page_title: Mourning of Muharram
section_title: Indian Subcontinent
hierarchical_section_title: Mourning of Muharram / By country / Indian Subcontinent
caption_attribution_description: English: Mohurrum Festival
context_page_description: The Mourning of Muharram is a set of commemoration rituals observed primarily by Shia and Sufi Muslims, and marked by all Muslims, as well as some non-Muslims. The commemoration falls in Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Many of the events associated with the ritual take place in congregation halls known as Hussainia.
  The event marks the anniversary of the Battle of Karbala, when Imam Hussein ibn Ali, a grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was martyred by the forces of the second Umayyad caliph. Family members and companions accompanying him were either killed or subjected to humiliation. The commemoration of this event during the yearly mourning season, with the Day of Ashura as the focal date, serves to define Shia communal identity. Muharram observances are carried out in countries with a sizable Shia population.
  Shia Muslims mourn during Muharram, although Sunnis do so to a much lesser extent. Storytelling, weeping and chest beating, wearing black, partial fasting, street processions, and re-enactments of the Battle of Karbala form the crux of the observances. Self-flagellation has been practiced but is now considered haram by most Usuli Shia authorities.
context_section_description: In South Asia, literary and musical genres produced by both Shias and Sunnis, that have been inspired by the Battle of Karbala are performed during the month, such as marsiya, noha and soaz. This is meant to increase the people's understanding of how the enemies fought The Battle of Karbala against Imam Husayn and his followers.
  In Hyderabad, the Bibi-Ka-Alam procession is taken annually to mark the date.
caption: Muharram procession in Hyderabad photographed by Lala Deen Dayal, c. 1880s.
exif: {"Image Software": "Google", "Image ExifOffset": "46", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1024", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "724"}