The Month of Muharram-ul-Haram and Its Importance

Muharram-ul-Haram is the first month of the Islamic Moon-related calendar (Hijri Calendar) and holds huge holy and untouchable value. Even before the coming of Islam, this month was highly greatly respected. It is one of the four "Holy and untouchable Months" (Ashhur-ul-Hurum) talked about/said in the Holy Quran, during which fighting and war fighting are strictly forbidden. The Prophet Muhammad ï·º referred to it as "The Month of Allah."

(in the past), even before the sad event of Karbala, the 10th of Muharram (Day of Ashura) was blessed with major historical events:

• It was the day Predictor of the future Adam's feelings of deep sorrow for past sin was accepted by Allah.
• Predictor of the future Noah's Ark safely rested on Mount Judi after the great flood.
• Predictor of the future Moses (Musa) and his people were (in an amazing and unexplainable way) saved from the very bad treatment of Pharaoh, a day on which the Jews of Medina (did not eat food) out of thankfulness, a tradition later adopted in Islamic practice.

What Happened on the 10th of Muharram? (The Story of Karbala)

In the 61st year after the Moving (from one place to another) (61 AH), specifically on the 10th of Muharram, one of the most painful yet huge and important terrible events in Islamic history happened, known as the Event of Karbala. It is a never-ending story of truth against lie/dishonesty, written in the burning desert of Karbala, Iraq.

Here is the described/explained historical sequence:

** 1. The Background**

Following the passing of Ameer Muawiya, his son Yazeed assumed power in Damascus (Syria) and demanded loyalty (Bay'at) from the whole Muslim Ummah. However, Yazeed's character and style of authority and control openly went against/argued against Islamic ways of thinking/basic truths/rules of justice and leadership. Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad ï·º, refused to promise loyalty to a dishonest and crime-committing ruler to protect the true spirit of Islam. Hearing of his (way of standing/way of thinking), the people of Kufa (Iraq) sent thousands of letters inviting the Imam to lead them, promising their full support against Yazeed.

2. The Attack and the Water (something that prevents access to and from a place)

Hazrat Imam Hussain set out for Kufa along with his family--which included women and small children--and a small band of loyal companions. However, Yazeed's governor in Iraq, Obaidullah Ibn-e-Ziyad, used heavy threatening/making scared, threats, and (pays money to someone to get favors) to break the resolve of the Kufans. Before Imam Hussain's (a group of people traveling together) could even reach the city, they were stopped (and looked at) and encircled by Yazeed's army in the (nothing good exists) desert of Karbala on the 2nd of Muharram, 61 AH.

• On the 7th of Muharram, the enemy army cut off the (a group of people traveling together)'s access to the Euphrates River (Darya-e-Furat). For three very painful/extreme days, the household of the Predictor of the future ï·º lasted through/tolerated extreme hunger and thirst under the bright sun.

3. The 10th of Muharram: The Fight of Truth vs. Lie/dishonesty

On the morning of the 10th of Muharram, the two sides stood face-to-face. On one side was Yazeed's huge state army numbering over 22,000 soldiers. On the other side stood Hazrat Imam Hussain's small camp of just 72 dedicated companions, which included (having no water or not enough water) children and old family members.

• The (dying or suffering a lot rather than giving up what you believe in) of the Companions: One by one, Imam Hussain's loyal friends and the loved members of his family stepped onto the battlefield. Hazrat Qasim (the young son of Imam Hasan), Hazrat Ali Akbar (Imam Hussain's young adult son), and his brother and standard-bearer, Hazrat Abbas (who lost his arms while trying to fetch water from the river for the children), were all (someone who dies or suffers a lot rather than gives up what he or she believes in)ed one after the other.
• The 6-Month-Old Ali Asghar: (without hope/very upset) to get a drop of water for his six-month-old infant son, Hazrat Ali Asghar, Imam Hussain brought him out to the battlefield, hoping the enemy might show mercy to a baby. Instead, an enemy (bow-and-arrow hunter) named Hurmula targeted the child, shooting an arrow through his throat. The infant died right in his father's arms.

4. The (dying or suffering a lot rather than giving up what you believe in) of Imam Hussain

(in the end), Hazrat Imam Hussain was left completely alone. He delivered a final religious speech to the opposite (or fighting against) army, inviting them toward truth and justice, and then fought with the very best bravery against the surrounding thousands. Weakened by huge numbers of wounds, he was finally attacked during the time of the Asr prayer. As he bowed in (lying flat on the ground) (Sajdah) before Allah, a soldier named Shimr Zil-Jawshan cruelly cut off his blessed head from his body.