IT is Muharram, the first month and beginning of the new Islamic calendar year, Hijirah 1446.
Allah says: “Surely, the number of months according to Allah is twelve (as written) in the Book of Allah on the day He created the heavens and the Earth, of which there are Four Sacred Months. That is the right faith.” (At-Tawbah 9:36).
Muharram is a month where Allah has increased the reward for fasting. It is the month in which Allah rescued the people of Musa (may Allah bless him).
All Muslims should reflect on the previous year and make some positive changes in their lives in the new year. What could be a positive way of moving forward than starting the new year with a sacred month and observing fasts?
Muharram is one of the four sacred months. Narrated by Abu Bakrah: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The division of time has turned to its original form which was current when Allah created the Heavens and the Earth. The year is of twelve months, out of which four months are sacred: Three are in succession Dhul-Qa’ dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and (the fourth is) Rajab of (the tribe of) Mudar which comes between Jumadi-ath-Thaniyah and Sha’ban.” (Bukhari)
The most virtuous month to fast after Ramadhan is Al-Muharram.
Abu Hurairah narrated that: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘The most virtuous fasting month after the month of Ramadhan is Allah’s month Al-Muharram.’” (Tirmidhi)
Narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas: “When the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) came to Medina, he found (the Jews) fasting on the day of ‘Ashura’ (i.e. 10th of Muharram). They used to say: ‘This is a great day on which Allah saved Moses and drowned the folk of Pharaoh. Moses observed the fast on this day, as a sign of gratitude to Allah’. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘I am closer to Moses than they’. So, he observed the fast (on that day) and ordered the Muslims to fast on it. (Bukhari)
In another narration, Abu Musa said: “When the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) arrived at Medina, he noticed that some people among the Jews used to respect Ashura’ (i.e. 10th of Muharram) and fast on it. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) then said, ‘We have more right to observe fast on this day’. and ordered that fasting should be observed on it.” (Bukhari).
Also, Ibn Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered fasting on the day of Ashura, the 10th of al-Muharram. Al-Tirmidhi said, “It is reported from Ibn Abbas that he said to fast on the ninth and tenth of the month and to do so differently from the Jews, and this tradition is the same as was said by Al-Shafi’i, Ahmad, and Ishaq.” ( Sunan al-Tirmidhi 755).
Another report from Al-Hakam ibn al-A’raj said: “I went to Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and I said, ‘Tell me about fasting the day of Ashura’. Ibn Abbas said, ‘When you see the crescent of the month of al-Muharram, count the days and wake up to fast on the ninth day’. I said, ‘Is this how the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, fasted it?’ Ibn Abbas said, ‘Yes.’” (Sahih Muslim 1,133).
In yet another Hadith, Abu Huraira reported: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘The best prayer after the prescribed prayers is a prayer offered in the middle of the night. The best fast after the month of Ramadan is fasting in the month of Allah, al-Muharram.’” (Sahih Muslim 1163).
Fasting on the 10th of Muharram was obligatory before the obligation of Ramadhan fasting. Narrated Ibn `Umar: “The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) observed the fast on the 10th of Muharram (‘Ashura), and ordered Muslims to fast on that day.” (Bukhari).
Fasting on the 10th will remove the sins of the previous year. Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about observing As-Saum (the fast) on the 10th day of Muharram, and he replied, ‘It is an expiation for the sins of the preceding year.’” (Muslim).
However, Muslims should fast on the ninth along with 10th. It was narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If I live until next year, I will fast the ninth day (of Muharram) too.” (Muslim, Ibn Majah)
The objective behind fasting on the ninth or a day after, as related by Imam Bayhaqi, is to show our difference with the Jews in religious practices.
When Allah (SWT) chooses a particular time for His special blessings, then it acquires sanctity out of His Grace. Thus, the sanctity of the month of Muharram was recognised right from the days of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
The month of Muharram has certain other characteristics peculiar to it.
It is also reported that in the beginning, fasting on the day of Ashurah was obligatory for Muslims. Later, fasting in Ramadan was made obligatory and the fast on the day of Ashurah was made optional. Sayyidah Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “When the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Madinah, he fasted on the day of Ashurah and directed the people to fast. But when the fasts of Ramadan were made obligatory, the obligation of fasting was confined to Ramadan and the obligatory nature of the fast of Ashurah was abandoned. One can fast on this day, if he so wills, or can avoid fasting, if he so wills.”
However, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to fast on the day of Ashurah. Abdullah Ibn Masud reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) preferred the fast of Ashurah to the fast of other days and preferred the fast of Ramadan to the fast of Ashurah. (Bukhari and Muslim).
Certain acts which are done by some Muslims in the month of Muhar’ram that are contrary to sunnah are:
Some consider 10th Muharram to be a day of festival. This is the practice of Jews and we can see clearly that the Prophet (peace be upon him) only fasted and wanted to add another day to show his difference with the Jews. He did not regard it as a day of festival similar to the days of Eid.
Another misconception about Muharram is that it is an unlucky month because Husain was martyred in this month. It is for this misconception that people avoid holding marriage ceremonies in Muharram. This is again a baseless concept which is contrary to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Some other people attribute the sacred day of Ashurah to the martyrdom of Sayyidina Husain (may Allah be pleased with him). No doubt, the martyrdom of Sayyidina Husain is one of the most tragic episodes of our history. Yet, Ashurah cannot be ascribed to this event for the simple reason that the sacred day of Ashurah was established during the days of the Prophet (peace be upon him) even before the birth of Husain.
Every Muslim must feel sad at this tragic incident like other martyrdom e.g. Hamza, Umar and Uthman, they were all killed for the sake of Allah. However, Muslims pray for the dead, they don’t mourn or hold processions yearly to express grief. The Prophet (may Allah bless him) did not do that and neither did he order anybody else to do that.
Another wrong practice related to this month is to hold the lamentation and mourning ceremonies in commemoration of the martyrdom of Sayyidna Husain.
As mentioned earlier, the event of Karbala is one of the most tragic events of our history, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) has forbidden us from holding a mourning ceremony over the death of any person. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stopped the Muslims from doing all this and directed them to observe patience by saying “Inna lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji oon.” A number of authentic Hadith are available on the subject.
To quote only one of them: “He is not from our group who slaps his cheeks, tears his clothes and cries in the manner of the people of jahiliyyah.”
Nevertheless, the sacred months offer us the opportunity to seek the mercy and favour of Allah (SWT). Thus, there is an opportunity to gain more reward every day; but also the danger of gaining more sins with our bad deeds.
There are simple things we can do to take advantage of the benefits of the sacred month of Muharram:
Fast on ninth and 10th of Muharram or on 10th and 11th Muharram. Fasting expiates sins.
Besides fasting on these days, reading the Qur’an or doing dhikr can help you to feel the blessings of Muharram. Remember, any gathering for the sake of Allah (SWT) will also be filled with barakah and the angels will join you.
Give regular sadaqah in Muharram to mark the beginning of the Islamic new year. So, it is the perfect time to make resolutions and establish good habits like giving regular charity so that you can gain blessings all-year round.
Seeking Allah’s forgiveness is essential. Repent for previous sins sincerely. And try not to be sinful again.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to a man, “If you want to fast a month after Ramadan, then fast Muharram, for it has a day in which Allah forgave an entire people, and He turns to others in repentance in.” (Jami at-Tirmidhi).
Make dua: We do not know what is going to happen this year, so Muslims should offer special supplications to Allah to make this year blessed at the beginning of the month of Muharram.
More worship: Offering ibadah (worship) in the month of Muharram will multiply the reward insha’Allah, as this is the ‘month of Allah.’ So, perform voluntary prayers, especially Tahajjud, as much as you can. And do other forms of worship like helping others, exhibiting good behaviour, avoiding sins, etc.
Maintaining the purity of Muharram: As Muharram is a sacred month,, we should maintain its holiness. Refrain from sinful acts and avoid all types of quarrels, hurting others with words or hands, and any form of clash for the sake of Allah.
Set some goals for the new year: It’s important to create new challenges for yourself at the beginning of the year for your personal and professional growth. For example, you can create a daily one-ayah Qur’an memorisation task for your spiritual development.
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