December 28th, 2009
02:25 PM ET
Photo Spotlight: Praying during Ashura
An Afghan woman prays during Ashura in Kabul on Sunday. Ashura is a major Muslim Holy day to mark the death of Imam Hussein, the 7th century grandson of the prophet Mohammad who was killed in a battle in 680 A.D., as a martyr.
It is important only for the sole reason that the grandson of the Prophet (saw) was brutally murdered on the sands of Karbala in order to preserve Islam.
In Afghanistan, Ashura is very important to both Sunnis and Shi'as. It may not be this way in other countries, but the sacrifice of Imam Hussain is still commemorated through out Afghanistan (even in Kandahar).
More people visit the shrine of Hussain on days like Arbaeen and Ashura than people going to the Kaaba at Hajj time. Does that not tell you anything?
All Muslims commemorate this very Islamic event.
yes it's important for all Muslims but not important because the death of Prophet Mohamed grandson, but because Prophet Mohammad asked Muslims to mark the day by fasting on it in addition to another day consecutively, because the Jews used to fast on this day to mark the freeing of Moses's people from the Pharoah, and Muslims honor Moses as one of the Prophets of Islam as well. we do not consider the death day of prophet Mohamed a holy day, but we consider his birthday as a holy day. so if we don't consider our prophet's death day a holy day how we will consider his grandson death a holyday ?!!!!! 🙂
Ashura is a holy day not just for Shia Muslim but any believing muslim. This is a day when the Holy Prophets grandson was slaughtered on the plains of Karbala.
So no matter whatever events may have occurred on this day, they all are second to Martyrdom of Imam Hussain.
To correct the caption, Ashura is only recognized for the stated reasoning by some Shia Muslims. For the majority (Sunni), Muslims consider it a holy day because the Prophet Muhammad asked Muslims to mark the day by fasting on it in addition to another day consecutively, because the Jews used to fast on this day to mark the freeing of Moses's people from the Pharoah, and Muslims honor Moses as one of the Prophets of Islam as well. Many other historically important events in Islam are believed to have occured on Ashura well before the martyrdom of Imam Hussein.