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  • ashura
    ashura
    noun
    the tenth of the month of Muharram, an important fast day for Sunni Muslims.
  • Ashura
    Ashura
    noun
    Islam a Shiah festival observed on the tenth day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar to commemorate the death of the martyr Imam Hussein bin Ali at the Battle of Karbala in 61 ah (680 ad )

ashura

American  
[ash-oo-rah] / ˈæʃ ʊ rɑ /

noun

  1. the tenth of the month of Muharram, an important fast day for Sunni Muslims.

  2. (among Shiʿite Muslims) the anniversary of the martyrdom of Hussein.


Ashura British  
/ ˈæʃʊˌrɑː /

noun

  1. Islam a Shiah festival observed on the tenth day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar to commemorate the death of the martyr Imam Hussein bin Ali at the Battle of Karbala in 61 ah (680 ad )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ashura

From the Arabic word ʿĀshūrāʾ

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Ashura processions are usually dramatic affairs, with chanters singing elegies or dirges dedicated to Hussein, while audience members beat their chests and engage in displays of mourning.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 22, 2026

Ashura is held on the 10th day of Muharram - this year falling on 6 July - during which Shia Muslims commemorate the death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hossein.

From BBC Jul. 5, 2025

They were commemorating Ashura, Shia Islam’s most sacred ritual, showcased annually with great fanfare in Iran as a testament to the Shiite theocracy’s power and strength.

From New York Times Aug. 13, 2023

The mourning over their deaths reaches to its peak on Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram.

From Washington Times Jul. 27, 2023

ASHVINS=stars which drove round the pole the constellations of Ursa Major and Draco, another name for Ashura?

From The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations by Zelia Nuttall

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