Review article

On Ašura, Religious Customs among the Balkan Muslims

Adnan Busuladžić ; The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Bosina and Herzegovina

Abstract

Ašura customs among the Muslims are usually practiced alongside the commemorative event marking the death of imam Husein, the grandson of the prophet Muhamed. Together with this one, there are other reasons for practicing ašura in the regions where that historical event is not considered specially important. It is about remembering the big flood and the Nuha's arc, saving of prophet Junuza from the bowels of the big fish, and so on. Considering that this was the main reason for the division of the Muslim community into two main parts, the Sunnis and the Shiites, the practicing of this custom has a special significance. In Iran, which is dominantly a Shiite community, the ašura custom is public and involves the majority of the population. Among the Sunni Muslims, and Balkan Muslims also belong to this group, the custom of ašura is practiced only in these regions where dervish brotherhoods were traditionally important. The period in question encompasses first ten days of the month of muharem (which is the first month of the Muslim new year), when many special customs are practiced in these communities in connection to the death of imam Husein.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the custom of ašura has somewhat a more personal character, because the number of dervish communities is smaller. One of the reason is that the most important dervish order in Bosnia is nakšibendijski. It belongs to the so called alevian (prošitskim) brotherhoods. Situation in Kosovo is somewhat different, and ašura is more of a public custom. The main organizers of the ašura events in Kosovo are rifaisko, kadirijsko, halvetijsko, sadijsko, zindirijsko and bektašijsko brotherhoods, which are famous for their proshiite teachings, and whose number is considerably bigger than in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Keywords

Ašura; Dervishes; Sunnis Muslims; Balkan

Hrčak ID:

47764

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/47764

Publication date:

1.3.2004.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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