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Muharram refers to the first month of the
Islamic Calendar. The complete month of
Muharram is sacred according to the Muslims.
However, it is the tenth day which is of
most significance. Different factions of the
Muslim community observe this day for
different reasons. While the Shia Muslims
celebrate this day to mourn the death of
Husayn Ibn Ali, the Sunni Muslims observe
this day to celebrate the victory of Moses
over Egyptian Pharaoh.
According to the legend popular among Shia Muslims, Husayn Ibn Ali was
beheaded during the Battle of Karbala on the
tenth day of Muharram. Husayn Ibn Ali is an
important figure in Muslim religion and is
believed to be a member of the Muhammad’s
household. During the reign of Yazid, it is
believed that Husayn refused to accept the
Islamic rules laid down by Yazid. Instead,
Husayn decided to revolt against the ruler
which led to the uprising in Karbalan.
During the battle of Karbalan, Husayn was
beheaded while his family was imprisoned in
Damascus. However, according to Sunni
Muslims, it was on this day that Moses
gained victory over Egyptian Pharaohs. Moses
was a religious leader and was meant to
propagate religious teachings around the
world. It was on the tenth day of Muharram
that Moses gained victory over the Pharaohs
of Egypt, the most famous one being the
Pharaoh of oppression.
As is evident, different factions of the Muslim community observe this
day differently. While for Sunni Muslims, it
is a day of celebration, for Shia Muslims,
it is a day of mourning. However, both the
factions have almost identical traditions.
Both the factions observe fast on this day,
with the Sunni Muslims observing fast for an
extra day, either before or after this day.
It is believed that this extra fasting day
is observed in accordance with the teachings
of Muhammad Prophet. In certain cases, the
Shia Muslims fast for the whole month and
also flagellate themselves with sticks and
rods on this day. They harm themselves to
commemorate the sufferings of Husayn Ibn Ali
while fighting against the oppressive regime
of Yazid. Other than that, there are no
major celebrations on this day.
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