Sha‘ban — the Month of the Birth of the Heroes of Ashura

The first days of the month of Sha‘ban are closely associated with the heroes of Ashura. Thus, on the 3rd of Sha‘ban the birth of Imam Husayn (a) is commemorated; on the 4th, that of Abul-Fadl Abbas (a); and on the 5th, the birth of Imam Zayn al-Abidin (a). All three of these eminent figures are inseparably linked to the events of Karbala and Ashura.

Imam Husayn (a) was the leader of the Ashura uprising; his brother, Abul-Fadl Abbas (a), was the standard-bearer of this sacred movement; and his son, Imam Zayn al-Abidin (a), was the only surviving man in Karbala, a living witness to the tragedy and the Imam of the era that followed Ashura.

All three stand as central figures of the righteous uprising that took place on the day of Ashura on the land of Karbala under the leadership of Imam Husayn (a). The fact that the sacred month of Sha‘ban begins with the birth anniversaries of these blessed personalities undoubtedly endows this month with a profound spiritual depth and multiplies its blessings.