Ghulam Qadir

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar, which begins at sad events. The month is significant for Islamic history because many important events took place during it. On the 2nd Muharram, Hazrat Hussain Ibn Ali reached Karbala in 680 AD and set up his camp there.

Yazid's army had surrounded him from all sides. When he was going towards Kufa with his companions, the Umayyad army forced him to stop in the desert area of ​​Karbala, where there was neither water nor any security arrangement.

On 7 Muharram, the water supply to Husain and his family was cut off by the order of Yazid, due to which the people in his camp suffered from hunger and thirst. The 8th Muharram is considered to be the martyrdom day of Hazrat Zain ul Abidin, who was the son of Husain and the only survivor of the battle of Karbala.

On 9 Muharram, the final negotiations between Husayn and the Umayyad army failed. The Umayyad commander Umar ibn Saad decided to attack after the Asr prayer but he was advised to wait until the next day.

Husain and his companions spent their night in prayer and worship. On 10th Muharram, which is called Ashura, the historic and tragic battle of Karbala took place in which Hazrat Husain was martyred. Before this, his brother Abbas was martyred on the banks of the Euphrates River along with all men of his family were also martyred.

At the end of the day, the Umayyad army captured the women and children and took them to Damascus, Syria. Another historical event of this day is that Hazrat Musa was freed from Pharaoh.

On 16 Muharram, Prophet Muhammad made Masjid-Aqsa, Jerusalem as the Qibla, i.e. the direction in which Muslims must pray, although later this direction was changed towards Kaaba in Mecca. On 17 Muharram, "Ashab-e-Feel" i.e. the army with elephants reached Mecca, which is mentioned in Surah Al-Feel of the Quran.

On 20 Muharram, the first muezzin of Islam, Hazrat Bilal, passed away. Fasting during this holy month is considered a highly pious act. According to a hadith, Prophet Muhammad would fast on the 10 Muharram.

Especially 9th and 10th Muharram has great importance. On the night of the 9th Muharram, the family of Hazrat Hussain had to face extreme hardships after many days of hunger and thirst. On 10th Muharram, in the historic battle of Karbala, Hazrat Hussain sacrificed his life while protecting his innocent family and Islamic values. This sacrifice has forever become immortal in Islamic history.

Important Dates of Muharram – Festivals and Events of Muharram

2 Muharram: Hazrat Husain ibn Ali entered Karbala in 680 and camped there. Yazid's army surrounded him from all sides. When he was going towards Kufa, the Umayyad army stopped him and forced him to camp in the desolate desert area of ​​Karbala, where there was no water and no security.

7 Muharram: On the orders of Yazid, the water supply for Hazrat Hussain and his companions was cut off. In the days that followed, the people in his camp became very troubled by hunger and thirst.

8 Muharram: The martyrdom of Hazrat Zain ul Abidin, the son of Hussain (RA) and the only survivor of the Battle of Karbala, is celebrated on this day.

9 Muharram: On this day in 680, negotiations between Hazrat Husayn and the Umayyad army failed. The Umayyad commander Umar ibn Saad (died in 686) planned to attack after the Asr prayer, but other leaders advised him to wait until the next day. That night Husayn and his companions remained engaged in prayer.

10 Muharram (Ashura):  On this day a historic battle of Karbala took place in 680. On this day Hazrat Hussain Ibn Ali was martyred, before this his brother Hazrat Abbas was martyred on the banks of the river Euphrates and most of the men of his family were also martyred by the Umayyad army.

At the end of the day, the Umayyad army captured the women and children of Hussain's camp and took them to Damascus, the capital of Syria. On this day Hazrat Musa got freedom from Pharaoh.

16 Muharram: On this day Prophet Muhammad chose the Masjid-e-Aqsa in Jerusalem as the Qibla (direction of prayer). Later this direction was changed to the Kaaba Sharif in Mecca, as mentioned in verse 144 of Surah Al-Baqarah of the Quran.

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17 Muharram: On this day "Ashab-e-Feel" (army with elephants) reached Mecca. This incident is described in Surah Al-Feel of the Quran.