Sunni Muslims observe Ashura as a day when fasting is not officially required but is considered desirable. According to hadiths, the Prophet Muhammad himself fasted on Ashura. The date is also said to commemorate events in biblical and Islamic history, such as God parting the Red Sea for Moses and Noah disembarking from the ark. Some Sunnis, especially in South Asia, join the Shiʿi mourning processions; however, other Sunnis actively discourage this, and the divergent traditions around Ashura have been the cause of sectarian strife.
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