Ashura

A·shu·ra

(ə-sho͝or′ə)

1. The tenth day of Muharram, observed as a holy day of mourning by Shiites on the anniversary of the death of Hussein, grandson of Muhammad.

2. The tenth day of Muharram, observed in Sunni Islam as an optional day of fasting established by Muhammad.

[Arabic 'āšūrā', the tenth day of Muharram kept as a day of fasting by Arabs in pre-Islamic times, Ashura, ultimately (probably via Aramaic *'āsorā) from Hebrew 'āśôr, a set of ten (days, etc.), decade (used in Leviticus to specify the date of Yom Kippur, the tenth day of Tishri), from 'eśer, ten; see ʕśr in Semitic roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Ashura

(ˈæʃʊˌrɑː)

(Islam) Islam a Shiah festival observed on the tenth day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar to commemorate the death of the martyr Imam Hussein bin Ali at the Battle of Karbala in 61 ah (680 ad)

[C21: from Arabic `Ashūrā]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

References in periodicals archive ?

For Shiites, though, Ashura has extra significance and is very much a somber occasion.

Why Ashura Is Different For Sunni And Shiite Muslims

Muscat, May 26 (ONA) Based on the royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, the State Council and Majlis AShura today heldtheir 1 st joint session of the 1 st annual sitting of the 6 th term.

State Council and Majlis AShura Hold Joint Session

The surging animosity of some Sunnis for Shiism has broken out in Bangladesh, where a bomb blew up in the midst of an Ashura march.

Ashura brings bombs to Bangladesh--but not to Iran or Iraq

In this context, the Interior Ministry provides security services to ensure the maintenance of order, protection for places of worship and religious events, including ceremony of Ashura, which must be kept in its religious context.

Interior Ministry: Ashura ceremonies must be kept in its religious context

ySTANBUL (CyHAN)- Thousands of people in Turkey recognized Ashura on Nov.

Ashura marked across Turkey amid messages of unity

The violence comes during the peak of Ashura commemoration rituals that mark the martyrdom of Imam Hossein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), when militants typically step up attacks on Iraq's majority community, Al-Alam reported.

Pilgrims Pour to Iraq to Mark Ashura despite Deadly Bombings

Pakistani Shi'a Muslims perform religious rituals during an Ashura procession in Quetta on 25 November.

Shi'as banned from Cairo Ashura celebrations

KARBALA / Aswat al-Iraq: The security plan to protect thousands of Shiite visitors during the Shiite ritual of Ashura witnessed the deployment of 32,000 security elements, Karbal police media director said on Tuesday.

32,000 security elements deployed in Karbala during Ashura

Summary: NABATIEH: The town of Nabatieh commemorated Ashura Thursday, with many southerners practicing the bloodletting ritual of slicing their foreheads, while others preferred to donate blood to health committees.

Ashura sees many shunning slicing ritual to donate blood instead

A portrait was pasted on the box, along with a name and verse written by hand, investigators said, adding that the nature of the blast on Ashura was different from that of suicide attacks.

Karachi blast that killed 42 on Muharram was not suicide attack: Pak investigators

Summary: Millions of Shiites in Iraq and Pakistan on Sunday joined ceremonies marking the climax of solemn Ashura rituals, marred by a bomb attacks on processions and prayer halls, killing five people Iraq's

Blood and violence as Shiites mark Ashura

FAISALABAD -- Ashura Muharram was observed peacefully in Faisalabad on Friday and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the district.