Day Of Ashura Program & Community Iftar Dinner | Shaykh Talal Ahdab

Thursday, June 26th, marks the first day of the Islamic month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic Calendar Year. The blessed day of ‘Ashura is on Saturday, July 5, 2025.

Please calendar now to fast on the 10th of this month and either the day before or after (so the 9th or 11th of Muharram). The 10th of Muharram is likely to fall on Saturday, July 5, 2025. Therefore, please fast either Friday and Saturday or Saturday and Sunday, insha’Allah. MCC will host a community Iftar on Saturday, July 5, 2025.

7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. | Saturday, July 5 | $5/person for Iftar dinner | Registration required; RSVP at mcceastbay.org/fast-ashura | Watch the program virtually at mcceastbay.org/live

• – Shaykh Talal Ahdab will also give a talk about this particular time on the eve of Ashura: https://mcceastbay.org/event/lessons-from-ashura
• – More talks & sermons on Muharram: https://mcceastbay.org/muharram
• – For more information about the Day of Ashura, see https://seekersguidance.org/articles/the-day-of-ashura

Ashura Program

• 6:30 p.m. – Asr prayer (Prayer Hall)
• 7 p.m. – Program “Lessons From Ashura” begins with Sh. Talal Ahdab and Qari Amar Bellaha (Conference Room)
• 8:36 p.m. – Maghrib prayer (Prayer Hall)
• 8:50 p.m. – Iftar Dinner (women in Banquet Hall & men in Kindergarten classrooms – Please RSVP at mcceastbay.org/fast-ashura)
• 10:15 p.m. – Isha prayer (Prayer Hall)

MCC follows the traditional moon-sighting method, which relies on regional, verifiable naked-eye sightings of the new crescent moon to determine the start of all Hijri months. Please see this video to understand this practice. MCC honors the variation at the beginning of each Islamic month based on the new moon being sighted on different days in different places, and some communities do moon calculations. All are valid. Please observe with your community.

Thursday, June 26th, marks the first day of the Islamic month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic Calendar Year. It is considered special by all Muslims and is one of the four sacred months. During this month is the Day of Ashura, or the “Tenth day” of the month, which will be Saturday, July 5th. Fasting is recommended (with or without the addition of a day before or after). Imam Muslim reported that the Prophet PBUH said, “The best of fasts after the month of Ramadan are in the Month of Allah, which you call Muharram. And the best of prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer.”

While Ashura is primarily associated with the story of Moses (peace be upon him), it is also the day on which another profound event occurred—the martyrdom of Hussein, the beloved grandson of the Prophet (peace be upon him). May God be pleased with him.

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

What is the Day of Ashura?

Ashura marks the day when Moses and the Israelites were saved from Pharaoh by God parting the Red Sea, and is the Islamic equivalent to Yom Kippur. In Sunni Islam, Ashura follows the traditions of Judaism with a day of fasting, commemorating the parting of the Red Sea for Moses and his followers as they escaped Pharaoh. The Prophet Muhammad thought this tradition was worth following, so he fasted and encouraged his followers to do the same. On this day, Muslims fast and celebrate by reflecting, showing respect, and giving thanks. Is fasting required? Fasting is not compulsory during Ashura, but some Muslims choose to fast for one or two days. This is because the Prophet Muhammad was said to have fasted on the day of Ashura.

When is Ashura 2025?

Ashura falls on the tenth day of Muharram (the first month of the Islamic year) in the Muslim calendar, which this year is Saturday, July 5, 2025. Islamic religious dates are tabular: they begin at sunset on the first evening and end at sunset on the second evening. The date changes each year because the calendar used by Muslims, the Hijri calendar, is 10 to 12 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar. Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

• – More talks & sermons on Muharram: https://mcceastbay.org/muharram

The month of Muharram is considered special by all Muslims and is one of the four sacred months of the year, which brings with it the day of Ashura, or the “Tenth day” of the month, when fasting is recommended (with or without the addition of a day prior or after). Following the Prophetic tradition, MCC invites all East Bay residents to observe a day of fasting on the day of Ashura.

The first is the Hijrah, the migration of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD. The birth of a pluralistic Muslim community marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar and served as the key turning point for the first Muslims and the future of Islam.

The Hijrah also marks the start of a new chapter for humanity, where freedom of faith and justice for all became the cardinal principles of the newly founded society and a model for us to aspire to.

The other two historical events took place on the 10th day of Muharram, known as Ashura. After completing the migration to Medina, the Prophet witnessed the Jews of Medina fasting to commemorate the victory of Prophet Musa (PBUH) and his people over the Egyptian Pharaoh. Prophet Muhammad then asked his companions to join this fasting tradition as a way to express their gratitude to Allah for saving Musa and his people. On the same day, just six decades later, the Prophet’s grandson Husayn ibn Ali was martyred in the Battle of Karbala. This was one of the saddest and most heartbreaking events in the history of Islam, which we continue to mourn today.

As we commemorate Ashura, for Prophet Musa and Imam Husayn, we are called to re-commit to our struggle against all forms of tyranny and oppression and to seek liberty and justice for all. Following the Prophet Muhammad’s tradition, MCC invites you all to observe the fast of Ashura.

Let us take this day to continue the practice of our beloved Prophet and pray for the unity of our ummah (community).