Quick Answer
- What it is: the tenth day of Muharram, the day of the martyrdoms at Karbala
- Next Ashura: 15 June 2027 in the Gulf, 16 June 2027 in India
- Why many Muslims fast: the Prophet (PBUH) fasted on this day, and it was observed before Ramadan became obligatory
- Why others mourn: Imam Hussain (AS), grandson of the Prophet (PBUH), was killed at Karbala on this day in 61 AH
- Also called: Youm-e-Ashura, Asura, the tenth of Muharram
- Position in the month: the climax of the first ten days of Muharram
Ashura is the one day in the Muslim calendar that both a fasting table and a mourning procession belong to. In one part of the world, families wake before dawn to fast; in another, the same date brings a night of recitation and a day of processions. Both are Ashura, and both look back to the same tenth of Muharram.
This article explains what the word means, what happened on that day at Karbala, why fasting on Ashura is practised in one tradition and mourning in another, how the day is observed across countries, and how a reader who is new to all of it can take something from it. It is written plainly, without assuming you already know the vocabulary.
What the Word Ashura Means
Ashura comes from the Arabic ashara, meaning ten. In the Islamic calendar it is the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Hijri year. The name is not a title given to a person or an event; it is simply a number. The tenth day.
That plainness is useful to remember, because the day carries so much that it is easy to assume the name means something grand. It does not. What made the tenth day heavy was not the word but what happened on it.
In the subcontinent you will also hear Youm-e-Ashura, the day of Ashura, and in some regions the day is spelled Asura or Aashura. All of them point to the same date. If the month itself is new to you, our guide to Muharram explains where it sits in the Islamic year and why it is the first month.
When Is Ashura? The Date Each Year
Ashura has no fixed date in the Gregorian calendar. It is always the tenth of Muharram, and because the Hijri year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year, the day moves roughly eleven days earlier every year. In some years it doubles back by a day at the month boundary, which is why the shift is not perfectly even.
| Islamic year | Ashura in the Gulf (Umm al-Qura) | Ashura in India and South Asia |
|---|---|---|
| 1449 AH | Tuesday, 15 June 2027 | Wednesday, 16 June 2027 |
| 1450 AH | Saturday, 3 June 2028 | Sunday, 4 June 2028 |
| 1451 AH | Wednesday, 23 May 2029 | Thursday, 24 May 2029 |
| 1452 AH | Sunday, 12 May 2030 | Monday, 13 May 2030 |
Two things to keep in mind when you use a table like this. First, these dates come from the Umm al-Qura calendar, which is the printed calendar used in Saudi Arabia. Countries that begin the month by local moon sighting can be one day later, which is why South Asia usually observes Ashura a day after the Gulf. Second, after the last year shown, simply take off about eleven days per year, or check the Hijri calendar printed by your local mosque.
For reference, Ashura fell on 5 and 6 July in 2025, and on 25 and 26 June in 2026, one day apart for the same reason. The ninth day of the month, called Tasu'a, is the day before Ashura in every one of these years.
What Happened on Ashura at Karbala
On the tenth of Muharram in the year 61 after the Hijra, on a plain in present-day Iraq, Imam Hussain (AS), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), was killed along with the men of his family and about seventy-two companions.
The story did not begin that morning. His caravan had been stopped at Karbala days earlier and refused permission to pass. Water was cut off on the seventh. On the ninth, the last night, the camp prepared for what was coming. On the tenth, one by one, the men went out and did not return.
Among them were his half-brother Hazrat Abbas (AS), who died trying to reach the river for the children; his eldest son Ali Akbar (AS), who was in his early twenties; and his infant son Ali Asghar, who was six months old. By the afternoon, Hussain (AS) was alone.
The women and children were taken captive that evening. They were marched first to Kufa and then to Damascus, and in the court of Yazid it was Bibi Zainab (SA), the sister of Hussain (AS), who spoke up and refused to let the deaths be recorded as a simple rebellion put down.
Muslims differ in how they mark the day, but this is the history both traditions read on Ashura. For the full sequence from Medina to Damascus, see our guide to the story of Karbala.
Fasting on Ashura: Where the Practice Comes From
The reports on Ashura fasting are recorded in the sound collections, and they describe a practice older than Karbala.
Sahih al-Bukhari records that the Prophet (PBUH) came to Medina and found the Jews of the city fasting on Ashura. He asked them why. They answered that it was the day on which God had saved Musa (AS) and the children of Israel from their enemy, and that Musa had fasted on it in gratitude. The Prophet said that Muslims were closer to Musa than they were, and instructed that the day be fasted (Sahih al-Bukhari 2004).
Another report describes the Prophet saying on the day of Ashura, before fasting in Ramadan had been made obligatory, that whoever wished might fast (Sahih al-Bukhari 2000). When Ramadan became the obligatory month of fasting, the Ashura fast remained as a voluntary act rather than a duty.
The custom of adding the ninth, Tasu'a, comes from a report in which the Prophet intended to fast on the ninth as well. Scholars explain the addition in more than one way, commonly as a way of keeping the practice distinct from other communities, and many Muslims today fast both days.
Why Shia Muslims Mourn Instead of Fast
Shia Muslims do not treat Ashura as a day of fasting. For them it is the anniversary of the death of the grandson of the Prophet (PBUH), and the day is given to mourning.
That does not mean the day is observed as hopeless. The mourning has a shape: it begins with grief and ends with patience. A majlis will recite the story, quote the Quran, insist on the rights of the family of the Prophet, and close with a prayer for the community. If you have never attended one, our guide to what a majlis is walks through what happens inside. The crying is not the point of the gathering; the remembering is.
It is worth saying plainly, because it is often misunderstood: the difference between the two traditions is not about whether Karbala happened, or about respect for Imam Hussain (AS). It is about what the day requires of a person. One tradition marks it with hunger, the other with grief.
How Ashura Is Observed in Different Countries
India. In many cities the day begins with a juloos, a procession that carries an alam or a taziya through the streets. Shops set up sabeel, free stalls of water, sherbet or milk, which are welcome in the heat of the season. In the evenings, majalis are held in imambargahs and in homes.
Iraq. Karbala itself receives hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. The fortieth day, Arbaeen, draws a far larger number still, and the walk from Najaf is one of the largest peaceful gatherings on earth.
Iran. The day is marked by ta'ziyeh, the street theatre that re-enacts Karbala, performed in courtyards and squares.
Pakistan and Bangladesh. Processions, sabeel and all-night majalis, with the local language carrying the poetry.
For Sunni Muslims outside the subcontinent, Ashura is often a quiet day of voluntary fasting and, in some countries, a public holiday. Both groups sometimes mark the day with charity, which is the one thing every tradition agrees on.
What Ashura Asks of a Person Today
The day is old, but its questions are not. Ashura asks whether truth is worth a cost. It asks what a person owes to a community when that community is in danger. It asks how someone behaves when every worldly reason says to stay quiet.
It also asks a smaller and harder question, the one that a reader can actually use: what do you do with the memory of something that was wrong and was never put right? The tradition's answer is to remember it, to say it aloud, and to feed and give water to whoever needs it. None of that requires a person to be a scholar.
How to Observe Ashura If You Are New
If you are Muslim and want to mark the day, the simplest path is the one your own tradition prescribes: fast on the ninth and tenth if you are in the Sunni tradition, or attend a majlis if you are in the Shia tradition. Neither needs preparation beyond intention.
If you are visiting from outside, three things will carry you through: dress modestly, keep your phone away, and follow your host. You are not expected to recite anything or cry. Listening with attention is a complete form of participation, and in most gatherings someone will be glad to explain what is happening afterwards.
If you are simply reading, you can still mark the day with a glass of water given to someone else. The tradition that was cut off from water at Karbala has always made the giving of water its own kind of answer.
Common Mistakes in Talking About Ashura
Calling it a festival. Ashura is a day of grief for millions of Muslims. Wishing someone a happy Ashura is likely to cause offence.
Assuming it is only a Shia day. Fasting on Ashura is a recognised voluntary act in Sunni practice, recorded in the sound collections.
Confusing Ashura with Arbaeen. Arbaeen is the fortieth day after Ashura, on 20 Safar, and is a separate observance.
Treating the fasting and the mourning as a disagreement about facts. Both traditions read the same history; they differ on what the day asks of the believer.
Words You Will Hear on Ashura
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ashura | The tenth day of Muharram |
| Tasu'a | The ninth day of Muharram, often fasted along with Ashura |
| Juloos | A procession, common on Ashura in South Asia |
| Alam | A standard carried in the procession, as a symbol of remembrance |
| Taziya | A replica of the shrine of Hussain (AS), carried and then buried or immersed |
| Sabeel | A free water or drink stall set up for passers-by |
| Sham-e-Ghariban | The evening of Ashura, when the captivity of the family is remembered |
| Arbaeen | The fortieth day after Ashura, on 20 Safar |
If you want the difference between the recitations you will hear, our explainer on nauha, marsiya, soz and salam covers them side by side.
Key Takeaways
- Ashura is the tenth day of Muharram, the day of the martyrdoms at Karbala in 61 AH.
- It has no fixed Gregorian date: the day moves about eleven days earlier each year.
- Many Sunni Muslims fast on the ninth and tenth, following reports that the Prophet (PBUH) fasted on this day.
- Shia Muslims observe Ashura in mourning, with majalis, processions and charity rather than fasting.
- Both traditions read the same history and both reject calling Ashura a celebration.
- For the coming years the date is 15 or 16 June 2027, 3 or 4 June 2028, and 23 or 24 May 2029.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ashura in simple words?
Ashura is the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is the day on which Imam Hussain (AS), the grandson of the Prophet (PBUH), was killed at Karbala, and for many Muslims it is also a day of voluntary fasting.
When is Ashura?
Ashura is always the tenth of Muharram, so its Gregorian date moves about eleven days earlier each year. It is expected on 15 June 2027 in the Gulf and 16 June 2027 in India, then 3 and 4 June 2028, and 23 and 24 May 2029. Local moon sighting can shift a date by one day.
Why do Muslims fast on Ashura?
Reports in Sahih al-Bukhari describe the Prophet (PBUH) fasting on Ashura and encouraging others to. Before fasting in Ramadan became obligatory, the Ashura fast was observed by the community; afterwards it remained a voluntary act.
Why do Shia Muslims not fast on Ashura?
For Shia Muslims Ashura is the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussain (AS), so the day is given to mourning rather than fasting. The day is spent in majlis, recitation, processions and charity.
What is the difference between Ashura and Arbaeen?
Ashura is the tenth of Muharram, the day of the battle. Arbaeen is the fortieth day after Ashura, on 20 Safar, marking the end of the mourning period, and it draws the largest pilgrimage to Karbala.
Can a non-Muslim attend an Ashura procession or majlis?
Yes, as a guest. Modest clothing, a quiet manner and following your host are enough. You are not expected to fast, recite or take part in any ritual; respectful listening is welcome.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2004, on the Prophet (PBUH) finding the people of Medina fasting on Ashura, at Sunnah.com.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2000, on fasting on the day of Ashura before Ramadan, at Sunnah.com.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2005, on Ashura as a day observed by the Jews of Medina, at Sunnah.com.
- Dates for 10 Muharram 1449 to 1452 AH from the Umm al-Qura calendar, compared with published Islamic calendars for 2027 to 2030. A one-day difference is normal where the month begins by local moon sighting.
Disclaimer: This article is an educational introduction for readers of all backgrounds. It sets out the practices of different Muslim traditions without judging between them, and does not claim to speak for any single school of thought. If you spot an error, write to us through the contact page and we will correct it.
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