Islamic New Year 2020: Know about the history, significance, and celebration

Islamic New Year is one of the most significant festivals in the Islamic calendar. It is the time for remembrance, prayer, and reflection on the sacrifices that marks the starting of the faith. Islamic New Year 2020 or Muharram happens in the first month of the Islamic calendar. The meaning of the word translates to banned, forbidden, prohibited, or illicit. Here is everything you need to know about Islamic Near Year significance, celebration, and history that you must check out. Read on:

Islamic New Year significance

Islamic New Year 2020 is according to the sighting of the crescent moon. The Muharram is likely to begin on August 20 or 21 this year. During Islamic New Year 2020, for the first ten days, Shia and Sunni Muslims spend a period, in which they mourn and recall the martyrdom of Imam Hussain.

In various Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, astronomical calculations help in determining the dates. They might lead to a difference of around two days for the Islamic New Year 2020. Usually, the letter H, which stands for Hijrah or Hijri, follows the Islamic years. AH refers to the Latin term Anno Hegirae which means ‘in the year of the Hijrah’.

Islamic New Year celebration

Islamic New Year 2020 marks the time of remembrance, prayer and reflection on the sacrifices, which led to the beginning of the faith. During this time, Muslims reflect the last year and look forward to the next year. For Shia Muslims, the solemn period starts the ten days of mourning. Moreover, numerous Shiites practice different activities like the chest-beating, and self-flagellation, among other things. On the other hand, for Sunni Muslims, the day of Ashura marks the time when Allah saved Moses from Egyptians.

While for Sunni Muslims, Islamic New Year 2020 marks the day of celebrations, for Sunni Muslims, it is the day of mourning. However, both factions observe a fast on the same day. Also, Sunni Muslims go for an extra day of fasting as per the teachings of Prophet Mohammad.

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Islamic New Year history

The first month of the Islamic Year 2020 is Muharram. The Battle of Karbala in 680AD helped Imam Hussein ibn Ali, who was the grandson of Prophet Muhammed, to enter the city with his army. He visited on the first day of the month. However, the dominant ruler cut off access to water on the seventh day. They also killed him alongside his family after they refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid.

The actions of Imam Hussein ibn Ali helped shape history. The way he resisted oppression and fought against injustice to the Umayyad dynasty was a symbol of bravery. On the other hand, Sunni Muslims have a belief that Moses or prophet Musa crossed the Red Sea with God’s protection from the Egyptian pharaoh.

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