Lesson video

Hello and welcome students to your lesson today.

My name is Mr. Latif and today in our lesson, we're looking at a really interesting and significant part of Islamic history.

So today in our lesson, we'll be looking at Ashura and the origins of Ashura for both Sunni and the Shi'a tradition.

Now Ashura itself is a very significant part of Islamic history, due to the tragic death of Husayn, who was one of the grandsons of the prophet Muhammad, but also it has much significance because it is the day when Moses freed the Israelites from the evil Pharaoh.

So today we're going to be understanding how it's both remembered in the Sunni and the Shi'a tradition and the differences between how it's remembered and practised.

So really interesting parts of history.

Now, as always, there are five things that you would need, so please ensure that you have the following ready for your learning today.

So please ensure that you have your exercise book or some lined paper, a black or blue pen, a different coloured pen, those attentive ears, and that curious brain.

Now, once you have those five things lets start our learning for today.

So welcome to our learning today on Ashura and a really, as I mentioned just before, a deeply rooted part of Islamic history in terms of the origins of it and importance, the significance and the differences today between the two denominations of the Sunni and the Shi'a school of thoughts.

So today we're going to be understanding the origins of Ashura for both the Sunni and the Shi'a, and also to understand how it is remembered by both the Sunni and the Shi'a traditions.

Now, this is a type of lesson where there's volumes of books written upon what occurs and also mentioned by many scholars.

So hopefully this video will do a bit of justice on the significant and important events for many Muslims around the world today.

Now a key thing as always, please ensure that you have the following five things.

If you do not, this is a great opportunity for you to do so just before the start of our learning today.

But before we go into what Ashura is and what occurred on this day, we need to really go back to a bit of history.

So we need to remember what Islam looked like after the death of the Prophet Muhammad.

So when the Prophet Muhammad is revealing the message of the Qur'an to all society, he starts off with a very, very small community to which then it grows to a very large community in Arabia.

Now, after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, there's two different views on the elected leader or who should have been a leader after the death.

So for the Sunni school of thought, Sunni comes from the term Sunnah, which refers to 85% of the Muslim population in the world today, they believe it should have been an elected Caliph, to which it was Abu Bakr, who is the first Caliph of Islam.

Caliph meaning leader.

Now for the Shi'a tradition which consists of 15% of the Muslim world today, they believe it should have been of the Imams. And the Imams are from the blood line of the prophet and they're part of Ahl al-Bayt, the family or the household of the Prophet.

And who were those individuals? Now we need to remind ourselves the Prophet Muhammad, although he had sons, many of them died from a very young age.

So the only relative that he had in terms of males was Ali, his cousin, his son-in-law, and his grandsons Hassan and Husayn.

Now Husayn is a very important individual within Islam, especially when it comes to the events of Ashura.

So a key thing there.

The Imams is also part of Imamate which is of the five groups of Usul ad-Din which the Shi'a believe that they should have been the next elected leaders.

Now, a key thing we have to remember as part of history is what occurred.

So we have to remember the prophet Muhammad died in 632 and then you have a succession of leaders that occur.

So for the Sunnis they are the four rightly guided Caliphs.

So we have Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali whilst for the Shi'a, they believe that Ali is the first rightly guided Caliph, and the Caliph starts from there.

That's not to say they necessarily disagree with everything that occurred during the reign of the previous three companions.

So later on in 680 common era, there is a disagreement that occurs.

So we have a Caliph known as Muawiyah.

And Muawiyah is a Caliph who is seen as successful, and he's the first Caliph of Umayyad Dynasty.

Now there's two key things, who should be his successor? So it could be either one of the two.

It could have been his son, known as Yazid, or should it have been Husayn who is the grandson of the Prophet? Now, a bit of history there as well.

Husayn, his brother, as we know, Hassan was a Caliph for short reign of time, but had stepped down from it.

Which then this is a really important part of Imamate and a part of the Shi'a tradition.

So this is a really key thing for many different reasons.

This is the first time in history that we're going to have a leader who could be from the same bloodline whether it's that of Hassan, and then Husayn, his brother or of that of Muawiyah and Yazid.

Because previously what occurs with the Caliphs, is they're not all from the same blood relatives or from the same family, they're different individuals who are seen as important individuals in Islam.

So with Muawiyah passing and nominating his son Yazid as the next successor, Husayn and his followers believed that Husayn should have been the next successor.

So what occurs here? Husayn doesn't give Yazid his allegiance.

And this is because Hasayn believes that Yazid is known to be corrupt and tough.

And he believes as he is the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, and also they're his followers, that actually what they need is someone who's going to be of justice, someone is going to be of fairness and someone who's going to be of equality.

So Husayn and his followers disagree with Yazid being the successor of his father and they believe Husayn should have been the successor.

So from this disagreement, we get the following.

Husayn or Yazid, which one should it be? So Husayn and his followers flee Medina after a threat of imprisonment and an assassination attempt for not giving his allegiance.

So they received much support from many people of Kufa in Iraq and the thousands who supports him.

So they make a journey towards there to come across their new followers.

Now what does Husayn do? Husayn leaves Mecca for Hajj and then he departs to Kufa with his family and his companions.

Now the threat of rebellion from the Kufans, Yazid does the following.

Yazid sends a governor to Kufa, which is the place which Husayn gets many followers and he warns them not to disobey Yazid.

So because of this, many withdraw their threat because of this, apologies, many withdraw their support from Husayn out of worry that the violence that Yazid would bring.

So let's take a step back just for a moment.

Muawiyah dies and there's a question of who should be his successor.

Should it be his son, Yazid, or should it be Husayn? So what occurs is he gives the oath and allegiance to his son and he declares that his son should be the next successor.

So this is actually a really important part because it actually breaks this treaty that was known within time to which he wouldn't actually give his son to be the successor, according to the Shi'ite school of thought.

Now within the Sunni school of thought within the Sunni tradition as well, it seems to be that there's only five individuals that do not give Yazid the allegiance within the time of Muawiyah.

And Muawiyah says, well 'cause the majority of people have given bay'ah which means allegiance, to my son, this should not be an issue because the majority have agreed upon this.

Now lets remember the following as well.

Husayn flees Mecca and is on his way to Iraq.

Now, when he goes to Iraq, he gets thousands of followings, followers, apologies, from Kufa.

Now Yazid sends a governor to Kufa to let the Kufans know not to rebel.

And because of this, many decide to withdraw their support from Husayn.

So this is where a very historical and a very sad part of Islamic history occurs.

This is known as one of the fitnas, which means a trial.

So as Husayn and his followers approached Kufa he was intercepted by Yazid's army who surround Husayn and his small following in comparison to Yazid's army at Karbala.

So Karbala is another location which is really important for a very tragic event.

Now, what occurs here is a battle, and it's the battle of Karbala.

What occurs? There's a cutoff of access to water and Husayn's family, the women in his family, the children and the men, they are suffering from dehydration.

And the army demand allegiance from Husayn and his followers to Yazid's rule.

So what they're saying is to Husayn, we need you, or we are demanding that you accept Yazid's allegiance that he is the Caliph.

So Husayn and his followers disagree with this.

They say no, Husayn should be the next Caliph and Yazid should not, 'cause he's known to be a man of injustice and he's known to be too harsh on the people.

Now, the night before the battle Husayn told his companions that they're free to leave if they want to do so.

Now many decide to continue, to stay with him because they are his followers.

And they believe actually as the grandson of the Prophet, who was seen as a very important part in terms of bloodline of the Prophet and his status, he should be the Caliph.

So they continue to stay at Karbala with him before the battle.

Now, this thing, the 10th day of Muharram is known as the day of Ashura, and this is the day where a really tragic battle occurs.

Husayn reminds his opponent before the battle that he is the Prophet Muhammad's grandson and he's is asked if he's allowed to leave.

He's told he's allowed to leave if he's willing to submit, and willing to accept Yazid's authority, but he point blankly refuses.

He says, I refuse to accept Yazid's authority because he's a man of oppression and he's a man of harshness.

So this is where the battle occurs.

Now at this battle, it was a really tragic event for many reasons.

We have to remember Husayn's family and Husayn's followers are very little compared to the army of Yazid.

Husayn's followers are ranged according to history from 45 to about 75, whilst Yazid's army is in the thousands.

The aftermath of this is Husayn's minute army of 45 to 70 or according to other historians, 70 to 140 compared to Yazid's army of the thousands is that Husayn and his army are absolutely destroyed and they're martyred.

It's a really, really tragic and very dark part of Islamic history.

So their tents are destroyed, they're put ablaze the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and his relatives are either killed or captured, and many of the women are captured.

So it is a day of sorrow.

It's a really, really tragic and sad event 'cause it's the death of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, Husayn.

And it's also a day where Husayn's own child is killed.

So in history it is mentioned, that Husayn is carrying his child and a bow and an arrow is flung forward and it hits the heart of this young child, the six month child, which is really is sad and really, you know, a day, a big day of sorrow for many followers of Islam.

It is also a symbol of injustice and oppression.

Husayn was a person who was a follower of justice a follower of equality, and he stood up against the tyrant of Yazid.

So it's a key day of sadness, it's a really, really sad day because it's the death of the grandson and his followers in a very brutal and a very horrific, bloody battle.

Now, what I'd like for you to do now is the following.

We've kind of gone over that story there.

I'd like for you to answer this question, What happened at Karbala? Now once I've disappeared, just like that, I'd like for you to spend five minutes on this task.

So to write down this question, What happened at Karbala? And then we'll get feedback in five minutes.

So could I please ask, for you to pause the video now and see you in five minutes.

So welcome back.

Your answer should have looked like the following, and let's go some key parts so you can remember the story.

The battle of Karbala is a tragic event in Islamic history.

During this event, Husayn who was the grandson of the Prophet and for the Shi'a tradition the authentic next leader of the Muslims, disputed the leadership of Yazid.

Yazid wanted Husayn and his followers to give him their allegiance to stop a rebellion or change in power and then trapped Husayn and his followers at Karbala which ended up being a battle in which Husayn and many of his followers were martyred brutally, or captured as well.

So this event of the Karbala is a very tragic, and it's a very sad day because it's the death of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who is known as Husayn.

Now, if there's anything that you need to add onto your answer, this is a great opportunity for you to pause, if not let's continue on.

So within the Shi'a tradition Ashura is a really important event and we have to remember the links to Imamate and the five roots of Usul ad-Din.

Imamate, which means, you know, the idea that the Imam should be the next appointed leaders of the Muslims, because they have divine knowledge according to the Shi'a they're chosen by the Prophet Muhammad and Allah and they have knowledge and the skills of leadership.

At this point, we have the death of one of the Imams. A really tragic and a very sad event.

So how is it that Ashura is remembered for the Shi'a tradition? So for the Shi'a tradition, the 10th of day of Muharram is known as Ashura and this marks the martydom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson known as Husayn.

Now many Shi'a will perform the Arba'een which is a pilgrimage 40 days after Ashura.

And it's 40 days after Ashura because within the tradition of Islam, you can mourn for 40 days.

And many decide to do the following.

Many decides to walk on foot from Basra to Karbala, which is 310 miles, to visit the grave of Husayn.

So they go to the place of Karbala to visit the grave of Husayn, to mourn his death, and to mourn the death of the many companions of Husayn who also died, and the many individuals of his family that also died on this tragic event.

So as well as the Arba'een, there's also the following.

There's the grieving and the mourning of the death of Husayn and his family.

So many Shi'a perform the public mourning processions, which some, some Shi'a Muslims practise Tatbir, which is the causing of the blood to flow to remember the innocent bloodshed.

So this is a group of Shi'a that followed Tatbir, which can be done publicly or privately.

Now this occurs with the flowing of the blood, to which they may use small swords to hit on their head or on the chest or on their back.

Now within Shi'a tradition as well, we have the Ayatollahs.

The Ayatollahs are the supreme leaders and authorities of the Shi'a tradition.

So many Ayatollahs actually say, this is not something which is needed to be done, and it shouldn't be done, while other Ayatollahs say, you know, this can be a way for you to mourn the death of the grandson.

Many of the Shi'a decide on this, they actually, to donate blood.

They remember the blood that was spilled it's a good time for them to donate blood for many that may need it or many perform the Matam.

Now the Matam is an expression of grief like Tatbir, but also with the Matam is the beating or thumping of the chest as a mourning ritual as opposed to the, as opposed to the, the blood flowing as found with the Tatbir.

So just the key thing there, the Matam is generally done by many Shi'a and as they do it, they recite poems and they recite hymns that remember the tragic death of Husayn.

So as well as the Arba'een, the Tatbir and the Matam we also have the Teziya.

So the Taziya is a reenactment of the battle of Karbala and it's used to tell the narrative of what occurred.

So this is a key part of storytelling which may occur in cities, may occur near mosques, and it's a reenactment of the story.

And then many Shi'a also remember Ashura by donating and looking after the poor.

And this reminds them of the act of justice, equality and freedom, these qualities and skills that were found within the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was Husayn.

On Ashura as well, there's many sermons within the mosque, and they tell the story, the tragic story of the death of Husayn and they encouragement Muslims to be like Husayn, to be a man of justice against oppress- So what I'd like for you to do now is the following.

We've got some key terms there that I just went over in terms of my explanation of the battle of Karbala and how Ashura is remembered by the Shi'a tradition.

So what I'd like for you to do is spend five minutes on this task, and I'd like for you to see how many key terms you can match below with the explanations as well.

So once I've disappeared, there we go, can I please ask you to pause the video and spend five minutes and to resume once you have finished.

Welcome back, let's go over our answers together.

So you should have had the following.

Husayn, he is the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who was martyred at Karbala.

And a key thing with Husayn that you may not know or if you can remember from the previous lessons, there's a key event that occurs within the life of the Prophet Muhammad, and it's known as the Hadith of the Cloak.

Prophet Muhammad gets his cloak, and he wraps up Ali and his grandsons and Fatima as well, and he says as a key thing within his sermon or his saying that, you know, may uncleanliness be removed from you people of my household.

That is a very significant and a very important event that occurs for the Shi'a tradition as part of Usul ad-Din and the five roots and the root of Imamate, that really signifies that special status and special significance of these individuals as the next authority and leadership.

Then we have Taziya.

This is the reenactment of the battle of Karbala, and it occurs within many mosques, and within many cities, and it occurs with the storytelling of the events as well.

Then we have Arba'een which is a pilgrimage which occurs 40 days after Ashura to which many Shi'a go to visit Karbala which is the place of the grave of Husayn and also his companions that were martyred tragically.

And Matam is the act of mourning, which is an expression of grief, which many Shi'a perform on Ashura and show their public grieving to the death of the grandson, of Husayn and that of his family.

Now if there's any corrections that you need to make, this is a great opportunity for you to pause the video, if not, let's continue on.

So now your second task.

What I'd like for you to do now is to answer this question.

How do Shi'a Muslims remember the day of Ashura? And I've got some key terms there just in the word bank below to help you.

So we have Husayn, Battle of Karbala, Taziya, tragic, grave of Husayn, Arba'een, Matam, sorrow, and the month of Muharram.

So once I've disappeared, there we go, I'd like for you to answer that question, for you to write it, to pause the video and I'll see you in 10 minutes.

So welcome back, let's go over this answer together.

So you should have had the following.

Shi'a Muslims remember the tragic events of the martyrdom of Husayn on the tenth day in Muharram known as Ashura.

So Muharram is the month and this is a special and sacred month in Islamic calendar.

On this day, they remember the battle of Karbala where Husayn, his son, and many of his family were killed by Yazid's army.

Many will perform the Arba'een pilgrimage to Karbala to visit the grave of Husayn.

During Ashura, poems and stories are said that remember this event.

Also the Taziya is done in many cities or near mosques, which is a reenactment of the battle of Karbala as a form of storytelling.

So these are key ways in which Ashura is remembered and commemorated by the Shi'a Muslims. If there's anything that you need to add to your answer, please ensure you do.

If not, let's continue on.

Also, you should have had the following as well within your answer.

Many Shi'a will participate in group Matam which is an act of expression and grief, beating their chest with their hands in public, grieving the death of Husayn and his followers.

Some Shi'a will perform the Tatbir which is a form of mourning but with blood spinning from their chest and head to remember the innocent blood that was lost.

Many Shi'a also spend the day donating to the poor and giving blood as an act against oppression, injustice, which occurred at the battle of Karbala.

So some additional things that you may have added or included within your answer.

If this is something that you need to do, this is a great opportunity for you to pause the video and to do so now.

So just a bit of a recap there, we've seen the importance and significance of Ashura within the Shi'a tradition.

Now let's look at the importance and significance within the Sunni tradition, so you can then compare the two.

So how is Ashura remembered within the Sunni tradition? For many Sunni Muslims, the martyrdom of Husayn is important and it is remembered.

But Ashura is also a date in which they remember Musa defeating the Pharaoh.

So this is historically what occurred.

So remember Musa known as Moses, the crossing of the Red Sea from the evil Pharaoh and receiving God's blessing in terms of their freedom from the events of the Pharaoh.

And remember the Pharaoh's a very, very evil person according to Musa.

Number one, he believes he was God on earth, which is a form of Shirk and he mistreated Musa and his followers.

So it's this idea of freedom that Allah commanded and freed Musa and his followers from the evil events and the evil actions of the Pharaoh.

So how is this remembered? Well, there's Hadith said by the Prophet Muhammad.

When the Prophet Muhammad arrived at Medina, the Jews were observing the fast on Ashura the 10th day of Muharram, and they said, "This is a day where Moses became victorious over Pharaoh." On that, the Prophet said to his companions, "You Muslims have more right to celebrate Moses' victory than they have, so observe the, so observe the fast on this day." So within the Shi'a tradition, many Muslims will fast on this day that is Sunnah, it's commanded by the Prophet Muhammad to do so.

So fasting is done as an act of Sunnah.

Fasting on this day is optional, but is highly recommended as it's suggested that fasting on this day is equal to removing the sins for the whole year.

And many Muslims within the Sunni tradition as well, they remember Allah's role in saving Musa and the Israelites from the evil Pharaoh.

So within the Sunni tradition we see they remember the events of Musa being freed from the Pharaoh and they follow the fast, which is not obligatory, but optional as it's Sunnah and it removes the sins of the person for the whole year.

So a bit of a comparison task for you to do just here.

Now I'd like for you to answer the following question, How do Sunni Muslims remember Ashura? So once I've disappeared, there we go, I've got some key terms here.

Husayn, sorry, Husayn, sorrow, Musa, Pharaoh, fast, Sunnah and sins.

So I'd like for you to spend five minutes for this task, so could I please ask for you to pause the video just now.

Welcome back and let's go over our answer together.

So the feedback you should have had is the following.

For Sunni Muslims, they remember the tragic death of the Prophet's grandson Husayn however there is not as much emphasis on rituals and public mourning as found within the Shi'a tradition.

Sunni Muslims fast on this day as it is Sunnah of the Prophet.

It reminds them that, on this day, Allah saved Musa, Moses, and his people from the evil Pharaoh.

And it said, to fast on his day is like the removal of your sins for the year.

This influences Muslims to remember Allah's blessings and omnipotence, the fact that God is all powerful.

And only from the power of God, can we be saved from the evil tyrants, such as the Pharaoh.

Now if there's any corrections you need to make please ensure you do, if not, let's continue on.

So a bit of a true or false task as always, let's see how much you can remember.

True or false, Ashura is in the month of Muharram, three seconds.

And it is true.

Ashura falls in the month of Muharram which is a sacred month in Islamic calendar.

Next question.

Husayn and his followers killed Yazid's army, true or false? And the answer is it is false.

Remember Husayn was tragically and brutally became a martyr at this event.

Ashura is a tragic event in Islamic history, true or false? And it is true.

It is a tragic event because of the battle of Karbala, but it's also an event when many Muslims remember that actually Allah saved Pharaoh from the evil, Allah saved, apologies, Allah saved Musa from the evil Pharaoh.

Next question, Husayn was known as a man of justice, true or false? And it is true.

He was known as a man of justice and equality.

Next question.

Shi'a do not to mourn the death of Husayn, true or false? And it is false.

Of course they mourn the death of Husayn and there's many actions that they perform on Ashura to remember the death of Husayn.

Tatbir is practised by some Shi'a true or false? And it is true.

Not all Shi'a perform Tatbir but this is performed by some Shi'a to remember the blood that was spilled at the battle of Karbala.

Sunnis fast on Ashura, true or false? And it is true.

And they remember the hadith to which the Prophet Muhammad said that the Muslims were closer to Musa than that of the Jews, so that they should fast on this day.

Sunnis fast to remember Noah's Ark, true or false? And of course it is false.

The story is not to do with Noah's Ark it is to do with Musa, Moses.

Muharram is not a sacred month, true or false? And it is false, it is a sacred month in Islamic calendar.

Poems and stories are told on this day, the day meaning Ashura, true or false? And it is true.

And this is one way they remember the battle of Karbala, many Shi'a Muslims tell stories and poems to remember the event itself.

The battle happened at Basra, true or false? And it is false, it occurred at Karbala not Basra.

Sunni and Shia remember Ashura differently, true or false? And this is true, it is remembered differently.

Majority of Sunnis will fast on this day, rather than performing rituals that remember the Battle of Karbala.

So in summary we have the following.

Ashura is a significant event in Islamic history and is a very tragic event, but also is an event in which many Muslims remember that Musa was saved from the evil Pharaoh.

For the Shi'a it is remembered through mourning rituals and storytelling and it's a key part in Islamic calendar for the Shi'a tradition.

Many Shi'a will perform the pilgrimage to Karbala to go to the grave of Husayn and to also go to the grave of many of his companions and family that also died and were martyred on this day.

For the Sunnis they do remember the tragic death, however, there's much more emphasis on fasting as it is Sunnah as mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad.

And also on Ashura, Moses and his followers escape the evil Pharaoh.

So key, two key things there that occur on Ashura during Islamic history, Musa being saved from the evil Pharaoh and also the tragic death of Husayn who was the grandson of the prophet Muhammad.

Now there's one thing left for you to do as always, if you're able to do so with permission from your parent or carer to share your work with Oak National, and there's just a quiz left for you to do, to see how well you did with our lesson on Ashura.

So hopefully you enjoyed that lesson, a really important event, a very historical event as well, and there's much to learn and gain from that in terms of an insight into how Sunni and Shi'a practise and remember the day of Ashura.

And on that note, it's time for me to say goodbye and hopefully see you soon in our next learning, take care best wishes and see you soon.