Ashura

• Background info


  - The significance of the day of Ashura is one of the differences between the main sects in Islam

  - Shi'as make up around 13% Of Muslim population and are the largest minority sect

  Whilst their are differences between Sunnis and Shi'as, majority of their beliefs are identical

  → E. g. the belief in tawhid
• The Day of Ashura

  - Falls on the 1Oth of Muharram

  - Upon migrating to Madinah, Muhammad instructed early Muslims to mark this day by fasting

  - Hadith says, "fasting on this day compensates for the

  sins of the past year"

  - Means that by fasting on this day, an individual can make up for their sins of the last year

  - Similar to Yom Kippur in Judaism - this is the day of atonement when those who are Jewish fast

  - Fasting on day of Ashura remained compulsory until Allah commanded for Ramadan to be a month of compulsory fasting

  - After this point, the fast of Ashura became voluntary
• How Ashura shapes Sunni identity

  - Sunnis make up a majority in Islam with around 85% of Muslims

  - According to Islamic tradition, the day of Ashura is when a number of significant events happened

  - One of most important events is that of Moses freeing his people from slavery in Egypt

  - However, there are numerous other examples of events that are believed to have happened on this day

  E.g. birth of prophets including Adam and Isa (Jesus) /creation of universe

  - A further example is that according to Islamic tradition, the day of final judgement will also fall on Ashura

  - Sunni Muslims mark the day by fasting as a way of emulating Muhammad and following his sunnah, through which they hope their sins of the past year will be forgvien

  - Sunni Muslims will offer voluntary prayers as a way of attaining additional rewards.
• How Ashura expresses Shi'a identity


  - According to shi'a beliefs, the day of Ashura is of vital importance and an integral part of their beliefs

  - Their beliefs on this day centre around Ali and Hussein - the son in law and the grandson of Muhammad

  - After Muhammad died in 632, the Muslims required a caliph - through consensus, they agreed this would be Abu Bakr

  - However, the Shi'as at the time argued that Ali should've been the caliph as he was from the family of Muhammad

  - After death of Abu Bakr, the second caliph was Umar and after him, the third was Uthman - even when they were elected, the shias believed Ali should've been the caliph

  - After Uthman, Ali finally was the caliph in 656 , but his reign was littered with turmoil, eventually leading to Ali being assassinated

  - With Islam now having spread to areas such as Iraq, the Muslim world was now divided, with those in Iraq choosing to establish their own separate rule and ruler

  - When Hussein became the leader in Arabia, he wanted to reunite the Muslims and create peace between them, so he travelled to city of Karbala in Iraq to seek peace and settle any issues

  - He travelled with his family members, and whilst at Karabala they were attacked and killed on the 10th of Muharram (Ashura)
• Shi'a Practices on the Day of Ashura

  - Due to the events believed to have occurred, shi'as view the day of Ashura as a day of mourning

  - They will dress in black clothing to reflect the sadness surrounding the day

  - They will avoid any event associated with joy, pleasure, or celebrations (E.G. birthdays / weddings

  - There are 3 main practices Shi'as participate in on this day
• 1) The Street Procession

  - March through streets whist beating their heads and their chests - known as self-flagellation

  - They do this to empathise with the pain Hussein and his family suffered
• 2) The Taziyah


  - This is a passion play that shias watch as a reminder of the events of Karbala

  - This play re-enacts the events and ultimate deaths of Hussein and his family.
• 3) Pilgrimage

  - On day of Ashura, some shi'as will visit the site where Hussein and his family were killed

  - Here, they perform prayers and pay their respects to Hussein, who is buried there
• Shi'a beliefs on themes associated with Ashura

  - Due to the nature of this day, its themes are associated with negative ideas such as injustice, persecution, and pain/suffering

  - Injustice can be seen through the assassination of Ail who was meant to be leader of the Muslims

  - Persecution seen in fact that despite Hussein going to Iraq for peace, he and his family were attacked and killed

  - Pain and suffering seen in the street procession, where participants commit self-flagellation

  - Shi'as believe their views will be proven correct on DOFJ