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Muharram

A month of mourning, remembrance and the refusal to bow to injustice.

A volunteer offering water at a Muharram sabeel

Water withheld, and still he stood. Some things are worth the whole of you. May you keep faith when it costs you, and may you never look away. Ya Hussain. 🕊️

Muharram: what it marks, and how to send a wish

By IndianWishes ·

A Muharram wish with your name on it is an ordinary greeting card with one thing changed: it says who sent it. Type your name on this page and you get a card that opens with “Asha is wishing you Peace this Muharram” instead of a forward from nobody in particular. It is free, takes about ten seconds, and there is nothing to sign up for.

What Muharram remembered

Muharram opens the Islamic year, and its tenth day, Ashura, is a day of mourning — particularly for Shia Muslims — remembering the killing of Imam Husayn, the Prophet's grandson, at Karbala in 680 CE. It is not a celebration, and is not marked with congratulation.

When Muharram falls

The first month of the Islamic calendar; Ashura falls on its tenth day.

Most Indian festivals follow a lunar calendar, so the date moves against the Gregorian one each year. For the official dates, the Government of India holiday calendar is the one to check.

How Muharram is remembered

  • Majlis — gatherings where the events of Karbala are recounted
  • Processions carrying alams, the standards of Husayn's camp
  • Sabeels — free water stalls set up in the street, since Husayn's camp was denied water
  • Fasting on Ashura, particularly among Sunni Muslims

Lucknow and Hyderabad keep the largest observances in India. It is marked by Muslims everywhere, in forms that differ between Shia and Sunni communities.

What people say

There is no celebratory greeting. People say “Ya Husayn”, or offer a message of peace and remembrance rather than congratulation.

Putting your name on it

  1. Type your name in the box on this page. First name is enough — no email, no password, no account.
  2. Tap GO. Your card opens with your name at the top, on artwork drawn for Muharram specifically.
  3. Share it. One tap hands it to WhatsApp with the message already written. Send it quietly to the people who would want it.

Add your name to a Muharram wish

Straight answers

Is Muharram a celebration?
No. Ashura is a day of mourning, especially for Shia Muslims, remembering the killing of Imam Husayn and his companions at Karbala. Wishing someone a happy Muharram is not appropriate.
What happened at Karbala?
In 680 CE, Imam Husayn — the Prophet Muhammad's grandson — and around seventy companions were killed by the army of Yazid, after being surrounded and cut off from water for several days.
Why is water given out during Muharram?
Because Husayn's camp was denied water at Karbala. Sabeels — free water and drink stalls — are set up in the streets in remembrance of that.
How do I send a Muharram wish with my name on it?
Type your name in the box on this page and tap GO. You get a card that opens with your name on it, and a button that hands the whole thing to WhatsApp. It is free, and there is nothing to sign up for.
Is this Muharram greeting really free?
Yes. No account, no watermark, no upgrade prompt and nothing to install. Your name travels inside the link rather than being stored anywhere.

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