And so it will be Muharram's 9th and 10th

I am sitting with my mom, she won't leave me in my room alone, supposedly she missed me so much that both my parents started watching KBS (we get it for free, don't jinx me- I love my Korean obsession). The end of year award shows were coming on, and them watching it, scared and angered my sister...

I was happy.

Of course, but also a little surprised- them watching Big Bang and Wonder Girls,

That is just scary.

--So what if I started a religious discussion with some lighthearted fun--

Back on topic now-

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic New Year

The thing that really scared me (I know it is nothing to be afraid of)...

this New year, both calendars began around the same time,

Is this a good omen or a bad one?

I'll take the good one and ignore all the bad stuff going on in the world.

----

I liked it and am happy but the actual thing that makes this specific month special is...

It strengthened the division between Islam's two most populous sects, Sunni and Shi'a.

Shi'a Islam

I could write all this down in my words but it is quite simple to find out about Shi'a Islam...

I am a lazy creature, so I will copy and paste from Wikipedia:

Shi'a Muslims attribute themselves to the Qur'an and teachings of the final Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, and in contrast to other Muslims, believe that his family, the Ahl al-Bayt (the People of the House), including his descendants known as Imams, have special spiritual and political rule over the community[1] and believe that Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, was the first of these Imams and was the rightful successor to Muhammad, and thus reject the legitimacy of the first three Rashidun caliphs.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiite
---

The significance of 9th and 10th is because it is the occasion called Ashura for Shi'a Muslim's.

On these two days--

they recreate the kind of torture and toil that was sent upon the Prophet's (SAW) grandson, and his people.

It was under the hands or power of a dictator/ruler, whom some considered Ummayad Caliph, named Yazid.

I have witnessed the true nature of Ashura in this day and age.

I have seen with my eyes, people brutally beating themselves with chains and other such awful things.

Restraining from drinking water, just so they can somehow feel their connection to suffering.

The kind of suffering and torture that Hazrat Hussain and people in his congregation had to endure.

I am a Sunni so I don't condone these things but I have Shi'a friends, and distant family members,

I see them and think about what the world is coming to...there are other ways to remember.

Hazrat Hussain, what happened to him and the others, was an example to the rest of us.

There are many books on the events that took place called,

Karabala

this is from one of them, with Translation:

"The famous Urdu poet has prophesized:

Insaan Ku Bedaar Tou Ho Lene Do, Har Qaum Pukaraygi Hamare Hain Hussain

Give mankind a chance to gain consciousness, Every tribe will call out, "Hussain is ours!"

Qatl-e-Hussain Asl Main Marg-e-Yazid Hai, Islam Zinda Hota Hai Har Karbala Kai Baad

In the murder of Hussain, indeed is the death of Yazid. For each Karbala is the revival of Islam.

Karbala garden of swords, blood and inspiration for innumerable pens.

Karbala is the word of right...the hymn on the lips of time.

Karbala is a poem...a rhyme of anguish and pain.

Karbala never passes away.
Its sun never sets in the horizon of history.
Its anguish can never be effaced from the conscience of freemen by the collective conspiracy of tyrants.

"By God, I will never give you my hand like a man who has been humiliated, nor will I flee like a slave."

"There never was a Hussain before him, there has been none after him."

Click for Full Text http://www.ezsoftech.com/ebooks/TheKarbala.pdf