Islam: Muharram

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Muharram is the first month of the Islamic Calendar. It is one of the four months of the year in which fighting is prohibited. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian Calendar. Muharram is so called because it was unlawful to fight during this month; the word is derived from the word ‘haram’ meaning forbidden. It is held to be the most sacred of all the months, excluding Ramadan. Some Muslims fast during these days. The tenth day of Muharram is called Yaumu-l 'Ashurah, meaning, ‘the tenth day’, and it is a day of voluntary fasting. Fasting differs among the Muslim groupings; mainstream Shia Muslims stop eating and drinking during sunlight hours but do not fast until the evening. Sunni Muslims also fast during Muharram and on either the ninth or the eleventh day, the choice of which additional day being at the discretion of the individual.

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==Muharram and Ashura==

The word "Muharram" is often considered synonymous with Ashura. Ashura, which literally means "tenth" in Arabic, refers to the tenth day of Muharram. The religious significance of Ashura, as is relevant to Sunni Muslims who form the majority (85%) of Muslims, can be summarised from a report regarding Prophet Muhammed as follows:

" Prophet Muhammed arrived in Madinah and found the Jews observing fast on the day of ‘Ashura… They said: "It is the day of great (significance) when Allah delivered Moses and his people and drowned Pharaoh and his people, and Moses observed fast out of gratitude. And we also observe it." Then Prophet Muhammed responded: "We have more right, and we have closer connection with Moses than you have"; so he observed fast and gave us orders to observe it." [Reported by Ibn Abbas, Ref: Sahih Bukhari and Muslim]

The Shi'a believe the above hadith to be a fabrication by the Umayyads after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, as a part of their campaign to turn the 10th of Muharram into a day of rejoicing. These traditions are of the same genre as those which say that it was on the 10th of Muharram that Noah's ark rested on Mount Ararat, the fire became cool and safe for Abraham, and Jesus ascended to the heaven. In the same category came the traditions exhorting the Muslims to treat 'Ashura as a festival of joy, and to store one's food-grain on this very day as it would increase one's sustenance and bring the blessings of Allah to the household.

The day of Ashura also has the historical significance of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, which however took place well after the demise of Prophet Muhammed, and should not be confused with the religious significance of Ashura. However the Shia Muslim community attributes religious significances to the day of Ashura connected with this event.