Prayers & Ziyarat of Ashura
Marking the Day
The first ten days of Muharram, and Ashura above all, are kept alive with mourning, recitation and remembrance. Below are the main devotions of these days and how to take part in them.
Ziyarat Ashura
The central salutation of the day. Facing the qibla (or the shrine of Imam Husayn), you greet him, renew your loyalty to him and the Ahl al-Bayt, disavow those who wronged them, and repeat the salutation and the cursing of the oppressors one hundred times each. It is followed by Dua Alqama.
You don’t need to read it — you may simply listen. In the sight of God the two are equal; what matters is that you take part.
Ziyarat al-Warith
A salutation that names Husayn the heir (warith) of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and of Muhammad and Ali. It is recited at his shrine and from afar, and is a beautiful way to greet him on any day.
You don’t need to read it — you may simply listen. In the sight of God the two are equal; what matters is that you take part.
Dua Alqama
A supplication recited immediately after Ziyarat Ashura, asking God by the right of Husayn to grant your needs and the intercession of the Ahl al-Bayt in this world and the next.
You don’t need to read it — you may simply listen. In the sight of God the two are equal; what matters is that you take part.
Ziyarat Arba'een
Recited on the fortieth day after Ashura (the 20th of Safar) — counted among the signs of a true believer. It retells the very purpose of Husayn’s sacrifice: to rescue people from ignorance and misguidance.
You don’t need to read it — you may simply listen. In the sight of God the two are equal; what matters is that you take part.
Mourning & Elegies (Latmiyya)
Attend or hold a majlis (gathering) where the story of Karbala is told and elegies (latmiyya, noha) are recited. Listen, weep for Husayn, and beat the chest gently in grief — this living mourning is itself an act of love and worship.
Deeds of the Day of Ashura
On Ashura, set aside work and worldly pleasures and devote the day to mourning until the afternoon. Wear black, offer one another condolences for Imam Husayn, give water and food in charity in memory of the thirst of Karbala, avoid all celebration, recite the ziyarat, and keep the day with a grieving, sincere heart.
The Ten Nights
Through the first ten nights of Muharram, attend the nightly majalis. Each night recalls a chapter of the journey to Karbala, building toward the morning of Ashura — so that by the tenth day the heart has walked the whole road with Husayn.