On this day, Imam al-Husayn (عليه السلام) was martyred. It is indeed the day of the calamitous misfortune and the day of grief for the Holy Imams (عليه السلام) and their adherents. Thus, the Shi’ah are required to stop earning any worldly benefit, stop storing anything in their houses, and devote themselves to weeping and mourning the misfortunes of Imam al-Husayn (عليه السلام). They are thus required to hold consolation ceremonies in the same way as they do for their dead sons and relatives. They are also required to visit the holy shrine of Imam al-Husayn (عليه السلام) with the famous form of Ziyarah (Ziyarat ‘Ashura). They are also required to invoke curse upon the enemies and slayers of Imam al-Husayn (عليه السلام) and to express sympathy to each other, saying,
اَعْظَمَ اللّٰهُ اُجُورَنَا بِمُصَابِنَا بِالْحُسَيْنِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وَ جَعَلَنَا وَ اِيَّاكُمْ مِنَ الطَّالِبِينَ بِثَارِهِ مَعَ وَلِيِّهِ الْاِمَامِ الْمَهْدِيِّ مِنْ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِمُ [عَلَيْهِ] السَّلامُ.
The adherents (Shi’ah) of Imam al-Husayn (عليه السلام) should confer the martyrdom of their Imam and should weep for him. It is narrated that when Prophet Moses (عليه السلام) was ordered to meet the Scholar, namely al-Khidr (عليه السلام), the first matter they discussed was the misfortune that the Household of Prophet Muhammad(عليه السلام) would face. They therefore wept heavily for these misfortunes.
Ibn ‘Abbas is reported to have said, “When I accompanied Imam Ali(عليه السلام) in Dhi-Qar, he took out a paper comprising the dictations of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم) and handwritten by Imam Ali(عليه السلام) himself. He read some segments of that paper and I heard. It contained the story of Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom with full details of the way he would be killed, the person who would kill him, those who would support him, and those who would be martyred with him. Imam Ali(عليه السلام) then wept heavily and caused me to weep.”
There is not enough space in this book to mention a part of the story of Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom; therefore, the complete event can be read in the books specified for this respect. These books are called al-Maqtal.