The Favour of ʿAshura: The 10th of Muharram (UK British Muslim Guide)

The 10th of Muharram — the day of fasting and reflection

The 10th of Muharram — the Day of ʿAshura — is the most spiritually significant day of the first Islamic month. The Prophet ﷺ fasted it himself and instructed Muslims to fast it. Different Islamic traditions mark the day differently — Sunni Muslims primarily through fasting, Shia Muslims with substantial commemoration of the martyrdom of al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (RA) at Karbala in 61 AH (680 CE). For British Muslim families, the day deserves understanding from both perspectives.

What ʿAshura is

ʿAshura literally means "the tenth" — the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic year. It is one of the most ancient days of religious observance in the monotheistic tradition. The Prophet ﷺ found that the Jewish community of Madinah fasted this day in commemoration of Allah\'s deliverance of Mūsā ﷺ and Banū Isrāʾīl from Pharaoh. He said: "We have more right to Mūsā than you do" and instructed Muslims to fast (Bukhari 2004).

The connection to Mūsā ﷺ is foundational. The day commemorates one of the great prophetic deliverances — the parting of the sea, the destruction of Pharaoh\'s army, the survival of the Israelite community. Muslims fasting on this day connect themselves to the prophetic line that runs from Mūsā through to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

The Sunnah practice for fasting ʿAshura

The full Sunnah is to fast TWO days — either the 9th and 10th, or the 10th and 11th — to distinguish Muslim observance from Jewish observance. The Prophet ﷺ said in his final year: "If I live until next year, I will fast the ninth" (Muslim 1134). He died before that next ʿAshura, but his intention is preserved as the Sunnah recommendation for two-day fasting.

Practical recommendations:

• Best: fast both the 9th and the 10th of Muharram
• Acceptable: fast both the 10th and the 11th
• Minimum: fast just the 10th

The reward for fasting ʿAshura

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Fasting on the Day of ʿAshura expiates the sins of the past year" (Muslim 1162). One day of voluntary fasting; one year of past sin expiated. The reward is exceptional and accessible to virtually any healthy adult Muslim — a single day, in the cool British autumn or winter months when Muharram typically falls (in current decades), is well within reach.

The Sunni-Shia difference on ʿAshura

The 10th of Muharram is also the date of the martyrdom of al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (RA) — the grandson of the Prophet ﷺ — at Karbala in 61 AH (680 CE). The killing of al-Ḥusayn by the forces of Yazid ibn Muʿāwiyah is one of the most theologically and emotionally consequential events in Islamic history. The Sunni and Shia traditions handle the date differently:

The Sunni position

• Honour al-Ḥusayn (RA) as the Prophet ﷺ\'s grandson and a great Companion
• Condemn his killing as a tragic injustice
• Maintain the original Sunnah focus of ʿAshura on fasting in commemoration of Mūsā ﷺ\'s deliverance
• Do not engage in the specific ritual mourning practices that developed in some Shia communities

The Shia position

• Treat ʿAshura primarily as the day of Karbala — the martyrdom of al-Ḥusayn (RA) and his companions
• Engage in extensive mourning rituals (in some communities including matam — chest-beating; in extreme practices, self-flagellation, though most contemporary Shia scholars discourage the more extreme forms)
• Hold majālis (gatherings) recounting the events of Karbala
• Wear black clothing during the first ten days of Muharram

For British Muslim families in mixed Sunni-Shia communities (London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford), the ten days of Muharram are a moment of particular communal significance for both traditions, with different observances practised in parallel.

The events of Karbala — what every Muslim should know

Even Sunni Muslims who do not engage in the specific Shia mourning rituals should know the historical events:

• After the death of Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān in 60 AH, his son Yazid claimed the caliphate
• al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (RA), invited by the people of Kufa to lead an opposition, travelled towards Iraq with his family and a small group of companions
• Yazid\'s commander ʿUbaydAllāh ibn Ziyād intercepted them at Karbala
• After ten days of standoff, al-Ḥusayn (RA), his sons, brothers, nephews and male companions were killed in battle on the 10th of Muharram
• The women and children, including al-Ḥusayn\'s sister Zaynab (RA) and his son ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (the only adult male survivor), were taken prisoner and brought to Yazid\'s court in Damascus
• The killing of the Prophet ﷺ\'s grandson by a Muslim political authority is one of the most painful events in Islamic history and shaped much of the subsequent political theology of both Sunni and Shia traditions

The mainstream Sunni position is to honour al-Ḥusayn (RA), to condemn his killing, and to be careful about Yazid — most classical Sunni scholars permit naming Yazid\'s actions as wrong without going so far as to formally curse him. (The Shia tradition is far more critical of Yazid by name.)

How British Muslim families should mark ʿAshura

1. Fast the day — two days if possible (9th and 10th, or 10th and 11th), the 10th at minimum.
2. Reflect on the deliverance of Mūsā ﷺ — read the relevant passages in Surah Al-Aʿrāf and Surah Ṭāhā with your children.
3. Acknowledge the Karbala tragedy with appropriate sobriety — without engaging in extreme ritual mourning, recognise the killing of the Prophet ﷺ\'s grandson as a great wrong.
4. Increase Quran recitation and du\'ā — Muharram is one of the four sacred months and ʿAshura is its most significant day.
5. Give in charity — Muharram giving is associated with classical scholarly recommendation.
6. Avoid sectarian arguments — Sunni and Shia families in mixed UK communities should respect each other\'s practices on this emotionally charged day.

Frequently asked questions

Where to go next

For more on Muharram and the Islamic calendar, see our guides on The Favour of Muharram, The Hijri New Year, al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī (al-Ḥusayn\'s elder brother), and Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān (Yazid\'s father). To study the relevant Quranic verses on Mūsā ﷺ\'s deliverance, book a free trial lesson.