Ashura - the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali

[Basel]

January 30 of 2007 marks the 10th of Muharam, known as Ashura, the day when Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of prophets Muhammad, was martyred in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.

From Battle of Karbala entry on Wikipedia

The Battle of Karbala took place on Muharram 10, 61 AH (October 9 or 10, 680 CE) (Persian: هجدهم یا نوزدهم مهر ماه 59 شمسی‎) [1] [2] in Karbala, in present day Iraq. On one side were supporters & relatives of the prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Ali and on the other side were a military detachment from the forces of Yazid I, the Umayyad caliph.

The size of Husayn ibn Ali's group was very small (73 men), of which many were either very old or very young. But it included many notable members of the Muhammad's family. On the other side were over 30,000 heavily armed forces of Yazid lead by his General Umar Ibn Sa'ad.

On 7th Muharram, 61 AH (October 6th, 680 CE), Yazid's forces surrounded the traveling group of Husayn ibn Ali and cut-off their access to food and water. Husayn's group had many women and children as well, including Husayn's own 6-months old son. For three days in the heat of Iraqi desert, these men, women & children were made to suffer the thirst and hunger before they were brutally slaughtered on the deserts of Karbala.

[Sniper_Zegai]

I dont mean to sound offensive Basel because Im incredibly interested in this sort of thing but is this a biblical or historical event?

[Basel]

I would say it is an Islamic event.

[Sniper_Zegai]

I see so this is a celebrated event. Historical battles as well as medieval history has sort of been a interest of mine for a long time. So Basel do you celebrate this event and if you do how?

[Basel]

Yes I do. For Ashura being the saddest even for us, we gather in holy buildings known as Hussainia in which we express mourning by thumping our chests and crying after listening to Speeches on How Hussain and his family were Martyred. For us this martyred is a symbol of the struggle against injustice, tyranny, and oppression.

I've have highlighted some of the activities performed during Ashura:

Popular customs

Commemoration of Ashura is not a festival but it's the saddest event for Shi'as and some Sunni Muslims and it is a period of intense grief and mourning. Mourners, both male and female, congregate together (in separate sections) for sorrowful, poetic recitations such as marsiya, noha and soaz performed in memory of the martyrdom of Husayn, lamenting and grieving to the tune of beating drums and chants of "Ya Husayn." Also Ulamas sermon and try to introduce Hussayn's personality and position in Islam and history of his uprising. Also in Arabic countries like Iraq and Lebanon they read Maqtal Al-Husayn. In some places, such as Iran, Iraq and the Arab Gulf states, T'azie, Passion plays, are also performed reenacting the Battle of Karbala and the suffering and death of Husayn at the hands of Yazid.

For the duration of the remembrance, it is customary for mosques and some people to provide free meals (nazar) on certain nights of the month to all people. These meals are viewed as being special and holy, as they have been consecrated in the name of Husayn, and thus partaking of them is considered an act of communion with God, Husayn, and humanity.

Many of the male participants congregate together in public for ceremonial chest beating (matham) as a display of their devotion to Husayn and in remembrance of his suffering.

Although Suffering and cutting the body has been prohibited by most Shi'a marjas like Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran ,[4] but some Shi'a observe mourning with blood donation which is called "Qame Zani" and flailing.[5] Certain rituals like the traditional flagellation ritual called zanjeer zani or zanjeer matam, involving the use of a zanjeer (a chain) are also performed.[6] But there isn't any hadith which supports this kind of behavior among Muslims.

Also, we believe that during Muharram 10, 61 AH (October 9 or 10, 680 CE) that rain fall in the form of blood.
I would be happy to clarify any point.

[Sniper_Zegai]

So is the celebration a mass mourninig or is it a positive celebration paying tribute to the sacrifice Husayn ibn Ali had made.