For the Canaanite and Ugaritic mother-goddess, please see Asherah.

The Day of Āshūrāh, sometimes spelled Aashurah, ‘Ashurah, Ashoura or Aashoorah (Arabic: عاشوراء, ʿĀšūrāʾ), is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Festival of Muharram but not the Islamic month. It commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala in the year 61 AH (AD 680). It is a day for mourning. Canaan or Knáan (Arabic کنعان, Hebrew כְּנַעַן, Septuagint Greek Χανααν) is an ancient term for a region roughly corresponding to present-day Israel/Palestine including the West Bank, western Jordan, southern and coastal Syria and Lebanon continuing up until the border of modern Turkey. ... The Ugaritic language is known to us only in the form of writings found in the lost city of Ugarit since its discovery by French archaeologists in 1928. ... For the small research submarine, see Asherah (submarine). ... Arabic (; , less formally, ) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Muharram (Arabic: محرم ) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. ... The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar (also called Hijri calendar, Arabic التقويم الهجري) is the calendar used to date events in many predominantly Muslim countries, and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic holy days. ... The Festival of Muharram (Arabic: احتفال محرم or مناسبة محرم) is an important period of mourning in the Shiite branch of Islam. ... Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for his or her religious faith. ... Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abu Talib (c. ... Muhammad (c. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Events October 10 - Battle of Kerbela November 12 - The Sixth Ecumenical Council opens in Constantinople The Bulgars subjugate the country of current-day Bulgaria Pippin of Herstal becomes Mayor of the Palace Umayyad caliph Muawiyah I succeeded by Yazid I ibn Muawiyah Erwig deposes Wamba to become king of the...

Ashurah is also commemorated by Muslims as the traditional date on which Noah's ark came to rest, the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was born and the Ka'ba was built in Mecca. Ashurah corresponds to the Jewish Yom Kippur, which was held by the Jews of Medina. It was adopted by Muslims as a recommended fast in respect to the tribulations of Musa (Moses). A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) (sometimes also spelled Moslem) is an adherent of Islam. ... According to the Bible, Noahs Ark is (or was) a massive vessel built at Gods command to save Noah, his family, and a core stock of the worlds animals safe from the Great Flood. ... Abraham (אַבְרָהָם Father/Leader of many, Standard Hebrew Avraham, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAḇrāhām; Arabic ابراهيم Ibrāhīm) is the patriarch of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. ... The Kaaba or Kaabah, is a building located inside the mosque known as Masjid al Haram in Mecca (Makkah). ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... Yom Kippur (יום כיפור yom kippÅ«r) is the Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement. ... This article is about the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. ... Musa (Arabic موسى) is the Arabic name for the Biblical prophet Moses. ... Moses or Móshe (מֹשֶׁה, Standard Hebrew Móše, Tiberian Hebrew Mōšeh, Arabic موسى Musa), son of Amram and his wife, Jochebed, a Levite. ...

The word ashurah means simply tenth in Arabic; hence the festival's name, literally translated, means "the tenth day". A festival or fest is an event, usually staged by a local community, which centers on some theme, sometimes on some unique aspect of the community. ...

Shi'a commemoration

Main article: Festival of Muharram

Shi'ite Muslims process through downtown Montreal in commemoration of Ashurah.

This day is of particular significance to Shi'a Muslims, who consider Hussein the third Imam and a rightful successor of Muhammad. Many Shi'a make pilgrimages on Ashurah to the Mashhad al-Hussein, the shrine in Karbala, Iraq that is traditionally held to be Husayn's tomb. Shi'as also express mourning by thumping their chests. This is intended to connect them with Hussein's suffering and death. Hussein's martyrdom is widely interpreted by Shi'a as a symbol of the struggle against injustice, tyranny, and oppression. The regime of Saddam Hussein saw this as a potential threat and banned Ashurah commemorations for many years. In neighboring Iran, the festival became a major political symbol during the Islamic Revolution, as also occurred in the Lebanese Civil War, and in Bahrain during the History of Bahrain. The Iranian Revolution and social and political change and the anti-government uprising of the 1990s. The Festival of Muharram (Arabic: احتفال محرم or مناسبة محرم) is an important period of mourning in the Shiite branch of Islam. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 720 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 720 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... City motto: Concordia Salus (Latin: Well-being through harmony) Province Quebec Mayor Gérald Tremblay MPs Vivian Barbot, Bernard Bigras, Denis Coderre, Irwin Cotler, Stéphane Dion, Gilles Duceppe, Marlene Jennings, Francine Lalonde, Jean Lapierre, Paul Martin, Réal Ménard, Serge Ménard, Maria Mourani, Massimo Pacetti, Bernard Patry... Shia Islam or Shi`ism (from the Arabic word شيعة, Persian: شیعه short for the historic phrase shi`at `Ali شيعة علي, meaning the advocates of Ali) is the second-largest denomination based on the religion of Islam. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) (sometimes also spelled Moslem) is an adherent of Islam. ... Imam (Arabic: إمام) is an Arabic word meaning Leader. The ruler of a country might be called the Imam, for example. ... Muhammad (c. ... Eastern Orthodox shrine Buddhist shrine just outside Wat Phnom. ... Karbalā (Arabic: ; also transliterated as Kerbala or Kerbela) is a city in Iraq, located about 100 km southwest of Baghdad at 32. ... Wikinews has news related to this article: Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein in a Suit Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 28, 1937 , was President of Iraq from the year of 1979 until his removal and capture after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Protestors take to the street in support of Ayatollah Khomeini. ... For the civil conflict of 1958, see Lebanon crisis of 1958. ... // The Dilmun Era The history of Bahrain goes back more than five thousand years to its role as the centre of the ancient civilisation of Dilmun, which dominated the trade routes between Sumeria and the Indus Valley. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, the last decade of the 20th Century. ...

Shi'ite Muslims in Bahrain strike their chests during the Festival of Muharram.

Some Shia celebrate Ashurah with a traditional flagellation ritual called zanjeer zani or zanjeer matam, involving the use of a zanjeer (a chain with a set of curved knives at the end). [1] The practice is not universal - many Shia enact the ritual by beating their chests symbolically. [2] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x773, 160 KB) Summary Young men striking their chests with their hands in union at a procession during the Festival of Muharram. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x773, 160 KB) Summary Young men striking their chests with their hands in union at a procession during the Festival of Muharram. ...

Many of the events associated with Ashurah are held in special congregation halls known as "Hussainia". A Hussainia is a congregation hall for Shia ritual ceremonies, especially those associated with the Festival of Muharram. ...

Sunni commemoration

Sunnis also commemorate Ashurah, but for different reasons. According to Sunni tradition, when the Prophet led his followers to Medina, he found the Jews of that area fasting on the day of Ashurah in rememberance of Moses. Today,Sunnis regard fasting on the 10th of Muharram as a recommended, though not obligatory, act. The day carries considerably less significance for Sunnis than it does for Shi'as. Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Moses or Móshe (מֹשֶׁה, Standard Hebrew Móše, Tiberian Hebrew Mōšeh, Arabic موسى Musa), son of Amram and his wife, Jochebed, a Levite. ...

While Sunnis generally consider the martyrdom of Hussein to be an unfortunate event and one of great historical importance, they do not ascribe religious significance to it as the Shi'a do. Hence, Sunni practices commemorating Ashurah generally do not involve Hussein or his death and consist mainly of fasting and prayers.

Violence during Ashura

The Sunni and Shi'a schism is highlighted by the difference in celebrations by Sunni and Shia Muslims. In countries that have significant populations of both sects, there is often violence during the holiday. Recently, Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan have all seen suicide Sunni bombers killing Shiite mourners. [3]

The 2004 (1425 AH) Shi'a pilgrimage to Karbala, the first since Saddam Hussein was removed from power in Iraq, was marred by bomb attacks, which killed and wounded hundreds despite tight security. Wikinews has news related to this article: Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein in a Suit Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 28, 1937 , was President of Iraq from the year of 1979 until his removal and capture after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... The Ashoura Massacre was a series of planned terrorist explosions, that killed 170 and injured 500 Iraqi Shiite Muslims commemorating the Ashoura festival. ...

Etymology of Ashurah

The word Ashurah is Arabic for tenth. In his book Ghuniyatut Talibin, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani writes that the Islamic scholars have a difference of opinion as to why this day is known as Ashurah. The general consensus is that the day is the tenth day of the month of Muharram. Some scholars, however, suggest that this day is the tenth most important day that God has blessed Muslims with; hence the name Ashurah.

Ashurah in the western calendar

While Ashurah is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Western calendar (the Gregorian calendar) varies from year to year due to differences between the two calendars, since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. Furthermore, the method used to determine when each Islamic month begins varies from country to country. (For details, please see Islamic calendar.) All future dates listed below are only estimates: The Gregorian calendar is the calendar that is used nearly everywhere in the world. ... A lunar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates the moon phase. ... A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicate the position of the earth on its revolution around the sun (or equivalently the apparent position of the sun moving on the celestial sphere). ... The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar (also called Hijri calendar, Arabic التقويم الهجري) is the calendar used to date events in many predominantly Muslim countries, and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic holy days. ...

• 2003: March 13
• 2004: March 2
• 2005: February 19
• 2006: February 9
• 2007: January 29
• 2008: January 19
• 2009: January 7, then December 27
• 2010: December 16

March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (62nd in leap years). ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 is the seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

See also

• Festival of Muharram
• Battle of Karbala

The Festival of Muharram (Arabic: احتفال محرم or مناسبة محرم) is an important period of mourning in the Shiite branch of Islam. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

• Ashura.com – explains the background and significance of the festival
• What is Ashura? (BBC News)
• Date of Islamic Holy Days (moonsighting.com)
• Description of Husayn's martyrdom on the day of Ashurah
• Annual Muharram Procession in New York, the largest Shi'a gathering in North America.