Id-ul-Ghadeer and Ashura

Two occasions with different meanings

Id-ul-Ghadeer and Ashura connect Muslim worship with events involving the Prophet Muhammad’s family. For Shi’a Muslims, these events help explain who should lead the community and why believers should remain faithful even when facing injustice. Their moods differ: Id-ul-Ghadeer is joyful, whereas Ashura is a solemn commemoration. Sunni Muslims understand the events differently, so their practices are not identical.

Id-ul-Ghadeer: remembering the declaration about Ali

Id-ul-Ghadeer takes place on 18 Dhu al-Hijjah, eight days after Id-ul-Adha. Its name refers to Ghadeer Khumm, a pond where Muhammad spoke about Ali in the final year of his life. Ali was Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law.

A Hadith, a report of Muhammad’s words or actions, records the declaration in the translation: ‘For whoever I was regarded as leader, Ali will be the leader.’ The key Arabic word is mawla. Shi’a Muslims interpret it as indicating authority: they believe Muhammad was announcing Allah’s decision that Ali should succeed him. Ali is therefore recognised as the first Imam in Shi’a Islam. An Imam in this sense is a divinely appointed leader, not simply someone leading prayers.

This makes the occasion more than a celebration of Ali as an individual. It affirms the Shi’a belief that religious leadership should continue through the appointed Imams, beginning with Ali.

Surah 5:3 and different understandings of leadership

Surah 5:3 states: ‘This day I have perfected for you your religion.’ Shi’a Muslims connect this statement with the declaration at Ghadeer Khumm. They understand the appointment of Ali as completing Islam by establishing the leadership that would guide Muslims after Muhammad. The connection depends on interpretation: the verse itself does not name Ali.

Sunni Muslims interpret the declaration differently. They understand mawla as ‘friend’ and believe Muhammad was resolving a dispute involving Ali, affirming that Muslims should support him rather than appointing him as his successor. Sunni Muslims respect Ali, but do not accept this event as the announcement of his divinely appointed succession. They therefore do not generally celebrate Id-ul-Ghadeer.

How Shi’a Muslims celebrate Id-ul-Ghadeer

Shi’a Muslims may fast and gather at the mosque for prayers, poetry and a speech. These activities combine worship with learning about the declaration and its meaning. Some describe it as the ‘greatest Id’, showing how important the appointment of Ali is to their understanding of Islam.

Gathering strengthens community identity, while prayer and fasting express devotion to Allah. Hearing the declaration remembered can also renew commitment to the guidance of the Imams.

Ashura: remembering Husayn at Karbala

Ashura falls on 10 Muharram, in the first month of the Islamic calendar. For Shi’a Muslims, it commemorates the killing of Husayn, also spelt Hussain, Muhammad’s grandson and Ali’s son. Husayn was the third Imam.

Husayn refused to swear allegiance to Yazid, whose rule he opposed as unjust and contrary to Islam. He was killed at the Battle of Karbala in Iraq, around fifty years after Muhammad’s death. Shi’a Muslims remember him as a martyr whose sacrifice demonstrates faithfulness and resistance to oppression.

There are mourning observances during the first ten days of Muharram. Shi’a Muslims may gather in mosques, wear black, recite poetry, listen to speeches about Husayn and join mourning processions. Some visit his shrine at Karbala. These practices express grief while keeping the moral meaning of his sacrifice alive. In the UK, some Muslims donate blood to the NHS in his memory, turning remembrance into help for others.

Ashura also expresses Tawalla, love and loyalty towards Muhammad and his family, and Tabarra, rejection of those who oppose them. These are among the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam. Mourning Husayn therefore connects religious belief with the responsibility to oppose injustice.

Ashura within Sunni Islam

Sunni Muslims also observe Ashura, but a central meaning for them is the rescue of Musa, or Moses, and the Israelites from Pharaoh, including the crossing of the Red Sea. This recalls Allah’s protection and encourages gratitude.

Sunni Muslims may fast on Ashura, following Muhammad’s reported example; some observe a two-day fast around the occasion. Thus, the same calendar date can involve Shi’a mourning for Husayn and Sunni thanksgiving for deliverance.

Assessing their significance

Id-ul-Ghadeer is especially significant for affirming Shi’a beliefs about leadership: it identifies Ali’s authority and connects that authority with the completion of religion. Ashura is especially significant for expressing loyalty to Muhammad’s family and teaching courage in the face of injustice.

Both strengthen faith and community through remembrance and worship, but their importance depends on the believer’s tradition. A justified comparison might judge Id-ul-Ghadeer more central to explaining Shi’a leadership, while Ashura more powerfully expresses that commitment through mourning and moral action. Neither judgement makes the other occasion unimportant.