Muharram

Despite major differences between the Sunnis and Shias, there has always been co-existence based on what is common among us in terms of our basic beliefs and practices. Here is one of the best examples of this ideal behavior.

Every year, in the month of Muharram, millions of Shi'as and Sunnis alike, mourn Imam Hussain's martyrdom. It is regrettable, however, that of these mourners very few focus their attention on the objective for which the Imam not only sacrificed his life but also the lives of his kith and kin.

In AD 638, six years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam's second caliph Umar recognized the necessity of a calendar known as Hijri calender, to govern the affairs of the Muslims. This was a practical matter.