Dates and Origins of Ashura

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Ashura Dates in 2024, 2025 and 2026

Ashura is celebrated at the following dates:

• Wednesday, July 17, 2024
• Sunday, July 6, 2025
• Friday, June 26, 2026

Ashura is a holiday observed worldwide by all Muslim braches, but it is celebrated mostly by Shi'ite Muslims¹. It occurs annually on the tenth day of the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Muharram¹.

Origins

Following the Hijra in 622 AD, or the great migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib, Muhammad declared Ashura a day for fasting and atonement². The day traditionally commemorates both the day Noah got off the ark and the day when Allah saved Moses from the Egyptians². For Shi'ite Muslims however, the holiday's importance comes from memorializing the death of Hussein Ibn Ali².

Hussein was born the grandson of Muhammad in 620 AD³. Following the death of Muhammad, the Muslin world experienced severe political unrest as Yazid of the Ummayad dynasty came to power³. Because of Hussein's position as a respected leader in the community, Yazid demanded his allegiance in order to cement his own status as a legitimate ruler⁴. Hussein refused this request and claimed that he, "will never give Yazid my hand like a man who has been humiliated, nor will I flee like a slave...I have not risen to spread evil or to show off...I only desire to enjoin good values and prevent evil"⁴. After vocalizing his discontent with Yazid, he and his followers set out to seek safety in Mecca⁵. Upon his arrival at Karbala, he was greeted by an opposing army of about four thousand men sent by Yazid⁵. A small battle ensued and Hussein was killed⁵. The death of Hussein, therefore, signifies the day the Muslim world split into two distinct sects: the Sunnis and the Shi'ites⁶.

Celebration

The celebration of Ashura widely varies between countries and between religious sects⁷. For Sunni Muslims, the day is celebrated quietly and includes the option to fast⁸. For Shi'ite Muslims, Ashura is a day for solemness and remembrance⁹. For those who are able, a pilgrimage is made to the shrine in Karbala which memorializes the death of Hussein⁹. People often wears dark clothing for mourning and do not show any outward expression of happiness or enjoyment⁹.

In many countries, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, large festivals of self-flagellations are held to emulate the suffering of Hussein¹⁰. Overall, the purpose of the holiday is to ask Allah for forgiveness, show devotion to Hussein, and commemorate his pain and suffering¹¹.