The Structure of Ashara
Location: The Da’i al-Mutlaq leads Ashara in a rotating city each year (Mumbai, Karachi, Cairo, New York, London, Nairobi — the Bohra diaspora gathers from globally). Bohras travel significant distances to be present in the city where the Da’i is located. Families plan Ashara travel as their most important annual journey.
Daily schedule:
- Subh (Fajr): congregational prayer followed by morning wa’az — approximately 2-3 hours
- ‘Asr: afternoon session
- Maghrib/Isha: evening prayers followed by the primary wa’az — often the most emotionally intense session
- On the 10th (Ashura), special additional sessions mark the moment of Imam Husayn’s martyrdom
The Wa’az: The discourse is delivered by the Da’i al-Mutlaq (or his deputy) in classical Arabic, Lisan al-Dawat (Bohra’s liturgical language — a blend of Arabic, Persian, and Gujarati), and local vernacular. It proceeds through a structured syllabus: the entire 1-10 Muharram period is narrated chronologically, from Husayn’s departure from Medina to the aftermath of Karbala.
The Theological Purpose of Ashara
Ashara is not merely commemoration — it is theological renewal:
Living the Karbala narrative: The Bohra tradition, following the Fatimid Ismaili framework, holds that Karbala’s events are not past history but eternally present reality. Each year’s Ashara is not a memorial but a re-witnessing: the community positions itself as present at Karbala, hearing the Imam’s call, and choosing — in their attendance, in their weeping, in their commitment — to be among those who answered.
Transformative mourning (buka’): Weeping at Ashara is not mere emotional release. The Prophet said that if one cannot weep for Husayn, one should assume the face of weeping (yatabakka’) — the very act of grief-oriented remembrance has theological value. The classical Ismaili position: the heart’s capacity for grief over oppressed truth is itself a sign of living iman.
Knowledge transmission: The ten days of wa’az transmit the Bohra theological tradition in its most concentrated annual form. Those attending learn Ismaili theology, Quran tafsir, fiqh, history, and spiritual practice through the Karbala narrative’s lens.
Ashara Beyond Muharram
The term ashara mubaraka in Bohra usage also applies to any period of ten blessed days during which special gatherings occur under the Da’i’s guidance — including the milad of the Prophet, the milad of the Imam, and special occasions in the lunar calendar.
See also: Muharram Bohra, Karbala, Imam Husayn, Bohra History, Dai Al Mutlaq Institution, Seerah Zaynab, Adab Al Ilm