Muharram 2023: Date, Celebration, History & Story

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar and is considered as the sacred month of the year according to Muslims. The tenth day of this month is the day of most significance which is celebrated with huge enthusiasm by the people of the Muslim community for various reasons.

Muharram 2023 will be observed on Monday, 10^th September.

When Muharram falls

It falls every year as the first month of the Islamic calendar and considered as one of the four sacred months of the year in Islam. It is a gazetted holiday all over India because it is the start of the Islamic year.

The significance of Muharram

According to the Shia Muslim, Hussain Ibn Ali was a famous figure in the Muslim religion and was considered as a member of Muhammad’s household. In history, once he refused to accept the Islamic rules by the Yazid. And he started revolting against him which gave rise to the Karbala (a Battle) during which he was beheaded whereas his family members were imprisoned in Damascus.

According to the Sunni Muslims, it is the day when Moses got victory over Egyptian Pharaohs. And according to history, it is considered as Moses was a religious Islam leader, who was propagating the religious teachings among people all around the world. And he got a victory on the tenth day of the Muharram over the Pharaohs of Egypt.

Both factions of the Muslim community celebrate this day with almost identical traditions. The difference is that Shia Muslims celebrate this day with fast on this day and the Sunni Muslims celebrate this day with fast for an extra day (before or after this day).

According to the teachings of the Muhammad Prophet. Sometimes, Shia Muslims keep fast for the whole month as well as celebrate the day by teasing themselves with sticks and rods in order to commemorate all the sufferings of Hussain Ibn Ali (while fighting to Yazid).

A celebration of the Muharram festival

The muharram festival is celebrated by both Sunni and Shia Muslims all over the world. It is a festival of one whole month and especially on the 10^th day of Muharram they celebrate it as the month of mourning to commemorate the event which took place at Karbala with Imam Hussain, his family members, and followers.

The National holiday is observed all over India so all the banks and government offices remain closed. This festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm for large prayer meetings in the mosques or at homes.

This causes the traffic on the road near mosques. It is celebrated in the same way all over the country by the Muslim community.

It is also celebrated as the mourning month in order to commemorate the Battle of Karbala. Shia Muslim Community uses to cry, very loudly and beat their chest by being sorrowful in order to commemorate all the sufferings of Imam Hussain and his followers.

History of this Festival

According to the Quran, Muharram is the sacred month among the four months, the other three months are Zulqadah, Zulhijjah, and Rajab. According to the Islamic Lunar calendar, it is the first month of the year.

The Muslim community celebrates this festival to commemorate the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed. He was killed including his family members and followers in AD 680 during the Battle of Karbala.

People also remember Ali (the son-in-law of the prophet) and his elder son Hassan while celebrating the Muharram because they also suffered a lot and died for the rights of the whole Muslim Community.

If you have any queries regarding Muharram 2023, you can ask your query and leave comments below.