Ashura

Ashura (Arabic: عَاشُورَاء, ʿĀshūrāʾ [ʕaːʃuːˈraːʔ]), also more formally as the Day of Ashura (Arabic: يوم عاشوراء, romanized: Yawm ʿĀshūrāʾ), is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the tenth of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar.

According to Sunni traditions, Ashura marks the parting of the Red Sea by Moses and the salvation of the Israelites. It is also believed that on this day, Noah disembarked from the Ark, God forgave Adam, and Joseph was released from prison, among other events. Ashura is observed in Sunni Islam through supererogatory fasting, prayer, and charitable acts. Some Sunni communities have also observed the day through celebratory practices, though certain forms of joyful commemoration have been criticized by Sunni scholars. Many Sunnis additionally regard the killing of Husayn ibn Ali at Karbala as a tragic event in Islamic history and commemorate it through sermons, remembrance, or other forms of reflection, although these observances generally differ from the mourning rituals characteristic of Shia Islam, particularly the more intensive forms of ritual mourning practiced in some communities.