Muharram

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Categories: Islamic calendar | Festivals in India

Islamic Calendar
Muharram Safar Rabi' al-awwal Rabi' al-thani Jumada al-awwal Jumada al-thani Rajab Sha'aban Ramadan Shawwal Dhu al-Qi'dah Dhu al-Hijjah

Muharram (Arabic: محرم) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four months of the year in which fighting is prohibited. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar. Muharram is so called because it was unlawful to fight during this month; the word is derived from the word ‘haram’ meaning forbidden. It is held to be the most sacred of all the months, excluding Ramadan. Some Muslims fast during these days. The tenth day of Muharram is called Yaumu-l 'Ashurah, meaning, ‘the tenth day’, and it is a day of voluntary fasting. Fasting differs among the Muslim groupings; mainstream Shia Muslims stop eating and drinking during sunlight hours but do not eat until the evening. Sunni Muslims also fast during Muharram and on either the ninth or the eleventh day, the choice of which additional day being at the discretion of the individual.

1 Muharram and Ashura
2 Timing
3 See also
4 External links

Muharram and Ashura

The word "Muharram" is often considered synonymous with Ashura. Ashura, which literally means "tenth" in Arabic, refers to the tenth day of Muharram.

The Shi'a believe the above hadith to be a fabrication by the Umayyads, after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, as a part of their campaign to turn the 10th of Muharram into a day of rejoicing. These traditions are of the same genre as those which say that it was on the 10th of Muharram that Noah's ark rested on Mount Arafat, the fire became cool and safe for Abraham, and Jesus ascended to the heaven. In the same category came the traditions exhorting the Muslims to treat 'Ashura as a festival of joy, and to store one's food-grain on this very day as it would increase one's sustenance and bring the blessings of Allah to the household.

From a factual point of view, the islamic and jewish calender do not coincide. So regardless what day it was, it would never be Ashura each year. If that event occurred, it would simply have been a coincidence confined to that point in time. Another point is that the hadith for fasting shows the Muhammed not knowing of the event himself, which according to Shias reveals the hadith as a false hadith.

The day of Ashura also has the historical significance of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein(A.S), which took place after the demise of Prophet Mohammed(P.B.U.H), and has a religious significance of Ashura since Imam Hussain(A.S) was the grand son of Prophet Mohammed(P.B.U.H). Every muslim in this world who have faith and love towards Prophet's(P.B.U.H) family and are the followers attributes religious significances to the day of Ashura connected with the slaughter of the holy family on the hands of Ummayads who were jelous of Imam Ali(A.S) since the life of Prophet(P.B.H.U) and they took their revenge by brutalling slaughtering the holy family who were hungry and thirsty for 3 days. They didnt even spared childeren as young as 6 months, whose graves were dug and took their bodies and chopped their heads and raised them on spears to announce their victory. But this turned out to be their biggest mistake as the people who followed Prophet (P.B.U.H) and Imam Ali(A.S) came to know about this and revolted and cursed Ummayads. Since then there are lots of people who call themself muslims but if u talk about Ashura they deny any significance since they are the one who were involved in the brutal slaughter and wants to wade it off so that their crime is not caught. If u want to know more check with any Shia Muslim who have good knowledge and dont listen to any one who dont have any detail to claim their declarations.

Timing

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Muharram migrates throughout the solar years. The estimated start and end dates for Muharram are as follows (all future dates are estimates):