Ashura: Difference between revisions

(2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)

Line 1:

'''Ashura''' is the tenth day of [[Muharram]] (the first month of the Islamic calendar). The day is the climax of the Muharram mourning rituals which is a commemoration of the [[martyrdom]] of [[Hussain ibn Ali]], the grandson of the prophet of Islam, [[Muhammad]] at the Battle of [[Karbala]] on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH. For Sunnis, it is a day on which fasting is recommended.

==Etymology==

The root of the word Ashura has the meaning of tenth in Semitic languages. The Arabic term derives from the Hebrew word ʿasor with the Aramaic determinative ending -ā. It refers broadly to the first ten days of Muharram, but more specifically to the tenth day.

==Ashura in Shiʿite piety==

After the death of [[Muawiya]] in the spring of 60/680, his son [[Yazid]] succeeded him as [[caliph]]. Yazid’s succession by hereditary appointment rather than election or popular acclaim met with strong opposition in many quarters of a community already torn by conflict and dissension. Among the many dissenting groups was the party (Shiʿa) of [[ʿAli ibn Abi Talib|Ali b. Abi Taleb]], led by his son, Imam Hussain. Hussain’s supporters in [[Kufa~~]] urged~~ him to ~~lead them in revolt against Yazid’s rule~~; after some hesitation, he answered their persistent entreaties, not simply from political motives, but also because of an idealistic view of Islam that he sought to defend at all cost. His martyrdom has therefore been regarded by Muslims, Sunni as well as Shiʿite, as the model for self-sacrifice in the way of God, a revolt against wrong-doing and oppression. This fact has not been fully appreciated by most Western historians; yet it is crucial for a true understanding of the significance of Ashura for the Muslim community in general, and especially its Shiʿite members.

After the death of [[Muawiya]] in the spring of 60/680, his son [[Yazid]] succeeded him as [[caliph]]. Yazid’s succession by hereditary appointment rather than election or popular acclaim met with strong opposition in many quarters of a community already torn by conflict and dissension. Among the many dissenting groups was the party (Shiʿa) of [[ʿAli ibn Abi Talib|Ali b. Abi Taleb]], led by his son, Imam Hussain. Hussain’s supporters in Kufa invited him to Kufa; after some hesitation, he answered their persistent entreaties, not simply from political motives, but also because of an idealistic view of Islam that he sought to defend at all cost. His martyrdom has therefore been regarded by Muslims, Sunni as well as Shiʿite, as the model for self-sacrifice in the way of God, a revolt against wrong-doing and oppression. This fact has not been fully appreciated by most Western historians; yet it is crucial for a true understanding of the significance of Ashura for the Muslim community in general, and especially its Shiʿite members.

Hussain left for Kufa with his family and about seventy men. On the second of Muharram, 61/680 he encamped on the plain of [[Karbala]], where he faced an army of about 4,000 men sent to intercept him by the governor of Kufa, [[ʿObaydallah b. Ziad]]. After a week of fruitless negotiations, the head of the army, [[Omar Ibn Sa’d|ʿOmar b. Saʿd]], put the choice to Hussain and his followers of either surrendering to the authority of Ibn Ziad or fighting. The battle that ensued lasted from early morning to mid-afternoon. Hussain and his followers, including the able male members of his family, were killed; the women and children were led captive first to Kufa, then to Damascus. <ref>Tabari [Cairo], II, pp. 295-390; Mofid, Ershad, ed. Sayyed Kazem al-Miamawi, Tehran, 1377/1957-58, pp. 215ff., tr. I. K. A. Howard, London, 1981, p. 370.</ref>

Line 47:

Line 49:

[[Category: Shi’a Day of Remembrance]]

[[fa:عاشورا]]

[[Category:Imam Hussain’s commemoration]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Mourning of Muharram-vertical}}
 '''Ashura'''  is the tenth day of [[Muharram]] (the first month of the Islamic calendar). The day is the climax of the Muharram mourning rituals which is a commemoration of the [[martyrdom]] of [[Hussain ibn Ali]], the grandson of the prophet of Islam, [[Muhammad]] at the Battle of [[Karbala]] on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH. For Sunnis, it is a day on which fasting is recommended.
 ==Etymology==
 The root of the word Ashura has the meaning of tenth in Semitic languages. The Arabic term derives from the Hebrew word ʿasor with the Aramaic determinative ending -ā. It refers broadly to the first ten days of Muharram, but more specifically to the tenth day.
 ==Ashura in Shiʿite piety==
-After the death of [[Muawiya]] in the spring of 60/680, his son [[Yazid]] succeeded him as [[caliph]]. Yazid’s succession by hereditary appointment rather than election or popular acclaim met with strong opposition in many quarters of a community already torn by conflict and dissension. Among the many dissenting groups was the party (Shiʿa) of [[ʿAli ibn Abi Talib|Ali b. Abi Taleb]], led by his son, Imam Hussain. Hussain’s supporters in [[Kufa]] urged him to lead them in revolt against Yazid’s rule; after some hesitation, he answered their persistent entreaties, not simply from political motives, but also because of an idealistic view of Islam that he sought to defend at all cost. His martyrdom has therefore been regarded by Muslims, Sunni as well as Shiʿite, as the model for self-sacrifice in the way of God, a revolt against wrong-doing and oppression. This fact has not been fully appreciated by most Western historians; yet it is crucial for a true understanding of the significance of Ashura for the Muslim community in general, and especially its Shiʿite members.
+After the death of [[Muawiya]] in the spring of 60/680, his son [[Yazid]] succeeded him as [[caliph]]. Yazid’s succession by hereditary appointment rather than election or popular acclaim met with strong opposition in many quarters of a community already torn by conflict and dissension. Among the many dissenting groups was the party (Shiʿa) of [[ʿAli ibn Abi Talib|Ali b. Abi Taleb]], led by his son, Imam Hussain. Hussain’s supporters in Kufa invited him to Kufa; after some hesitation, he answered their persistent entreaties, not simply from political motives, but also because of an idealistic view of Islam that he sought to defend at all cost. His martyrdom has therefore been regarded by Muslims, Sunni as well as Shiʿite, as the model for self-sacrifice in the way of God, a revolt against wrong-doing and oppression. This fact has not been fully appreciated by most Western historians; yet it is crucial for a true understanding of the significance of Ashura for the Muslim community in general, and especially its Shiʿite members.
 Hussain left for Kufa with his family and about seventy men. On the second of Muharram, 61/680 he encamped on the plain of [[Karbala]], where he faced an army of about 4,000 men sent to intercept him by the governor of Kufa, [[ʿObaydallah b. Ziad]]. After a week of fruitless negotiations, the head of the army, [[Omar Ibn Sa’d|ʿOmar b. Saʿd]], put the choice to Hussain and his followers of either surrendering to the authority of Ibn Ziad or fighting. The battle that ensued lasted from early morning to mid-afternoon. Hussain and his followers, including the able male members of his family, were killed; the women and children were led captive first to Kufa, then to Damascus. <ref>Tabari [Cairo], II, pp. 295-390; Mofid, Ershad, ed. Sayyed Kazem al-Miamawi, Tehran, 1377/1957-58, pp. 215ff., tr. I. K. A. Howard, London, 1981, p. 370.</ref>
@@ Line 47: / Line 49: @@
 [[Category: Shi’a Day of Remembrance]]
 [[fa:عاشورا]]
+[[Category:Imam Hussain’s commemoration]]