He was also included in the orchestra of folk instruments under the direction of famous composer and conductor Said Rustamov to participate in Decade of Azerbaijani Literature and Art in Moscow during this period.

In the beginning of the Great Patriotic War sergeant Ashraf Abbasov was seriously wounded near the town of Yelnya.

Ashraf Abbasov was discharged due to illness, went to his family in Shusha and continued his treatment at home for two years.

He soon returned to Baku and continued his education at Azerbaijan State Conservatory, where the professors Boris Zeidman and Uzeyir Hajibeyov taught.

He defended his dissertation under the guidance of Mikhail Chulaki in 1952 and became the first Azerbaijani composer to receive an academic degree.