It is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dhul-Qidah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram and Rajab which comes between Jumadah and Shaban.” (Sahih Bukhari)

Muharram is so called because it is a sacred (Muharram) month. Allah says: “so wrong not yourselves therein...” means do not wrong yourselves in these sacred months, because sin in these months is worse than in other months.

Virtue of observing more voluntary fasts during Muharram Abu Hurayrah said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘The best of fasting after Ramadan is fasting Allah’s month of Muharram.”’ (Sahih Muslim)

The phrase “Allah’s month”, connecting the name of the month to the name of Allah in a genitive grammatical structure, signifies the importance of the month. Al-Qari said: “The apparent meaning is all of the month of Muharram.” But it was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never fasted any whole month apart from Ramadan, so this Hadith is probably meant to encourage increasing one’s fasting during Muharram, without meaning that one should fast the entire month.

Ibn Abbas said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Madinah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura’. He said: ‘What is this?’ They said, ’This is a righteous day, it is the day when Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemies, so Musa fasted on this day.’ He said, ’We have more right to Musa than you,’ so he fasted on that day and commanded (the Muslims) to fast on that day.” (Sahih Bukhari).

“This is a great day, on which Allah saved Musa and his people, and drowned Pharaoh and his people. Musa fasted on this day - a report narrated by Muslim adds: “... in thanksgiving to Allah, so we fast on this day.”

According to Sahih Bukhari: “... so we fast on this day to venerate it.”

‘A version narrated by Imam Ahmad adds: “This is the day on which the Ark settled on Mount Judi, so Nuh fasted this day in thanksgiving.” and commanded (the Muslims) to fast on that day.” According to another report narrated by Imam Bukhari: “He (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions: ‘You have more right to Musa than they do, so fast on that day.

The practice of fasting on Ashura’ was known even in the days of Jahiliyyah, before the Prophet’s mission. Al-Qurtubi said: “Perhaps Quraysh used to fast on that day on the basis of some past law, such as that of Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him).”

It was also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast on Ashura’ in Makkah, before he migrated to Madinah. When he migrated to Madinah, he found the Jews celebrating this day, so he asked them why, and they replied as described in the Hadith quoted above. He commanded the Muslims to be different from the Jews, who took it as a festival, as was reported in the Hadith of Abu Musa, who said:

“The Jews used to take the day of Ashura’ as a festival, according to a report narrated by Muslim: the day of Ashura’ was venerated by the Jews, who took it as a festival.

According to another report also narrated in Sahih Muslim, the people of Khaybar (the Jews) used to take it as a festival and their women would wear their jewelry and symbols on that day. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ’So you (Muslims) should fast on that day.”

Apparently the motive for commanding the Muslims to fast on this day was the desire to be different from the Jews, so that the Muslims would fast when the Jews did not, because people do not fast on a day of celebration. (Summarized from the words of Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Fathul Bari)

Fasting on Ashura’ was a gradual step in the process of introducing fasting as a prescribed obligation in Islam. Fasting appeared in three forms. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Madinah, he told the Muslims to fast on three days of every month and on the day of Ashura’, then Allah made fasting obligatory when He said:

“...Observing the fasting is prescribed for you...” (2:183) (Al-Qur’an)

The obligation was transferred from the fast of Ashura’ to the fast of Ramadan, and this is one of the proofs in the field of Usoul al-Fiqh that it is possible to abrogate a lighter duty in favor of a heavier duty.

Before the obligation of fasting Ashura” was abrogated, fasting on this day was obligatory, as can be seen from the Clear command to observe this fast. Then it was further confirmed later on, then reaffirmed by making it a general command addressed to everybody. It was reported from Ibn Mas’oud that when fasting Ramadan was made obligatory, the obligation to fast Ashura’ was lifted - i.e., it was no longer obligatory to fast on this day, but it was still desirable (mustahab).

Ibn Abbas said: “I never saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) so keen on fasting any day and giving it priority over any other than this day, the day of Ashura’ and this month, meaning Ramadan.” (Sahih Bukhari)

The meaning of his being keen was that he intended to fast on that day in the hope of earning the reward for doing so. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “For fasting the day of Ashura’, I hope that Allah will accept it as expiation for the year that went before.” (Sahih Muslim). This is from the bounty of Allah towards us: for fasting one day He gives us expiation for the sins of a whole year.

The scholars differed concerning the ruling on observing voluntary fasts before a person has made up days that he or she did not fast in Ramadan. The Hanafis said that it is permissible to observe voluntary fasts before making up days from Ramadan, and it is not Makrouh to do so, because the missed days do not have to be made up straight away. The Malikis and Shafeis said that it is permissible, but Makrouh, because it means that one is delaying something obligatory.

Al-Dusooqi said: “It is Makrouh to observe a voluntary fast when one still has to make up an obligatory fast, such as a fast in fulfillment of a vow, or a missed obligatory fast, or a fast done as an act of expiation (kaffarah), whether the voluntary fast which is being given priority over an obligatory fast is something confirmed in Shariah or not, such as Ashura’ and the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah.”

The Hanbalis said that it is haraam to observe a voluntary fast before making up any fasts missed in Ramadan and that a voluntary fast in such cases does not count, even if there is plenty of time to make up the obligatory fast. So a person must give priority to the obligatory fasts until he has made them up (Al-Mawsoo’ah Al-Fiqhiyya).

Shaikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked about the things that some people do on Ashura’, such as wearing kohl, taking a bath (ghusl), wearing henna, cooking special dishes, and so on. Was any of this reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or not? If nothing to that effect was reported, is doing these things innovation, or not? Is there any basis for what the other group does, such as grieving and mourning, going without anything to drink, eulogizing and wailing, and rending their garments? His reply was: “Nothing to that effect has been reported in any authentic Hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or from his companions. None of the Imams of the Muslims encouraged or recommended such things, neither the four Imams, nor any others. No reliable scholars have narrated anything like this, neither from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor from the Sahabah, nor from the Tabieen; neither in any authentic or in a weak report. But some of the later narrators reported Ahadith like the one which says: “Whoever puts kohl in his eyes on the day of Ashura’ will not suffer from eye disease in that year, and whoever takes a bath on the day of Ashura’ will not get sick in that year.”

Then Ibn Taymiyah discussed in brief the tribulations that had occurred in the early days of the Ummah and the killing of Husain (may Allah be pleased with him), and what the various sects had done because of this. Then he said: “An ignorant, wrongful group - who were either heretics and hypocrites, or misguided and misled - made a show of allegiance to him and the members of his household, so they took the day of Ashura’ as a day of mourning and wailing, in which they openly displayed the rituals of Jahiliyyah such as slapping their cheeks and rending their garments, grieving in the manner of the Jahiliyyah. Satan made this attractive to those who are misled, so they took the day of Ashura’ as an occasion of mourning, when they grieve and wail, recite poems of grief and tell stories filled with lies.

Whatever truth there may be in these stories serves no purpose other than the renewal of their grief and sectarian feeling, and the stirring up of hatred and hostility among the Muslims, which they do by cursing those who came before them. The evil and harm that they do to the Muslims cannot be enumerated by any man, no matter how eloquent he is.

Some others - either Naasibis who oppose and have, unfortunately, enmity toward Husain and his family or ignorant people who try to fight evil with evil, corruption with corruption, lies with lies and bid’a with bid’a - opposed them by fabricating reports in favor of making the day of Ashura’ a day of celebration, by specifically wearing kohl and henna, spending money on children, cooking special dishes and other things that are done on Eids and special occasions. These people took the day of Ashura’ as a festival like Eid, whereas the others took it as a day of mourning. Both are wrong, and both go against the Sunnah, even though the other group (those who take it as a day of mourning) are worse in intention and more ignorant and more clearly wrong. Neither the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) nor his successors did any of these things on the day of Ashura’. They neither made it a day of mourning nor a day of celebration. (Al-Madkhal)

 

1. Edited and adapted from various Internet sources by Tarek Sida

    

Dear brother, may Allah bless your efforts and help you draw nearer to Him. However, Muharram is one of the prohibitive months. A Muslim is supposed to gain the advantage of these months so as to draw himself nearer to Allah by offering optional religious deeds such as Supererogatory Prayers, optional Pasting, charity, etc.

Here, we’d cite the following Fatwa is-sued by Dr Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America:

“In the month of Muharram, we should remember the Hijrah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, from Makkah to Madinah. There are many lessons in this story and it can help us understand the basic significance of the Hijrah calendar. It is good to remember that Hijrah was a significant move for the growth of Islam and throughout history, Islam has benefited from the Hijrah. The presence and growth of Islam in America also came by the efforts of those who migrated to this land and worked for the cause of Allah.

It is also the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to fast on the 9^th and 10^th of Muharram. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to fast on the 10^th day (Ashura). When he came to Madinah, he found out that the Jews of Madinah were also fasting on this day remembering Prophet Musa, peace and blessings be upon him.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, admired this tradition and he said to the Jews, “I am closer to Musa than you are.” He fasted and he also told the Sahabah (the Prophet’s Companions) to fast on this day. Later, before the end of his life on this earth, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, told the Muslims to add 9^th day also. Thus it is recommended (Nafl) to fast on both the 9^th and 10^th of Muharram.

It is also good to remember the great sacrifice of Al-Husain and his family, may Allah be pleased with all of them. Theirs was the true Jihad for the cause of truth and justice. We should learn the lessons of courage, patience and perseverance from the episode of Karbala’ (year 61

A.H. / 680 C.E).