Muharram is an Arabic word is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year.
The word "Muharram" means "Forbidden" and is derived from the word harām, meaning "sinful". It is held to be the most sacred of all the months, excluding Ramadan.

Instead of joyous celebration, Muslims mark the beginning of the New Year by taking up the black attire of sorrow and participate in mourning gatherings in which the sacrifices of Hussain (as) and his companions are commemorated .It is one of the four months of the year in which fighting is prohibited.

In this month Imam Hussain (as) and his 72 companions sacrificed their life for the sake of humanity and Islam. He teaches the lesson to the world that one can make a difference with zeal and spirit against falsehood and oppression. So this month is being used synonymously with Martyrdom of imam Hussain (as).

The importance of the martyrdom of the Imam al‑Hussain (as) can be seen in the great attention paid to it by the early Muslim historians whose works have survived to the present day. Most of these historical works are of a general kind but the amount of space which they devote to this event indicates the momentous impact it had on Muslims.