Know the importance and significance of Muharram

New Delhi: The holy month of Muharram is observed by Muslims across the globe. The month is the first of the twelve months in the Islamic calendar, thereby marking the Islamic New Year. It is one of the four sanctified months wherein unlawful acts are strictly prohibited, especially the shedding of blood. Even the literal meaning of Muharram is ‘haram', which means forbidden. The first ten days of the month are mourned by the Muslims to commemorate the brutal assassination of Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussain, his family and supporters. Thus, Muharram has great religious significance behind its observance. The month of Muharram is held to be the most sacred of all the months, excluding Ramadan. The word "Muharram" is often considered synonymous with Ashura, the tenth day of the Muharram month. Ashura is a highly important day for both sects of Islam - the Shias and the Sunnis. The Shia muslims believe that Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, became a martyr at the Battle of Karbala on the tenth day of Muharram in 680 AD. The gory battle of Karbala was fought for the cause of truth and justice. The inhabitants on the banks of rivers Euphrates and Tigris were traditional rivals. Their animosity was contained to some extent by Muhammad. But when his son-in-law Hazrat Ali was the Caliph, the old enmity re-surfaced. Hazrat Ali had two descendants, Hazrat Imam Hussain and Hazrat Imam Hassan. Hussain was the ruler of the part of the empire known today as Iran. The other part in modern Iraq was ruled by the Umayyads. Hussain was called upon by the Shiahs of Kufa, a small town in the Umayyad kingdom, to accept their allegiance and claim his place as the leader of the Islamic community. This was against the wishes of the ruler of Kufa, Yazid, who instructed his governor, Ibn-e-Ziad to take appropriate action. Meanwhile, in response to the call of the Shiahs, Hussain accompanied by his family members, headed for Kufa. When they reached Karbala, en route to Kufa, the forces of the governor surrounded them and their 70 men. Hussain, his family and his troops were tortured and killed, and Hussain's head was severed and presented to the king. They received no help from the Shiahs of Kufa. As this tragic incident happened on the tenth day of Muharram, Shia Muslims consider this a day of sorrow. They commemorate the martyrdom of Hussain as a religious occasion called Muharram. The occasion starts on the 1st day of Muharram and lasts for 10 days until 10th of Muharram. As Muharram approaches, they put on black clothes, as black is regarded as a color of mourning. During the entire 10 day period, they keep themselves away from music and all joyous events that can distract them in anyway from the sorrowful remembrance of that day. During each of the first nine days of Muharram, Majalis are held where Shia orators vividly depict the incident of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his party. On Ashura, Muslims assemble and go out in large processions. They parade the streets holding banners and carrying models of the mausoleum of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his people, who fell at Karbala. Some Shia sects observe Ashura by beating themselves with chains in public, cutting themselves with knives and sharp objects and holding mournful public processions. This is an expression of their grief on the death of their favourite leader Hussain, considered to be the representative of Allah. While Shia Muslims consider Muharram to be a sorrowful occasion, Sunni Muslims observe it as a festival and look at Ashura as a happy day though the religious aspect remains intact. Pious Sunnis keep a roza(fast) on Ashura as per the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad. According to the Hadith, the Prophet saw the Jews fasting on the 10th of Muharram to commemorate their liberation from Egyptian slavery and the extermination of the army of the Pharoah in the waters of the Red Sea.