Besides fasting on the day of Aashura, being
generous to one's family and spending more than what is normally
spent on food, etc. is an act
of great merit. It is mentioned in
a Hadith, 'He who will be generous to his family on the day of
Aashura, Allah will be generous to him for the
entire
year.'
Muharram/Islamic New Year in United Kingdom
Quick Facts
Muharram
is the first month in the Islamic calendar. Muslims may make a special
effort to fast, pray or think about their deeds on the first, ninth and
10th or first, 10th and 11th days of the month.
Name
Muharram/Islamic New Year
Muharram/Islamic New Year 2014
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Muharram/Islamic New Year 2015
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Note:
Regional customs or moon sightings may cause a variation of the date
for Islamic holidays, which begin at sundown the day before the date
specified for the holiday. The Islamic calendar is lunar and the days
begin at sunset, so there may be one-day error depending on when the New
Moon is first seen.
List of dates for other years
Muharram
is the month at the beginning of the Islamic year. Some Muslims mark
the start of the Islamic year on the first day of Muharram. Others start
to prepare for the Day of Ashura on the tenth day of the month. This
observance applies to Muslims worldwide, including the United Kingdom.
Many Muslims engage in prayer or take extra time to read the Koran during the month of Muharram.
©iStockphoto.com/Samina Imran
What do people do?
Some Muslims in the United Kingdom take time on the first day of the
month of Muharram to reflect on their lives and to think how they can
improve them. Many Muslims also spend time in prayer or fast during
daylight hours to prepare for the Day of Ashura on the tenth day of the
month. Some Muslims fast during the hours of daylight on the ninth and
10th or first, 10th and 11th days of Muharram to commemorate that Noah
left the ark and that God saved Moses from the Egyptians.
Some Shi'a Muslims beat or whip themselves as part of a mourning
ritual for Husayn ibn Ali on the Day of Ashura (Ashurah). This practice
is rare in the United Kingdom. Some religious leaders encourage Muslims
who feel that they should lose some blood on this day to donate blood to
the blood transfusion service.
Public life
None of the days of Muharram are bank holidays in the United Kingdom.
Many Muslim pupils at state schools can get permission to have a day
off school to observe the Day of Ashura.
Background
Muharram is the first month in the Islamic calendar. The tenth day is
known as the Day of Ashura and commemorates that Noah left the ark and
that God saved Moses from the Egyptians. For Shi'a Muslims, the Day of
Ashura is also a day of mourning for Husayn ibn Ali. Husayn ibn Ali was a
grandson of the Prophet Muhammed and was martyred in 680 CE at Karbala,
currently in Iraq.
Symbols
Some Muslims eat a symbolic meal or dessert on the Day of Ashura,
known as Noah's pudding. The ingredients may include water, grains,
pulses, fresh and dried fruit, salt and honey. The dish may be garnished
with orange or lemon rind, spices, nuts and pomegranate seeds. Muslims
are urged to enjoy the dish and to share it with their neighbors.
About Muharram/Islamic New Year in other countries
Read more about Muharram/Islamic New Year.
Muharram/Islamic New Year Observances
Note:
Regional customs or moon sightings may cause a variation of the date
for Islamic holidays, which begin at sundown the day before the date
specified for the holiday. The Islamic calendar is lunar and the days
begin at sunset, so there may be one-day error depending on when the New
Moon is first seen.
| Weekday | Date | Year | Name | Holiday type | Where it is observed |
|---|
| Tue | Jul 24 | 1990 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Sat | Jul 13 | 1991 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Thu | Jul 2 | 1992 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Mon | Jun 21 | 1993 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Fri | Jun 10 | 1994 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Wed | May 31 | 1995 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Sun | May 19 | 1996 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Fri | May 9 | 1997 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Tue | Apr 28 | 1998 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Sat | Apr 17 | 1999 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Thu | Apr 6 | 2000 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Mon | Mar 26 | 2001 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Fri | Mar 15 | 2002 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Wed | Mar 5 | 2003 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Sun | Feb 22 | 2004 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Thu | Feb 10 | 2005 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Tue | Jan 31 | 2006 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Sat | Jan 20 | 2007 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Thu | Jan 10 | 2008 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Mon | Dec 29 | 2008 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Fri | Dec 18 | 2009 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Wed | Dec 8 | 2010 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Sun | Nov 27 | 2011 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Thu | Nov 15 | 2012 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Tue | Nov 5 | 2013 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Sat | Oct 25 | 2014 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Thu | Oct 15 | 2015 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Mon | Oct 3 | 2016 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Fri | Sep 22 | 2017 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Wed | Sep 12 | 2018 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Sun | Sep 1 | 2019 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
| Thu | Aug 20 | 2020 | Muharram/Islamic New Year | Muslim | |
Other holidays in October 2014 in United Kingdom
- Feast of St Francis of Assisi ―Saturday, October 4, 2014
- Yom Kippur ―Saturday, October 4, 2014
- Eid-al-Adha ―Saturday, October 4, 2014
- First day of Sukkot ―Thursday, October 9, 2014
- Last day of Sukkot ―Wednesday, October 15, 2014
- Shmini Atzeret ―Thursday, October 16, 2014
- Simchat Torah ―Friday, October 17, 2014
- Diwali/Deepavali ―Thursday, October 23, 2014
- Daylight Saving Time ends ―Sunday, October 26, 2014
- Halloween ―Friday, October 31, 2014
Assalamu-Alaikum and Greetings !
Ashura of Muharram
With Ashura at our doorsteps, this is a
reminder for you to fast the two days of Ashura on the 9th and 10th of Muharram
(or 10th and 11th of Muharram 1436 AH). Per Makkah calendar, 9th and 10th of Muharram
correspond to Sunday and Monday, 2nd and 3rd of November, 2014.
Another point to note for the month of Muharram is the
authentic hadith by the prophet mentioned in Sahih Muslim (hadith # 1163) where
he (s.a.w.s.) says, "The best fasting after Ramadan is the month of
Allaah Muharram, and the best prayer after the obligatory prayer is prayer at
night."
Ashura-JFK-9/11 and the beauty of Shia Islam
Ashura commemorates the tragedy of Karbala – the martyrdom of Hussein by the evil scumbag Yazid
Today is Ashura, a major Muslim holiday.
But don’t say “happy Ashura.” At least not to a Shia Muslim.
For Shia Muslims – and anyone else who chooses to lament the
martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandson Hussein on this day – Ashura isn’t
about happiness.
A holiday that isn’t about happiness?! That’s a hard concept for
Americans to grasp. Here in the USA every holiday is a celebration of
the “pursuit of happiness”: We say happy Fourth of July, happy
Halloween, happy Easter, happy Veterans Day, happy President’s Day,
happy Thanksgiving, happy Groundhog Day, happy National Secretaries Day,
you name it. The only non-happy American holiday is Christmas – not
because we’ve officially admitted that most people are miserable from
seasonal affective disorder or being forced to interact with their
families or whatever, but because for some reason we always say “merry
Christmas” not “happy Christmas.” And “merry” basically just means
“sufficiently happy while drunk on eggnog to tolerate ones relatives.”
So for Americans, every holiday is ostensibly happy or merry. An unhappy holiday is an oxymoron.
There are only two exceptions to this rule, and both are unofficial holidays:
September 11th and JFK Day. Every time 9/11 and 11/22 roll around,
people remember America’s two greatest-ever national tragedies: The
killing of the last real President, and the final death of the Republic.
9/11 and JFK day are a bit like Ashura: They commemorate evil, unjust,
murderous coups d’état.
Shia Muslims commemorate the slaughter of a good ruler, the Prophet’s
grandson and legitimate heir Hussein, by the evil S.O.B. Yazid, by
beating their chests and backs with light chains. I wouldn’t mind seeing
Americans likewise beating themselves every November 22nd to
commemorate the murder of a relatively good leader, JFK, by a bunch of
evil SOBs including LBJ, Allan Dulles, George H.W. Bush, Cord Meyer,
James Jesus Angleton, Meyer Lansky, and very likely David Ben Gurion.
And I wouldn’t mind seeing Americans beating themselves with HEAVY
chains every 9/11 to mourn the murder of the American dream by a bunch
of neoconservative scumbags who make the Elders of Zion look like
small-timers.
The same neocon propagandists who brought you 9/11 are
trying to make you hate Ashura – so watch out for made-in-Israel reports
about “Crazy Shia fanatics beating themselves bloody.”
Alongside the self-flagellating processions, Shia Muslims also stage
theatrical re-enactments of the Passion of Hussein on Ashura. Maybe
Americans could borrow that idea too, and have a parade re-enacting the
doomed Dallas motorcade in every American city, town, and village. Now
that Sherwood Ross and Jim Fetzer have identified every one of the six shooters who
fired at JFK in Dallas, we can outdo the Shia by featuring a whole slew
of villains in our re-enactments: Deputy Sheriff Harry Weatherford
firing from the top of the County Records Building; US Air Force
marksman Jack Lawrence firing from the south end of the Triple
Underpass; George H.W. Bush’s protégé Tony “Nestor” Izquierdo,
supervised by Bush himself, firing the only unsilenced bullets from the
Dal-Tex building; CIA asset Roscoe White firing from the Grassy Knoll;
LBJ’s personal hitman Malcolm “Mac” Wallace firing from the Texas School
Book Depository; and CIA asset Frank Sturgis firing from the north end
of the Triple Underpass.
Alongside the shooters, Kennedy Day re-enactments could also feature
the “big villains”: the psychopaths LBJ, Bush, and Dulles; the
paranoid-psychotic schemer Angleton, the genocidal fanatic Ben Gurion,
and the mobster scumbag Lansky.
And alongside the martyred hero JFK, they could feature smaller
heroes including Lee Harvey Oswald, a federal informer who was trying to
stop the assassination; and Abraham Bolden, the Secret Service Agent
who exposed a parallel Chicago plot to assassinate JFK.
If we really work at it, JFK day could be bigger than Ashura – and more dramatic than Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
And I won’t even get into what we could do on 9/11 day.
Though I will say that if we beat ourselves with heavy chains for
going along with such a transparent, and transparently evil, coup d’état
as 9/11, we should also make sure to beat the neocons with some really,
REALLY heavy chains.
Getting back to Ashura – and I know this has been a long digression,
but hey, we Americans have our heads you-know-where and mostly only talk
about America – as I say, getting back to Ashura, there is something
truly beautiful about a huge public holiday that mourns the murder of a
good, just, pious, holy, legitimate leader by a psychopathic scumbag and
his henchmen.
Though Shia and Sunni Muslims generally observe Ashura differently,
there is no disagreement whatsoever about the bottom-line issue: The
murder of the good, holy, just, and legitimate ruler Hussein by the
psychopathic scumbag Yazid was a cosmic tragedy and a terrible turn for
the worse in human history. All Sunni Muslims agree with their Shia
brothers and sisters about that. The Sunnis just don’t go around beating
their breasts about it.
But maybe they should. Maybe we should all make a point of beating
our breasts once a year in mourning for horrific injustice in general,
and the slaughter of good leaders by bad ones in particular.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Anyone of you who sees wrong, let
him undo it with his hand; and if he cannot, then let him speak against
it with his tongue, and if he cannot do this either, then (let him abhor
it) with his heart, and this is the least of faith.”
Since the early days of Islam, Muslims have often found it difficult
to raise their hands to defend good leaders against bad ones; and to
strike down bad leaders in favor of good ones. This problem, of course,
afflicts all of humanity, not just Muslims. But since Islam was the seal
of prophetic revelations, containing a blueprint for social as well as
spiritual order, it experiences the problem in especially acute form.
Shia Muslims, through their rites of Ashura, are hating injustice
with their hearts…and speaking out against injustice not just with their
tongues, but with their whole bodies as they act out the tragedy of
karbala. Though I am not Shia myself, and definitely not into
self-flagellation of any sort, no matter how good the reason – and Lord
knows I have done a few things that merit expiation – I find the Shia
celebration of Ashura beautiful and inspiring.
So today – Ashura, the Tenth of Muharram, the 1,375th anniversary of
the martyrdom of Hussein – my heart is with everyone who is mourning the
cosmic tragedy of Karbala, and vowing to fight for truth and justice
with heart, tongue and hand, come what may.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment