmed or drowning.
The Israelites were able to cross the sea after it split into two after being struck.
The sea closed in on Pharaoh’s army as they attempted to cross through as he watched the sea split. Therefore, Musa (AS) started the custom of fasting on the Day of Ashura as a way to express his thanks to Allah (SWT). Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) advised us to carry on this custom by fasting and to set Muslims apart from other religious groups who observe this fast, the Prophet (SAW) urged us to observe it on both the ninth and tenth of Muharram.
What does this mean from a religious perspective?
Fasting on Ashura is a way for Muslims to ask forgiveness for the sins, they committed in the previous year. As a result, God allegedly gave Moses the order to smack the sea with his staff, forcing it to part.
In Kyrgyzstan, Muslims observe Ashura with communal seclusion. On Ashura, Moses began fasting as a form of thanksgiving and adoration to God for saving him and his followers.
Muslim fasting on the ninth and tenth of Muharram is advised by the Prophet Muhammad as a way to distinguish Muslims from those of other faiths. Many Muslims choose to fast, even though it is not required.
The Battle of Karbala in the history of Ashura
The most important thing about the Day of Ashura is that Imam Hussein, Hussain, Husayn, and almost 70 other people died in a battle. The army of Yazid I fought against a small army led by Imam Hussain in the Battle of Karbala. It happened on October 10, 680, which on the Hijri calendar is the 10th of Muharram in the year 61 AH.
Umayyad Caliphate
When Mu’awiya I’s son Yazid took over as caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, trouble began. He told the governor to force the Imam and other well-known people to swear loyalty to him.
Imam refused to make a promise because he knew that Yazid was not following the path of Islam.
He then went to Makkah to find refuge and do Hajj.
But Yazid had the plan to kill Hussain and his helpers while they were on Hajj. When Husain heard about Yazid’s plan, he moved toward Kufa, an Iraqi city that was already in a lot of trouble after Muawiyah’s death. Imam ran into Yazid’s army on the way, which forced them to change their route. Imam Hussain turned to go to Karbala, but the army stopped him again.
Imam Hussain’s foes held a siege before the famous battle (PBUH). They seized control of every water source in the the immediate vicinities of the Imam’s camp and kept it dry until.
Imam and his people were starved and deprived of water and food for three days before being
attacked by a vast army of the enemy. Though they were starving and thirsty to the point of death, they battled valiantly and many of them, including Imam Hussain (PBUH) and his three-month-old infant, were martyred. For the holy path of Allah Almighty and his Prophet, many people died in this conflict (PBUH).
What should you do on Ashura Day in 2022?
Different Muslim sects have different rituals on the day of Ashura because of how important it is historically. Hussain bin Ali was put to death at Karbala on Ashura Day. He was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), so it was right for Imam Hussain to take over. It is a day of deep sadness and mourning, and people show this in the following ways.
- On the day of Ashura, people go to Karbala, Iraq, to visit the tomb of Imam Hussain.
- After forty days, a pilgrimage, called Arba’een, is made to the shrine of Imam Hussain in Mashhad al-Hussain.
- It is a day to remember and think about the past. Muslims wear clothes for mourning, and there are no weddings or parties.
- Muslims feel sad when they hear sermons about how Imam Hussain(PBUH) and his family were killed. The goal is to connect with Imam Hussain(PBUH)’s (PBUH) pain and sacrifices to keep Islam alive.
- Muslims cry and mourn in public during al-mawakib al-husayniyya, which is another name for public funerals.
- Some Muslims also flagellate themselves or beat themselves with sharp things like swords and chains blades to feel the pain that Imam Hussain and his family went through.
- There are even reenactments of the battle of Karbala, called the shabih, in some parts of the world.
- Mosques gather groups of people to remember Hussain’s death with moving poetry readings.
- When people are sad, they often play drums and chant, “Ya Hussain.”
- In some places, a dish called Harees that Imam Hussain liked is made on this day.
People also believe that on Ashura, God made a way through the sea for Moses and the
Israelites to escape from Pharaoh. It is also celebrated as the Muslim nation’s National Martyrs’ Day, which is led by Syed Imam Hayat. The day of Ashura is a good time to fast, but it is not required. People in Makkah think that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) fasted on this day, so a few of them do the same.
Ashura Day Prayers
On the day of Ashura, it is best to say Ziarat Ashura and Dua Alqama Also, as much as possible, one should say the surah Ikhlas. It is a Sunnah to say the Kalima Tauheed after every Isha prayer for the first ten nights of the month of Muharram. Also, there are different Nafil salats that must be done from the night before. Muslims must read 4 Rakat Nafil Namaz, 6 Rakat Namaz with 3 salams, and 4 Rakat Nafil Namaz before Zuhar Namaz on the Day of Ashura.
Hazrat Imam Zainul Abidin (Radi Allahu Anhu) says, “Whoever recites this dua (Dua-e- Ashurah) on the tenth of Muharram, any time after sunrise and before sunset, or listens to it being recited by someone else, Allah Ta’ala will definitely make it insurance for a year’s life for him by keeping death away from him. But if someone dies in that year, they won’t remember it for some strange reason.”
Another Hadith says, “Anyone who prays four units of nafal, in which he recites Ayatul Kursi once and Surah Ikhlas three times after Surah Fatiha in each unit, and then prays, will get whatever he asks of Allah.”
Then, Read The Prayer Below Seven Times
Hadiths about fasting on the day of Ashura
It is traditional to fast on the day of Ashura. It was said that Ayesha (PBUH) said,
“The people of Jahiliyyah used to fast on that day.” This shows that the practice was common even in the time of Jahiliyyah. Also, Allah made fasting a requirement when he said,
“You must observe the fast” (Al-Qur’an, 2:183).
Islamic scholars say that people may or may not fast on the day of Ashura. You can go without:
three days, which are the ninth, tenth, and eleventh of Muharram; or two days,
which are the ninth and tenth of Muharram; or one day, which is the tenth.
Abu Hurayrah (PBUH) said, “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, ‘The best time to fast after Ramadan is Allah’s month of Muharram.’
” The Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said,
“Fasting on the day of ‘Ashura’ is very good, and I hope that Allah will accept it as payment for the sins of the past year.” “The Prophet (PBUH) went to Madinah and saw Jews fasting on Ashura,
” Ibn Abbas said. “What is this?” he asked. They said, “Today is a good day because it’s the day Allah saved the Israelites from their enemies.” So Moses fasted on that day. He said, “We have more right to Musa than you do, ” so he fasted and told the Muslims to fast on that day.
Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyya a great scholar who was born in 691 AH/1292 CE, wrote something interesting about Ashura fasting: “This misguided person doesn’t know that fasting
in Ramadan and praying five times a day are much more important than fasting on the Day
of Arafah and the Day of “Ashura,” and that they make up for sins between one Ramadan and the next, But they can’t make up for small sins unless you also stay away from big ones.
When you do both, they have the power to make up for small sins. One of those fooled people might think that his good deeds are more important than his sins, because he doesn’t think
about his bad deeds or check on his sins, but he remembers and relies on his good deeds.
Fasting on Ashura is not required but is a choice. Ibn Taymiyah, a scholar who was born in 661 AH/1263 CE, says that “Ashura” is a chance to get closer to Allah by fasting and praying for forgiveness.
The day of Ashura is celebrated by Muslims all over the world on the 10th of Muharram.
Muslims all over the world fast on this day to remember what Hazrat Ali did in the battle of Karbala. People should also pray when they think
about Hazrat Ali and what he gave up for the faith and future of Islam.
They go to Iraq to pay their respects at Imam Ali’s grave. Imam Ali was a great warrior who kept Islam safe. On Ashura, we also remember that Allah saved Moses from the army of the Pharaoh.