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The Battle of Karbala took place in Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, in A.D. 680 in present-day Iraq. On one side of the battle was a small group of supporters and relatives of Hussein, and on the other was a large military detachment from the forces of Yazid I, the Umayyad caliph whom Husain had refused to recognize as caliph. Husain and all his supporters were killed during the battle and have since been regarded as martyrs by Muslims, while the battle has taken a central place in Islamic history and tradition. The battle and its martyrs are commemorated during an annual 10-day period held every Muharram by Shiite Muslims (followers of the fourth caliph, Ali, who was the Prophet’s son-in-law and Husain’s father) as well as many Sunnis, culminating on its 10th day, known as the Day of Ashura.
The first official ceremony sanctioned by the Religious Affairs Directorate took place in İstanbul’s Beyazıt Mosque on Saturday. The ceremony started with the imam of Beyazıt Mosque, Suat Göztok, reading verses from the Quran. He was followed by Fatih District Mufti Emrullah Üzüm, who spoke to the crowd gathered at the mosque. Üzüm highlighted that during the month of Muharram, Muslims should especially remember the Prophet’s grandsons Hasan and Husain and how they lived their lives. “Parents and children of our day should see Ali, Fatima [Muhammad’s daughter], Hasan and Husain as role models,” said Üzüm.
The ceremony ended with a prayer led by Fatih Mosque imam Hasan Kara. Members of Marifet Derneği, a non-profit organization, offered ashura (Noah’s pudding) to people in the mosque during the ceremony.
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