# Muharram

Muharram

calendar month| Subclass of | sacred month, Hijri month  |
| Part of | Islamic calendar  |
| Dey follow | Dhu al-Hijjah  |
| Followed by | Safar  |
| Stack Exchange tag |   |

**Al-Muharram** (Arabic: ٱلْمُحَرَّم, romanized: al-Muḥarram) be de first month of de Islamic calendar. E be one of de four sacred months of de year wen warfare be banned. E dey precede de month of Safar. De tenth of Muharram be known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration insyd Islam. For Sunni Muslims, de day dey commemorate de parting of de Red Sea by Moses den de salvation of de Israelites, dem observe thru voluntary fasting den oda permissible expressions of gratitude. By contrast, Ashura be a day of mourning give Shia Muslims, wey annually dey commemorate de death of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of de Islamic prophet Muhammad den de third Shia imam. Dem kill Husayn, alongside chaw of ein relatives den ein small retinue, insyd de Battle of Karbala insydn680 CE against de army of de Umayyad caliph Yazid ibn Mu'awiya (r. 680–683). De Shia rituals span de first ten days of Muharram, dey culminate on Ashura plus mourning processions insyd Shia cities. Also insyd Muharram, dem initially set de Aqsa mosque insyd Jerusalem as de direction of prayer give early Muslims.

## Origins

Muharram (lit. 'sacred') be de first month of de Islamic calendar, plus (at most) thirty days. Warfare insyd Muharram be forbidden, wey na e be so since before de advent of Islam. De word *Muharram* be short give "Muharram Safar" (lit. 'sacred Safar'), wich dey distinguish insyd de ancient Arab calendar between Safar I, wich na be sacred, den Safar II, wich na e no be. Over time, however, de adjective einself cam be de name of de first month of de year.

## Ashura

De tenth of Muharram be known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration insyd Islam. For Sunni Muslims, Ashura dey mark de parting of de Red Sea by Moses den de salvation of de Israelites. Also on dis day, Noah disembark from de Ark, God forgive Adam, wey dem release Joseph from prison, among various auspicious events on Ashura insyd Sunni tradition. Dem dey celebrate Ashura insyd Sunni Islam thru supererogatory fasting, den also oda pious acts den acceptable expressions of joy. Insyd sam Sunni communities, de annual Ashura festivities dey include carnivals, bonfires, den special dishes, even though sam Sunni scholars criticize such practices.

By contrast, for Shia Muslims, Ashura be a day of mourning as dem commemorate de martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of de Islamic prophet Muhammad den de third Shia imam. Husayn refuse on moral grounds to pledge ein allegiance to de Umayyad caliph Yazid ibn Mu'awiya (r. 680–683) wey na dem subsequently kill am, alongside chaw of ein male relatives den ein small retinue, by de Umayyad army insyd de Battle of Karbala on Ashura 61 AH (680 CE). Among de Shia, dem dey view mourning give Husayn as an act of protest against oppression, den as such a struggle give God (*jihad*). Mourners sanso hope to secure de intercession of Husayn insyd de afterlife. Dem dey observe Ashura annually thru mourning gatherings, processions, den reenactments.

## Timing

Muharram dates between 2022 den 2026| Islamic calendar | First day (CE) | Last day (CE) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1444 | 30 July 2022 | 27 August 2022 |
| 1445 | 19 July 2023 | 16 August 2023 |
| 1446 | 7 July 2024 | 4 August 2024 |
| 1447 | 26 June 2025 | 25 July 2025 |
| 1448 | 16 June 2026 | 16 July 2026 |