Journalism of Courage
Muharram marks the first month of the Islamic calendar. Observed by both the Shia and the Sunni Muslims, Muharram marks the anniversary of the battle of Karbala, in which Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of prophet Muhammad, was killed by the second Umayyas caliph Yazid I and his forces. Muharram marks the yearly mourning month of the Muslims, when they commemorate the incident.
The tenth day of Muharram is referred to as Ashura. It literally means the "Tenth" in Arabic and is the tenth day of Muharram, when Imam Hussein ibn Ali was killed. Muslims across the world observe the month in utmost sorrow and pain and choose to refrain from any celebrations and festivities. Many of them also fast during the tenth day of Muharram or Ashura. In Sunni Islam, Ashura is also known to mark the day that Moses and the people of Israel were saved by God from Egypt's Pharaoh by parting the Red Sea to make a path in it. Other commemorations include Noah leaving the Ark and Muhammad's arrival in Medina.
Click through to see pictures of people across the world observing Muharram this year.
Shiite worshippers beat themselves with chains as a sign of grief for Imam Hussein during the Muslim month of Muharram, in front of the holy shrine of Imam Hussein, seen in the background in Karbala, south of Baghdad, Iraq. (Source: AP)
Muslims at a Muharram procession in front of the shrine of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer. (Source: PTI)
Members of Dawoodi Bohra community mourn during a procession taken out on the occasion of Moharram in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. (Source: PTI)
Shiite Muslim mother and her chid pay respects to Zul Jinnah, a horse symbolizing the horse that Shiite spiritual leader Imam Hussein used to fight against his enemy in the historic battle of Karbala, during a Muharram procession in Bhopal on Wednesday. (Source: PTI)
Hindu-Muslim devotees gather for the traditional ceremony of "Tabuts" on the occasion of Muharram at Kadegaon village in Sangli,Maharashtra. (Source: PTI)
Muslims taking out procession of Muharram, in Agra. (Source: PTI)
Muslims taking out procession of Muharram, in Bhopal. (Source: PTI)
Muslims taking out procession of Muharram, in Varanasi. (Source: PTI)
Muslims taking out procession of Muharram, in Hyderabad on October 12. (Source: PTI)
A Lebanese Shiite supporter of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, waves a flag bearing the likeness of Imam Hussein, as others sit on the ground listening to the story of the death of Imam Hussein, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on October 12, 2016. (Source: AP)
A Shiite Muslim child beats himself with knives attached to chains to mourn the death of their spiritual leader on the ninth of Muharram, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Source: AP)
A Muslim child in Kolkata participates in a Muharram procession. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
Shi'ite Muslims gather for a Muharram procession at Bhindi Bazar on Wednesday. (Express photo by Prashant Nadkar)
A Shia Muslim symbolically using a blade on the head of his child during a Muharram procession in Hyderabad on Wednesday. (Source: PTI)
A Shiite Muslim washes his knives with rose water before flagellating during a procession to mark Ashoura, in Kolkata, Wednesday. (Source: AP)
Shiite worshippers beat themselves with chains as a sign of grief for Imam Hussein during the Muslim month of Muharram, in front of the holy shrine of Imam Abbas, seen in the background, in Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad. (Source: AP)
Shiite worshippers beat themselves with chains as a sign of grief for Imam Hussein during the Muslim month of Muharram, in Karbala. (Source: AP)
Pakistani Shiite Muslims beat themselves with chains to mourn the death of their spiritual leader on the ninth of Muharram, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Source: AP)
A Kashmiri Shiite Muslim raises his blood-stained hand and shouts religious slogans during a Muharram procession in Srinagar. (Source: AP)
Shiite worshippers gather between the holy shrines of Imam Abbas, seen in the background, and Imam Hussein during Muharram, an important period of mourning for Shiites, in the Shiite holy city of Karbala. (Source: AP)
Shia Muslims during a Muharram procession in Kolkata. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
Shi'ite Muslim gather for a Muharram procession at Bhindi Bazar on Wednesday. (Express photo by Prashant Nadkar)
Shi'ite Muslims sharpen the knives used while observing Muharram at Bhindi Bazar, Mumbai, on Wednesday. (Express photo by Prashant Nadkar)
