Ashura

In this lesson, we will be looking at the day of Ashura which is historically an important yet tragic event in the history of Islam. We will be considering and examining how both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims remember this day and event. Any reference to verses from the Qur'an mentioned or included within this lesson are sourced from 'Quranic Arabic Corpus' using the Sahih International translation.

Ashura

In this lesson, we will be looking at the day of Ashura which is historically an important yet tragic event in the history of Islam. We will be considering and examining how both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims remember this day and event. Any reference to verses from the Qur'an mentioned or included within this lesson are sourced from 'Quranic Arabic Corpus' using the Sahih International translation.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Origins of the festival.
  2. How it is celebrated around the world by Muslims.
  3. Difference in Sunni/Shi'a beliefs on Ashura.

Equipment

You will need two different coloured pens: black or blue and another coloured pen, such as green or red.

Licence

This content is made available by Oak National Academy Limited and its partners and licensed under Oak’s terms & conditions (Collection 1), except where otherwise stated.

Loading...

5 Questions

Q1.
Id ul-Adha links to which Prophet?
Dawud
Correct answer: Ibrahim
Muhammad
Musa
Q2.
Ibrahim was told to?
None of the above
Sacrifice an animal
Sacrifice himself
Correct answer: Sacrifice his son
Q3.
What must Muslims do during this Id?
Give clothes to the poor
Give food to the family only
Correct answer: Qurbani
They don't have to give anything
Q4.
Muslims should...
Correct answer: All of the above
greet each other with 'Id mubarak'
wash on this day
wear their best clothes
Q5.
What is the slaughter known as?
Correct answer: Halal
Hanif
Haram
Hoowee

5 Questions

Q1.
What month is the Day of Ashura in?
Dhul ul-Hajj
Correct answer: Muharram
Ramadan
Shawwal
Q2.
Who killed Husayn and his followers?
Hasan
Muawiyah
Muawiyah II
Correct answer: Yazid
Q3.
Where was the battle?
Baghdad
Basra
Correct answer: Karbala
Kufu
Q4.
How do Shi'a Muslims remember this event?
Correct answer: Mr Latif, it is all the above!
pilgrimage to Karbala
public mourning
reenactment of the battle through stories
sermons of justice, equality and supporting others
Q5.
How do Sunni Muslims remember Ashura?
Correct answer: Fasting
Go the mosque
None of the above
They don't!

Lesson appears in

UnitReligious education / Islam: practices

Religious education