Ashura 2027: Date of 10 Muharram 1449 and How to Fast It

Ashura is the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Hijri year. For Sunni Muslims it is above all a day of fasting, associated with the deliverance of Prophet Musa (Moses) and the Children of Israel from Pharaoh. For Shia Muslims it is also the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn ibn Ali at Karbala in 61 AH. This guide focuses on the date and on the Sunnah fast.

Ashura 2027 at a glance

	Day	Date (Umm al-Qura)
1 Muharram 1449	Sunday	6 June 2027
9 Muharram (Tasu’a)	Monday	14 June 2027
10 Muharram (Ashura)	Tuesday	15 June 2027
11 Muharram	Wednesday	16 June 2027

If your country starts Muharram by local sighting a day later, Ashura would be Wednesday 16 June 2027. Confirm with your local mosque once the Muharram crescent has been announced.

The previous Ashura, 10 Muharram 1448, fell on Thursday 25 June 2026.

The virtue of fasting Ashura

The reward for fasting Ashura is described in a famous hadith. When asked about it, the Prophet ﷺ said:

“I hope from Allah that it will expiate for the year that came before it.” (Sahih Muslim 1162)

Scholars explain that this expiation refers to minor sins; major sins require sincere repentance. Even so, a single day’s fast that wipes away a year of minor faults is one of the most generous offers in the Sunnah.

Why Muslims fast on Ashura

Ibn Abbas reported that when the Prophet ﷺ came to Madinah, he found the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura. He asked about it and they said: “This is a good day; it is the day Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy, so Musa fasted it.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “We have more right to Musa than you,” and he fasted it and instructed others to fast it (Sahih al-Bukhari 2004).

Before Ramadan was made obligatory, fasting Ashura was strongly emphasised. Once the Ramadan fast was prescribed, Ashura became voluntary: “Whoever wishes may fast it, and whoever wishes may leave it” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2002). It remained one of the fasts the Prophet ﷺ was most keen on.

Fasting the 9th as well

Towards the end of his life, the Prophet ﷺ said: “If I live until next year, I will certainly fast the ninth” (Sahih Muslim 1134). He passed away before the next Muharram.

From this, scholars describe three levels:

1. Best: fast the 9th and 10th — Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 June 2027.
2. Also good: fast the 10th and 11th, which some scholars mention based on a report attributed to Ibn Abbas, or the 9th, 10th and 11th together.
3. Valid: fast the 10th alone. Some scholars considered it mildly disliked to single it out; others, including many contemporary scholars, said there is no harm in it, especially for those who find two days difficult.

The purpose of adding the 9th, as the scholars explain, was to differ from the practice of the People of the Book, who fasted only the 10th.

The story of Musa and Pharaoh

The deliverance commemorated on Ashura is told at length in the Quran. After years of calling Pharaoh to worship Allah and free the Children of Israel, Musa was commanded to lead his people out of Egypt by night. Pharaoh pursued them with his army to the sea. When the two groups saw each other, Musa’s companions said, “We are surely overtaken!” He replied: “No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me” (26:61–62).

Musa was told to strike the sea with his staff, and it parted, “each part like a great mountain” (26:63). The Children of Israel crossed safely; Pharaoh and his army followed and were drowned. At the end, Pharaoh declared belief, but it was too late (10:90–92).

The lesson most often drawn on Ashura is trust in Allah at the moment when all ordinary means are exhausted — a fitting theme for the opening month of the year.

Other good days to fast in Muharram

Ashura is the highlight, but the Prophet ﷺ called Muharram as a whole the best month for voluntary fasting after Ramadan (Sahih Muslim 1163). If you want to do more in Muharram 1449, other well-grounded options include:

• The White Days: 13–15 Muharram — Friday 18, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 June 2027.
• Mondays and Thursdays: 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28 June and 1 July 2027.
• Any additional days you can manage in the month.

Fasting Ashura in June 2027: practical tips

In 2027 Ashura falls in mid-June, close to the longest days of the year in the northern hemisphere. Fasts will be long in Europe and North America — in London, roughly from 02:30 to 21:20 — so preparation helps.

• Hydrate in the evening. Spread water through the evening rather than drinking a lot at suhoor.
• Eat a proper suhoor. Slow-release foods — oats, eggs, yoghurt, dates, wholegrain bread — keep you going longer.
• Plan the two days together. If you fast Monday and Tuesday, a light iftar on Monday and an early night will make Tuesday much easier.
• Check your times. Use the prayer times page for exact Fajr and Maghrib where you live.
• If you are ill, pregnant, breastfeeding or elderly, remember this is a voluntary fast. There is no sin in leaving it, and good intentions are rewarded.

Making up Ramadan fasts on Ashura

If you still owe fasts from Ramadan, can you make one up on Ashura and get both rewards? Scholars differ. Many say that if you fast a make-up (qada’) fast on the day of Ashura, you fulfil the obligation and may hope for the virtue of the day. Others recommend keeping them separate. The safest approach, if you have days to make up, is to fast the make-up days before Muharram and fast Ashura as a voluntary fast.

Other good deeds on Ashura

Beyond fasting, there are no specific rituals in the Sunni tradition for the day. Some practices that have spread in various places — special cooking, applying kohl, or particular prayers — are not based on authentic hadith, according to the hadith scholars. The authentic Sunnah of Ashura is the fast.

That said, Muharram is a sacred month and “the month of Allah”, so increasing charity, Quran recitation and kindness to family on Ashura and around it is good in itself.

Ashura in the wider Muslim world

For Shia Muslims, the first ten days of Muharram culminate on Ashura in commemorations of Imam Husayn’s martyrdom at Karbala in 61 AH (680 CE): gatherings (majalis), recitations of elegies and, in many places, processions. Sunni Muslims also hold Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet ﷺ, in deep respect, and many sermons on Ashura mention Karbala alongside the story of Musa.

Understanding both dimensions helps in mixed communities, workplaces and schools where Muslims of different traditions mark the same day in different ways.

Is Ashura a public holiday?

In several countries, yes — usually because of its significance to Shia Muslims. Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon observe Ashura as a public holiday, and Pakistan typically gives holidays on 9 and 10 Muharram. In most Sunni-majority countries it is a normal working day, which is one more reason to plan your fast ahead: Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 June 2027 are working days almost everywhere in the West.

Summary

• Ashura 1449: Tuesday 15 June 2027 (Umm al-Qura); possibly Wednesday 16 June where local sighting is followed.
• Recommended: fast the 9th and 10th (14–15 June 2027).
• Reward: expiation of the previous year’s minor sins (Sahih Muslim 1162).
• Long fasts in the northern hemisphere — prepare suhoor and hydration carefully.

See the full Muharram 1449 calendar for the rest of the month, including the White Days on 18–20 June 2027.