The Month of Muharram

Muharram (month)

The month of Muharram or Muharram al-Haram is the first month of the Islamic calendar (Hijri) and according to Muslims, it is one of the forbidden months. The name of this month before Islam was Mu'tamer or Al-Mu'tamer during the Jahili period, and Muharram (in Arabic: Al-Muharram) was the name of the month of Safar during the Jahili period. Muharram is the first month of the twelve lunar months and one of the forbidden months in which war was banned during the Jahili period and also in Islam. Of course, this month is very sacred for Shiites; Because on the 10th of this month, Husayn bin Ali, their third imam, was killed, and to honor his memory, the Shiites mourn in the first decade of this month and perform mourning ceremonies, breast beating, and reciting prayers.

The first night and day of Muharram, as the first of the lunar year, has special prayers and rituals that are described in the book of Mufatih al-Janan. Muharram is the month of grief and mourning for the Shiites in the murder of Hussain bin Ali.

Historical events in this month:

The first month in the Hijri calendar and the beginning of the new Hijri year
The killing of Hussein bin Ali and his companions in the battle of Karbala
Conquest of Khyber
Ghazwa Zat al-Raqqa
Uthman's arrival at the caliphate
The death of Sajjad, the fourth imam of the Shiites
The murder of Mohammad Amin, the brother of Mamoun Abbasi
The murder of Jafar Barmaki and the extinction of the Barmaki family and the Barmaki government
Halaku Khan's campaign to Iran and the extinction of the Abbasid Caliphate

References:

Hedaya al-Anama to the events of the last days, Muhaddith Qomi, p. 53; Mufatih al-Jannan, p. 521
Wikipedia Contributors, "Al Muharram (city)", Arabic Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.