Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar and one of the four sacred months in the Quran. Its tenth day — Ashura — carries a weight in Islamic history that no brief summary can convey. It is the day Musa عليه السلام and his people were saved from Firawn. It is the day the Prophet ﷺ fasted in Madinah and ordered his companions to fast. And it is the day in 61 AH on which Sayyiduna Husayn ibn Ali رضي الله عنه — the grandson of the Prophet ﷺ — left this world on the plains of Karbala. All of these layers are real. Sunni Islam holds them all.
The Authenticated Sunni Fast
The Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madinah and found the Jews fasting on Ashura. When he asked why, they said it was the day Allah ﷻ saved Musa عليه السلام from Firawn, so they fasted in gratitude. The Prophet ﷺ replied: “We are more entitled to Musa than you” — and he fasted and ordered the companions to fast. This narration, preserved in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, establishes the Ashura fast as one of the most authenticated Sunnah fasts in the tradition. It expiates the sins of the previous year and is encouraged alongside the fast of the 9th of Muharram.
When Sayyiduna Husayn ibn Ali رضي الله عنه left this world on the 10th of Muharram 61 AH, the day of Ashura took on a second, profound layer of weight. This is not a Shia addition to the day — it is a historical reality that classical Sunni scholars faced directly. Imam Ibn Kathir رحمه الله wrote of it with reverence. Imam Ibn al-Jawzi رحمه الله stated that no Muslim heart could be unmoved. The reverence a Sunni Muslim feels for Sayyiduna Husayn رضي الله عنه on Ashura is not an innovation — it is the natural response of a heart that loves the Prophet ﷺ.
How to Observe Muharram
Muharram calls for increased devotion — prayer, fasting, Quran recitation, charity, and remembrance of Allah ﷻ. The Prophet ﷺ described it as “the month of Allah,” and fasting within it is among the most meritorious voluntary acts. On Ashura specifically: fast the 9th and 10th, reflect on the salvation of Musa عليه السلام, and hold Sayyiduna Husayn رضي الله عنه in your heart with the love the Prophet ﷺ commanded. Both dimensions of the day can coexist — they always have in the authentic Sunni tradition.
What Sunni Islam Avoids
The Sunnah does not sanction self-harm, public displays, or innovations in remembrance as expressions of reverence for Karbala. These are departures from the prophetic model, not expressions of it. The Sunni Muslim who honours Sayyiduna al-Husayn رضي الله عنه does so from the heart — in prayer, in salawat, in fasting, in learning his story and teaching it to their children — not in ways the Prophet ﷺ did not teach.
Explore this theme in depth in The Deeper Link.
Is the Ashura fast obligatory in Sunni Islam?
The fast of Ashura is a strongly recommended Sunnah — not obligatory, but among the most authenticated and meritorious voluntary fasts. It is established in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and the Prophet ﷺ said it expiates the sins of the previous year.
Do Sunni Muslims honour Sayyiduna al-Husayn on Ashura?
Yes — and this reverence is authentic and consistent with Sunni scholarship. Classical scholars including Ibn Kathir رحمه الله and Ibn al-Jawzi رحمه الله wrote with unmistakable reverence about the stand of Sayyiduna al-Husayn رضي الله عنه. Reverence for him is the natural response of any heart that loves the Prophet ﷺ.
What is Muharram’s status in the Islamic calendar?
Muharram is one of the four sacred months mentioned in the Quran (Surat al-Tawbah 9:36), during which good deeds carry greater weight and sins carry greater consequence. The Prophet ﷺ described fasting in Muharram as the most meritorious voluntary fast after Ramadan.