"I have not risen out of arrogance or vanity. I have risen to seek reform in the nation of my grandfather — to encourage what is right and forbid what is wrong."
— Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, Karbala, 680 CE
Why Your Muslim Colleague Needs the Day Off for Ashura
If someone you work with has shared this article with you, they are asking for leave on the day of Ashura, the tenth of Muḥarram, the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar. For Shia Muslims, roughly 200 to 260 million people worldwide, this is, without qualification, the most significant day of the year. This article explains what it is, why it matters, and why attending is not optional for those who observe it.
What Happened at Karbala
In 680 CE, Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was surrounded, besieged, and killed along with 72 of his family members and closest companions on the desert plains of Karbala, in modern-day Iraq. The ruling corrupt caliph, Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiya, had demanded that Ḥusayn publicly endorse his government. Ḥusayn knew the regime was corrupt and a betrayal of everything his grandfather had taught. He refused.
This was not a miscalculation. Ḥusayn knew exactly what his refusal would cost. His camp's access to the Euphrates River was cut off for three days. His six-month-old son was killed in his arms. His brother, ʿAbbās, had both arms severed while trying to bring water to the children. By the end of the day, almost every man in the camp was dead. The surviving women and children, led by Ḥusayn's sister, Zaynab, were chained and paraded through the streets to the caliph's court.
These are not legends. They are named people, documented events, and precise dates in history, just as any military engagement or political assassination is recorded. Standing before the man who had ordered her family's massacre, Zaynab said: "You will never erase our remembrance, our message, or our legacy." She was right. Fourteen centuries later, over forty million people walk to Karbala every year in what is recognised as the largest peaceful annual gathering on earth.
Ten Nights, Not Just One Day
Ashura does not arrive in isolation. The first ten days of Muḥarram are a period of nightly gatherings known as majālis (singular: majlis). Each evening, communities come together in congregation halls where scholars and trained speakers recount a different chapter of the Karbala narrative. These are not memorials; they are an annual university. Night after night, the events are used to teach lessons on integrity, sacrifice, courage, justice, standing against oppression, and upholding the moral teachings of Islam and the Prophet's family. Attendees reflect on how those principles apply to their own lives today. By the tenth day, the community has spent over a week immersed in this process. Ashura is the culmination, the day Ḥusayn was killed, and it carries the full weight of everything that preceded it.
What the Day Looks Like
Ashura is not a private or quiet observance. It is a community gathering, often the largest of the year. Hundreds or thousands of people come together to mourn collectively. The final events of Karbala are recounted in detail. Many people fast for part of the day or abstain from water in solidarity with Ḥusayn's camp. In cities across the world, there are public processions through the streets.
A note for anyone who has searched online and encountered graphic or unfamiliar images: Ashura observances include expressive forms of mourning, such as chest beating (laṭmiyyah), a traditional and widely practised act of grief across Shia communities worldwide. Some regions also have cultural practices that are more intense in appearance — these are cultural customs specific to certain areas and are not representative of how the majority of Shia Muslims observe the day. The core of Ashura, everywhere, is the same: gathering as a community, listening to the retelling of Karbala, mourning together, and reflecting on its lessons.
The observance runs from the morning through most of the day. It is a communal event with a set time and place; it cannot be moved to an evening, split across a lunch break, or observed alone at a desk.
Why the Date May Come With Short Notice
Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, the Gregorian date of Ashura shifts by roughly eleven days each year. The specific day is often confirmed only when the new moon is sighted, which is why your colleague may not have been able to flag the exact date months in advance. That is the nature of the calendar, not a lack of planning.
What Is Being Asked
Your colleague is requesting leave for one day, the single most important day on their religious calendar. For Shia Muslims, there is no equivalent day and no substitute. It is a day spent in the company of their community, mourning together, reflecting together, and renewing their commitment to the values for which Ḥusayn gave his life. It is not something that can be observed partially or rescheduled.
Most workplaces recognise the principle that employees should be able to observe their most significant religious days. The same consideration extended for Christmas, Easter, Yom Kippur, or Diwali is all that is being asked for here. Thank you sincerely for taking the time to read and understand what this day means.
"Every land is Karbala, and every day is Ashura."
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