Muharram 1443 Programs at ICCNC
Tuesday, August 10th is the first day of Muharram 1443 and the start of the new Islamic lunar year. Please join us for the Muharram 1443 programs and lecture series from Tuesday, August 17, 2021 (8th of Muharram), to Friday, August 20, 2021 (11th of Muharram). All the programs start at 7:30 P.M.
The programs include Quranic recitation, English lectures by Br. Ahmad Rashid Salim, Adhan and prayer break, Farsi lectures, Dua, and Azadari. The Farsi guest speakers are:
Tuesday 8/17/21 - Dr. Mostafa Daneshgar: جهاد عقلانی در اندیشه امام حسین (ع)
Wednesday 8/18/21 (Tasua) - Mr. Sedigh Ghotbi: حسین بن علی (ع) و کلمات بیدار
Thursday 8/19/21 (Ashura) - Dr. Naser Mahdavi: امام حسین (ع) ؛از قربانی سر تا قربانی ایده هایش
Friday 8/20/21 - Dr. Hassan Masoud: پیروی سنجیده
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and surge of Delta variant cases in the Bay Area, ICCNC conducts this year’s Muharram program via Zoom and YouTube. Please click here to enter the Zoom meeting or ICCNC YouTube Channel.
If you need more information about the program please send emails to info@iccnc.org or call us at 510-832-7600. Please send us your donations to support the Muharram programs by clicking on the link below.
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Imam Hussain (as), Muharram, and Ashura
Muharram is the first lunar month of the Islamic calendar. The first ten days of Muharram, especially the 10th of Muharram or Ashura, is a significant period in the history of Islam. During this period, Muslims, especially the Shia Muslims, commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (as), who, alongside of his family and companions, were martyred at Karbala, Iraq in 680 AD.
Hussain ibn Ali was born in 626 AD in the city of Medina in the Arabian Peninsula. Imam Hussain (as) was, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), and the son of Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra (daughter of the Prophet) and Imam Ali bn Abi Talib (as), the first Shia Imam and the fourth righteous caliph according to Sunni Muslims. Imam Hussain (as) is the third of Shia twelve Imams.
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) truly loved Imam Husain (as) and there are several hadith narrated in both Shia and Sunni traditions that testify to this fact. The Messenger osaid: "al-Hassan and al-Hussain are the chiefs of the youth of Paradise and Fatimah is the chief of their women." or “"Hussain is from me and I am from Hussain." or "I am in war with those who will fight you, and in peace with those who are peaceful to you."
It was 680 AD, almost 50 years after the death of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), when the Muslim Empire was sliding into corruption under the tyrannical rule of the Ummayad dynasty, especially Yazid. Imam Hussain took a stand against Yazid’s illegitimate rule. While Yazid was in equal parts feared and despised for his ruthlessness, Imam Hussain (as) was admired and widely respected across Arabia and beyond for his generosity, sincerity, and wisdom. Mindful of this, Yazid decided that he would demand Hussain’s allegiance, hoping to gain some form of legitimacy for his inherited rule.
Imam Hussain (as) refused to give Yazid his allegiance. For him, the decision was straightforward. He said: “I will never give Yazid my hand like a man who has been humiliated, nor will I flee like a slave… I have not risen to spread evil or to show off..., I only desire to enjoin good and prevent evil.” The Imam was forced to flee his home city of Madina under threat of assassination. Imam Hussain (as) did not want Yazid ruthless forces to attack his city and risk civilians lives.
Along with his family and companions, Imam Hussain (as) made his way towards to Mecca and then toward Kufa in Iraq where people wrote him letters and pledged their full support and promised to die in his defense. It was on this journey that Imam Hussain (as), his family, and 72 companions were forced to stop by an army of several thousands, on the hot plains of an area called Karbala, Iraq.
Yazid’s forces cut the supply of water to Imam Hussain’s family and companions, including women and children. In 680 AD, after three days of no water and food in the scorching heat, Imam Hussain (as) stood and fell valiantly in what is known as the Battle of Karbala on the day of Ashura (10th of Muharram).
The heroic act of sacrifice and steadfastness on his moral principles, Imam Hussain (as) was ultimately victorious. His death became the catalyst for revolutionary change and led to the collapse of Yazid’s tyrannical rule. Imam Hussain (as) stood by his principles until the very end, and his legacy continues to inspire millions around the world.
For Shia Muslims, the Battle of Karbala on the Ashura has a central place in Shia history, tradition and theology and it has frequently been recounted in Shia Islamic literature.