Ashura is a Muslim holy day observed on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. The date of observance shifts annually relative to the Gregorian calendar. For Shiʿi Muslims, Ashura is a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, whom they consider to be the third imam. For Sunni Muslims, Ashura is an optional fasting day that commemorates important events in biblical and Islamic history, most commonly God’s parting of the Red Sea for Moses (Mūsā) and the Israelites.
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