Each year, with the sighting of the crescent moon of Muharram, Muslims across the world enter one of the most sacred months of the Islamic calendar, a month made especially significant by Ashura, writes Neelam Rahim.
Observed on the 10th of Muharram, Ashura is far more than a historical commemoration. It is a timeless call to justice, gratitude and moral courage, and a reminder that faith is never passive, justice is never optional, and tyranny can never be allowed to shape humanity’s destiny.
Ashura commemorates one of the greatest moments of divine liberation recorded in the Qur’an. It was on this day that Allah (SWT) saved the Children of Israel, Bani Israel, led by Prophet Musa (AS), from the tyranny of Pharaoh.
Trapped between the Red Sea and an advancing army, their situation appeared hopeless. Yet while those around him saw only impossibility, Musa (AS) saw the promise of Allah. By Allah’s command, he struck the sea with his staff, the waters parted, and a path to safety emerged where none had existed before. Pharaoh, who had ruled with arrogance, oppression and brutality, was ultimately destroyed by the very sea he believed would secure his victory.
Besides being one of the greatest miracles ever, it is a declaration that no tyrant, however powerful, lies beyond the reach of divine justice. Oppression may dominate for a time, but it can never prevail indefinitely. The downfall of Pharaoh remains one of history’s clearest reminders that arrogance is temporary, while truth endures.
It was in gratitude for this divine deliverance that Musa (AS) fasted on the day of Ashura. When the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) arrived in Madinah and found the Jews fasting in remembrance of this event, he said: “We have more right to Musa than they do,” and encouraged Muslims to fast on the day.
The Prophet (SAW) further recommended fasting on the ninth and tenth of Muharram, or the tenth and eleventh, thereby distinguishing the Muslim practice from the Jewish practice. Fasting on Ashura carries the glad tidings of expiating the minor sins of the previous year, insha’Allah.
Standing for truth in the face of tyranny
Yet Ashura is not only about remembering liberation; it is about living its message. Islam has never called its followers to remain silent in the face of injustice. The Qur’anic account of Musa (AS) confronting Pharaoh establishes a principle that echoes throughout Islamic history: believers are commanded to stand for truth, even when falsehood appears overwhelming.
This principle is beautifully captured in the words of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). When the Companions asked about the greatest form of jihad, the Prophet (SAW) replied: “The best jihad in the path of Allah is to speak a word of justice to an oppressive ruler.” [Sunan Abi Dawud]
This authentic hadith transforms our understanding of struggle. The highest form of jihad is not driven by conquest or worldly power, but by moral courage: the willingness to speak the truth in the face of oppression, regardless of the personal cost.
It is this prophetic teaching that makes Ashura profoundly and timelessly relevant. Whether injustice manifests in governments, workplaces, communities or even within our own lives, Islam calls believers to be people of justice. Silence in the face of oppression has never been the Islamic ideal; principled courage has.
The legacy of Hussain (RA)
The spirit of this message found another defining expression thousands of years later on the plains of Karbala. There, Hussain ibn Ali (RA), the beloved grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), refused to legitimise the tyranny of Yazid.
Though vastly outnumbered and fully aware of the consequences, Hussain (RA) chose principle over compromise, becoming an enduring symbol of sacrifice, dignity and resistance against tyranny.
While the circumstances differed from those of Musa (AS), both narratives affirm the same timeless truth: believers do not measure success by numbers or worldly power, but by their unwavering commitment to justice and obedience to Allah.
Defining success through steadfastness
Ashura also teaches that victory is not always immediate or visible. Pharaoh’s defeat came swiftly, while the sacrifice at Karbala appeared, in worldly terms, to be a loss. Yet history remembers neither Pharaoh nor Yazid as victors. Instead, it remembers those who refused to surrender their principles. In Islam, success is not defined merely by survival or political triumph, but by steadfastness upon the truth.
Perhaps this is Ashura’s greatest lesson for an increasingly troubled world. We live in an age in which oppression continues to manifest in many forms: through persecution, corruption, occupation, injustice and the abuse of power. The events commemorated on Ashura remind Muslims that neutrality in the face of tyranny is not an option. Islam demands integrity. It demands compassion for the oppressed and courage in confronting wrongdoing.
Ashura is therefore not simply a day of fasting or historical remembrance. It is an annual renewal of a believer’s covenant with justice. It reminds us that every generation will face its own Pharaohs and its own tests of conscience. The question is not whether oppression exists, but whether we will possess the conviction of Musa (AS), the moral courage taught by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and the steadfastness exemplified by Hussain (RA).
For Muslims, Ashura ultimately affirms a defining truth: we are a people whose faith is inseparable from justice, whose gratitude is expressed through worship, and whose legacy is built upon standing for truth, even when standing alone.
