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iTunes ChannelThe Month of Allah: Muharram
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Bismillah
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has chosen and given preference to certain days and times that are special and sacred in our religion. As many of you may know by now, the sacred month of Muharram (which begins the new Islamic year) has started today.
The Prophet of Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “The division of time has turned to its original form which was current the day Allah created the heavens and earth. The year consists of twelve months of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab which comes between Jumada and Sha’ban.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
Virtues of Muharram
- It is one of the four sacred months. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala said, “Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein” (9:36)
- It is the best month to fast in after Ramadan. The Messenger sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “The best fasting after Ramadan is the month of Allah Muharram, and the best prayer after the obligatory prayer is prayer at night.” [Muslim]
- The Messenger sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “The best fasting after Ramadan is the month of Allah Muharram.” [Muslim] The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam called this month “the Month of Allah”. When Allah azza wa jal connects His Name to something, it shows the great status and virtue of the subject.
- This month contains the day of ‘Aashoora (the tenth of Muharram). Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhu was asked about fasting on the day of ‘Aashoora and he said, “I do not know of any day on the Messenger of Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam fasted that was better than this day.” [Bukhari and Muslim] This day is known as the day Allah ta’ala saved Musa alayhi salaam and the Children of Isra’eel from Fir’awn.
- Fasting the Day of ‘Aashoora is an expiation of a year of sins. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Fasting the day of Arafah I hope Allah will expiate thereby for the year before it and the year after it, and fasting the day of ‘Aashoora I hope Allah will expiate thereby for the year that came before it.” [Muslim]
Mourning the Death of Husayn ibn Ali?
Al-Hafidh ibn Katheer rahimahullah, known for his work of tafseer, states regarding this act of mourning the death of Husayn ibn Ali radi Allahu anhu,
Every Muslim should mourn the killing of al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), for he is one of the leaders of the Muslims, one of the scholars of the Sahaabah, and the son of the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who was the best of his daughters. He was a devoted worshipper, and a courageous and generous man. But there is nothing good in what the Shi’ah do of expressing distress and grief, most of which may be done in order to show off. His father was better than him and he was killed, but they do not take his death as an anniversary as they do with the death of al-Husayn. His father was killed on a Friday as he was leaving the mosque after Fajr prayer, on the seventeenth of Ramadan in 40 AH. ‘Uthmaan was better than ‘Ali according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, and he was killed when he was besieged in his house during the days of al-Tashreeq in Dhu’l-Hijjah of 36 AH, with his throat cut from one jugular vein to the other, but the people did not take his death as an anniversary. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab was better than ‘Ali and ‘Uthmaan, and he was killed as he was standing in the mihraab, praying Fajr and reciting Qur’an, but the people did not take his death as an anniversary. Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq was better than him but the people did not take his death as an anniversary. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the leader of the sons of Adam in this world and the Hereafter, and Allah took him to Him as the Prophets died before him, but no one took the dates of their deaths as anniversaries on which they do what these ignorant Raafidis do on the day that al-Husayn was killed. … The best that can be said when remembering these and similar calamities is that which ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn narrated from his grandfather the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said: “There is no Muslim who is afflicted by a calamity and when he remembers it, even if it was in the dim and distant past, he says Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon (verily to Allah we belong and unto Him is our return), but Allah will give him a reward like that of the day when it befell him.”
Narrated by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Majaah, end quote from al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah (8/221).
Good Deeds for This Month
- Fasting. Muharram lands in winter this year, making it even more easier to fast. The Companions and the righteous predecessors rejoiced in the coming of this season. It is reported that Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu said, Shall I not point you to comfortable proceeds? The people responded, “And what is that O Abu Hurayrah?” He replied, “Fasting in winter.” The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam did not fast in succession for one month other than Ramadan, so it is not recommended to fast the whole month.
- The best days to fast in Muharram is the day of ‘Aashoora and one day before it or one day after it. Imam Shafi’i and Imam Ahmad both stated, “It is mustahabb [recommended] to fast both the ninth and the tenth, because the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam fasted the tenth and intended to fast the ninth.” Shaykh Al Munajjid gives a tip on his website for us to be sure that we fasted on the correct day:
If a Muslim wants to be sure that he has fasted on the right day, he should fast two consecutive days at ‘Aashooraa’. So he should calculate when ‘Aa’shooraa’ will be if Dhu’l-Hijjah is twenty-nine days and if it is thirty days, and fast these two days. Thus he will be definite that he has fasted ‘Aashooraa’, and in this case he will have fasted either the ninth and tenth, or the tenth and eleventh, both of which are good. If he wants to be sure of fasting Taasoo’ah (the ninth of Muharram) as well, then he should fast the two days we have spoken of above and the day immediately before them as well. Then he will have fasted the ninth, tenth and eleventh, or the eighth, ninth and tenth. In either case he will have fasted the ninth and tenth for sure.
So in following this principle, you can fast December 25th, 26th and the 27th inshaAllah to be sure you fasted on ‘Aashoora with one day before it or after it.
- Fasting the “White Days”. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Fasting three days of each month is fasting for a lifetime, and ‘the white days’ are the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth.” [an-Nasa'i, Saheeh] Ibn ‘Abbas radi Allahu anhu said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not fail to fast the white days either when at home or on a journey.” [an-Nasa'i] These days are the 13th, 14th and 15th of the hijri month which you can calculate according to whichever calendar for Muharram you follow inshaAllah.
- Increasing in duaa when you are fasting. “The prayer (duaa) of the fasting person will not be refused.” [Al-Bayhaqi, Saheeh]
- Qiyaamul Layl. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said in the hadeeth, “and the best prayer after the obligatory prayer is prayer at night.” [Muslim] In this month we can complete two deeds that the Salaf encouraged in winter. Al Hasan Al Basri rahimahullah said, “The best season to a believer is the winter, its nights are long for those who wish to pray, and its days are short for those who wish to fast.”
- Protecting yourself from sins. Allah azza wa jal said about the sacred months, “so wrong not yourselves therein” (9:36) Imam Sa’di rahimahullah said in his tafseer regarding this ayah,
Allah states that He has made them a measure of time for His slaves, which they may use for worshipping Him, and thank Allah for His blessings, and they serve the interests of His slaves, so beware of wronging yourselves therein. The pronoun may also be understood as referring to the four sacred months, and this forbids them to wrong themselves in those months in particular, as well as it being forbidden to do wrong at all times, because it is more forbidden at this time, but it is worse at this time than at others.
- Increasing in good deeds in general. Read some chapters from Riyaad as-Saaliheen for ideas.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala accept our deeds and allow us to reap the benefits of those days and times He has selected over others.
© MuslimMatters.org by Amatullah on December 18th, 2009. All rights reserved. Please see legal & other disclaimers here.
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I benefited from some of these fatwas on islamqa regarding Muharram.
barakAllahufeeki…..jazakAllahukhairan for the reminder….sister what’s the reference for the 3rd point in “virtues of the month” which says it’s the month of Allah?
wa feeki barak Allah
The reference is the hadeeth mentioned in point 2, The Messenger sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “The best fasting after Ramadan is the month of Allah Muharram.” [Muslim] I added it to the third point now
jazaki Allahu khayran.
waiyyaki….oh k…so it was mentioned in the second point didn’t notice…jazakAllah….and yea im gonna spread it inshAllah…
Baraka-Llahu fik for this explanation !! it’s very useful !!
Ma sha Allah great and succinct article!
Keep up the good work.
Yasir
Jazakillah khayr for this informative article!
Unfortunately, the importance of this month is forgotten by many, and abused by others…
Excellent Article. JazakAllahkhayr sis <3
Among the blessings of this first of Muharram — the 9th and 10th days of Muharram will be a weekend. “So give those excuses a black eye!” Fast and be rewarded, bi’idhnillah; may Allah accept it from you, and increase you in your love for performing ibadat.
JazakAllahu khair Sister…may Allah Ta’Ala forgive us our sins and make it easier for us to do good. Very informative article Mashaa’Allah.
jazakillahu khairaa sis.
JazakAllah Khayer for posting this article. It always helps to learn and with examples and explanations =)
Awesome post, barakAllahu feeki!
Really liked the tip by Sh. Munajjad…
Jazakallahukhair for the great article.
I especially liked the distinction of the ahadith regarding its virtue and the actual application
Interesting Article. Thank you for the information. It seems like a lot of youth these days associate Muharram with purely mourning, but it goes much farther beyond that.
SubhanAllah, it just hit me – “The Month of Allah”. Wow, that’s powerful…
the following research I found that shows the significance of 10th Muharram in Islam, other religion and in world history:
Ashura is a day of great historical significance. On this day: Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) accepted the repentance of Sayyidina Adam (’Alaihis-Salaam) after his exile from Paradise; Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) saved Sayyidina Nuh (’Alaihis-Salaam) and his companions in the ark; Allah extinguished the fire in which Sayyidina Ibrahim (’Alaihis-Salaam) was thrown by Nimrod; And Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) spoke directly to Sayyidina Musa (’Alaihis-Salaam) and gave him the Commandments. On this same 10th of Muharram, Sayyidina Ayyub (’Alaihis-Salaam) was restored to health (from leprosy); Sayyidina Yusuf (’Alaihis-Salaam) was reunited with his father Ya’qub (’Alaihis-Salaam); Sayyidina Yunus (’Alaihis-Salaam) was taken out from the belly of the fish; and the sea was divided as the nation of israel was delivered from captivity and Pharoah’s army was destroyed. ‘Ashura is also the day when Sayyidina Dawud (’Alaihis-Salaam) was forgiven; the kingdom of Sulaiman (’Alaihis-Salaam) was restored; Sayyidina Isa (’Alaihis-Salaam) was raised to Jannah
Now tell me if it is not the day of celebration instead of mourning as we always indulge ourselves into. Isn’t it also the first month of Islamic calendar, would it not be joyous occasion? Hussain (May God be pleased with him)’s death did not bring any benefits to anyone let alone Islam as his decision was solely based on getting the reign of Islamic government in his hands. Islam never believed in the nobility (please review ‘The last Holy Sermon of the Prophet (PBUH)) otherwise Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) would be the first caliph but rather it based on piety and knowledgeability as history proves it.
I hope my message will open up people’s mind.
W/A
so brother you think that imam Hussain’s death was useless? he stood against yazeed just to get into the government and the khilafah? first of all, how positive and sure can you be while saying any of those good things happened on 10th of muharram? where it says in quran or any where that prophet addam a.s was forgiven on this day, or prophet Noh a.s was saved, or etc..these dates can be made up just so people wouldnt try to mourn on this day. and let alone imam hussain a.s, he didnt do what he did just to get the power, but he did it cuz it was the right thing to do. he knew yazeed was wrong and he had to do the right thing, he did it so the islam that we know of today remain standing. If he had stayed quite and mind his own business, today u wouldnt have a r eligion called islam, or if you had it wouldnt be same as the way it should have been. and who in the world says, everyone should celebrate begening of every month? only the christians and those who worship the sun. try to study islam as in whole then try to talk about what hussain should have done or not.
AOA,
You got my point. His death was beyond reason. Only it served to divide Muslim ummah further and nothing else; it is not a hidden truth. Today we proclaimed ourselves as sunni or shia but muslims; it is very ironical and sad. With all the due respect, lust to power is very intoxicating. Hence he inherited from his father Ali R.A. Who himself contended to caliphate on every occasion and considered himself rightful owner of the Islamic dynasty (Ironically speaking: dynasty). Ali R.A. every attempt was failed thanks to the Sahabas of the times. As the Islamic government weakened due to the internal conflicts as Ali R.A. is considered party in those, he was elected by the rebels who have martyred Usman R.A. We see that also a clear initiation of division between muslims. As there are evidences that Ali R.A. was reluctant to punish the rebels (Because they brought him to power) were accountable for Usman R.A.’s martyrdom. It has cause the war between Ali R.A. and Aisha Siddiqua as we know it in the name of Jang-e-Jamel.
The very same misunderstanding, Hussain R.A. has inherited. He considered succession was his right. What made him think that he was rightful in that manner? Because of nobility? Remember the last sermon of Holy Prophet where he said there superiority arab has over no arab and vice versa (please review the sermon as whole). His decision to go face Yazid was nothing but emotional plea; he was offered help and denied. He went with kids and women; armless; who would be in their right mind to do that. To put everyone’s life in danger; it is a bit selfish act, don’t you think, just for the sake of government. If he had to do that than why he didn’t accept the help of the tribes; it is beyond reason to me.
Probably it would be better if you please do some research before making emotional assumptions. Prophet (PBUH) followed the sunnah of Musa-alaihsalam and fast on the 10th of Muharram. As it was considered the day of Independence from Pharoah. It is one of the example; you may do research for the rest.
W/S
Assalam Alaikum
Just for everyone’s information, all the following information about Ashura has NO authentic basis:
“On this day: Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) accepted the repentance of Sayyidina Adam (’Alaihis-Salaam) after his exile from Paradise; Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) saved Sayyidina Nuh (’Alaihis-Salaam) and his companions in the ark; Allah extinguished the fire in which Sayyidina Ibrahim (’Alaihis-Salaam) was thrown by Nimrod; And Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) spoke directly to Sayyidina Musa (’Alaihis-Salaam) and gave him the Commandments. On this same 10th of Muharram, Sayyidina Ayyub (’Alaihis-Salaam) was restored to health (from leprosy); Sayyidina Yusuf (’Alaihis-Salaam) was reunited with his father Ya’qub (’Alaihis-Salaam); Sayyidina Yunus (’Alaihis-Salaam) was taken out from the belly of the fish. ‘Ashura is also the day when Sayyidina Dawud (’Alaihis-Salaam) was forgiven; the kingdom of Sulaiman (’Alaihis-Salaam) was restored; Sayyidina Isa (’Alaihis-Salaam) was raised to Jannah”
and Allah knows best.
Bismillah
Jazaki Allahu khairan for this ma’roof-spreading article. I put it on my blog.
I LOVE ISLAM