10/13/12

October 680: The martyrdom of Imam Husayn

Imam Husayn's martyrdom took place on the 10th day of Muharram, 61 A.H. (October, A.D. 680) The first ten days of Muharram are observed by Shi'ih Muslims as a period of mourning for the Imams, ending on the tenth day with the Ashura, the commemoration of the martyrdom of the Imam Husayn. A grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Husayn was born to 'Ali and Fatimah (Muhammad’s daughter) in January 626. (Adapted from ‘The Prince of Martyrs’, by Abu'l-Qasim Faizi; ‘A Basic Baha’i  Dictionary’, by Wendi Momen; and ‘Muhammad and the Course of Islam’, by Balyuzi)