From The Chaplain’s Desk: The Sanctity of Muharram And Ashura

Wednesday, July 19th was our Islamic New Year. It will be the year 1445, which indicates the number of years that have passed since the arrival of Our Beloved Messenger ﷺ to al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah, The Illuminated City. The first month in the calendar is Muharram, which translates to The Sacred and Sanctified Month.  It is a great time to fast, specifically on the 10th day (ʿĀshūrāʾ).

Muharram

This is the 1st month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar. The Messenger of God ﷺ referred to it as “The Month of God (Shahr Allāh),” and it has certain virtues. It is also possibly a month of increased forgiveness.¹Al-Tirmidhī, Jāmiʿ: Kitāb al-Ṣawm ʿan Rasūl Allāh ﷺ Bāb mā jāʾa fī ṣawm al-Muḥarram. The other narrations mentioned here should be given preference in terms of reliability for proving the month’s virtues.

The Messenger of God ﷺ said: “Aside from Ramaḍān, the best fasts are the fasts of The Month of God, Al-Muharram.”²Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ #1163 a,b,c. Al-Tirmidhī, Jāmiʿ: Kitāb al-Ṣawm ʿan Rasūl Allāh ﷺ Bāb mā jāʾa fī ṣawm al-Muḥarram. Abū Dāwūd, Sunan: Kitāb al-Ṣawm Bāb fī Ṣawm al-Muḥarram.

ʿĀshūrāʾ

This is the 10th day of Muharram. It falls on Friday, July 28th. Those who are able to fast should try to fast on this day.

Reward: The Messenger of God ﷺ said: “Fast on ʿĀshūrāʾ. Doing so will cause your sins of the previous year to be forgiven.”³Al-Tirmidhī, Jāmiʿ: Kitāb al-Ṣawm ʿan Rasūl Allāh ﷺ Bāb mā jāʾa fī al-ḥathth ʿalā ṣawm yawm ʿĀshūrāʾ. Ibn Mājah, Sunan: Kitāb al-Ṣawm #1810.

Encouragement: Ibn Abbās  said: “I never saw The Prophet ﷺ wanting to fast a day more than ʿĀshūrāʾ…”⁴Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ: Kitāb al-Ṣawm Bāb ṣiyām yawm ʿĀshūrāʾ. Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ #1132 a. In regards to ʿĀshūrāʾ, The Messenger of God ﷺ said: “Fast!”⁵Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ #1131 a.

Reasoning: Ibn ʿAbbās  mentioned that the Jews of Al-Madīnah used to fast on ʿĀshūrāʾ because The Exodus — the day Moses (Mūsā ) escaped with the Israelites from the reign of the Pharaoh — occurred on that day. The Messenger of God ﷺ responded by saying: “We have more right to Moses , so fast (on this day).”⁶Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ: Kitāb al-Tafsīr Sūrah Yūnus Bāb Wa Jāwaznā bi Banī Isrāʾīl … Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ #1130 c.

Fasting the 9th as well: The Messenger of God ﷺ said: “If I am still alive next year, I will definitely fast the 9th as well. (Meaning, in addition to the 10th.)” The Messenger of God ﷺ also said: “Differ from the Jews, fast the day before or after as well.”⁷Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ #1134b. Ibn Mājah, Sunan: Kitāb al-Ṣawm #1808. Based on that, it would be okay to fast on the 11th instead of on the 9th.⁸ Aḥmad, Musnad #2155. There is a discussion about this ḥadīth, as to whether The Messenger of God ﷺ actually said “after it” or even “and the day after it.” There are other narrations wherein The Prophet ﷺ just said the 9th and 10th. There are different opinions as to which set of days to fast. To list them in brief:

• The 10th (Friday, July 28th only). Everyone is in agreement that this day should be fasted⁹However, it has been narrated that after the mandate to fast Ramaḍān, Ibn ʿUmar would not fast on ʿĀshūrāʾ unless it coincided with his normal fasting routine. Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ: Kitāb al-Ṣawn Bāb Wujūb Ṣawm Ramaḍān., even if one cannot fast an extra day before or after
• The 9th and 10th (Thursday and Friday)
• The 10th and 11th (Friday and Saturday)¹⁰Some scholars opined that there is no virtue in adding the 11th.
• The 9th, 10th, and 11th (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday)¹¹Some scholars opined that no one should fast all three: 9th, 10th, and 11th, referring to it as an innovation (bidʿah).

Note: Even though the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ falls on a Friday (and thus the 11th falls on a Saturday), Muslims can and should still fast on that day.¹²There are narrations wherein the Prophet ﷺ said, “None of you should fast on Friday, unless you also fast the day before or after.” (Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ K. al-Ṣawm B. Ṣawm Yawm al-Jumuʿah, fa idhā Aṣbaḥ Ṣāʾimā Yawm al-Jumuʿah fa ʿalayhi an Yufṭir. Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ #1143a-1144b)

However, most scholars have understood this to mean singling out any random Friday (or every Friday) for fasting, because it is the day of Friday, or to ensure that people do not think it is necessary (wājib) to fast on Friday. Since people are fasting because it is ʿĀshūrāʾ (or any other recommended day), that dislike or prohibition would not apply in the first place. For more information, see Al-Mawsūʿah Al-Fiqhiyyah Al-Kuwaytiyyah v. 28 p. 96

The Exodus – Allāh ﷻ Commands Moses (Mūsā ) to Leave Egypt

The story of Mūsā  is the most frequently mentioned story in the Qurʾān. Each time Mūsā (alayhi al-salām) is mentioned, Allāh ﷻ gives us different scenes from his life and a different angle of that scene. The passage in the Qurʾān that highlights The Exodus in the most detail is Sūrah Al-Shuʿārāʾ (#26) Āyāt 10 – 68.¹³Al-Qurʾān: Sūrah Al-Shuʿārāʾ (26:10-68) | https://quran.com/26/10-68 It is a story of perseverance (ṣabr and ḥilm), relying solely on Allāh (tawakkul), guidance (hudā), deliverance (najāh), and victory (ẓafar). There are so many avenues for us to benefit from when it comes to the story of Mūsā , as well as the parallels we draw between the story of Mūsā  and the life and story (sīrah) of our own Messenger Muḥammad ﷺ. Take a deep dive into this section of the Qurʾān here.

Spending On One’s Family

There are a few narrations attributed to the Prophet ﷺ stating, “If someone is extra generous with their family¹⁴Some reports add “and on themselves.” on the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, Allāh ﷻ will be extra generous with him or her throughout the following year.”¹⁵This has been narrated by Abū Saʿīd Al-Khudrī, Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn ʿUmar, Abū Hurayrah, and Jābir (raḍiya Allāh ʿanhum). Al-Ṭabarānī, Al-Awsaṭ, v. 9 p. 121 #9302; Al-Ṭabarānī, Al-Kabīr, v. 10 p. 77 #10007; Al-Bayhaqī, Shuʿab Al-Īmān, v. 7 p. 375-9 and v. 8 p. 377; Ibn Ḥibbān, Kitāb Al-Majrūḥīn, v. 3 p. 97; Abū Nuʿaym, Akbār Aṣbahān, v. 1 p.163 and p. 198; Ibn Maʿīn, Tārīkh, #2223; Al-Khaṭīb, Muwaḍḍiḥ al-Jamʿ wa al-Tafrīq, v. 2 p. 307; Al-Ḥakīm Al-Tirmidhī, Nawādir Al-Uṣūl v. 3 p.14  

It should be mentioned that the vast majority of scholars have considered the attribution of that statement to the Prophet ﷺ, albeit through many companions and chains, to be weak (ḍaʿīf).  However, there have been great scholars who have acted upon this statement by spending extra on their family, and found extra blessings in the following year. For example, the great Companion (ṣaḥābī) Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh  has been quoted saying, “We have experienced that, and have found it to be true.”¹⁶Ibn ʿAbd Al-Barr, Al-Istidhkār, v. 10 p. 140. Abū Al-Zubayr and Shuʿbah (raḥimahumā Allāh) have also been quoted with similar statements.¹⁷ Ibn ʿAbd Al-Barr, Al-Istidhkār, v. 10 p. 140. Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah (raḥimahu Allāh) is famous¹⁸

However, Al-Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (raḥimahu Allāh) said in response to this, “(Well, obviously…) He (Ibn Uyaynah) would be obsequious and groveling to Ibn Al-Muntashir. May Allāh have mercy on Ibn Uyaynah. He lived with the kings.” Masāʾil Ibn Hāniʾ li Al-Imām Aḥmad, v. 1 p. 136-7. for this statement, saying that he found this extra generosity for “50 or 60 years.” Ibn Ḥabīb Al-Mālikī (raḥimahu Allāh) composed a few lines of poetry highlighting this.¹⁹Al-Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ, Tartīb al-Madārik wa Taqrīb al-Masālik, v. 4 p. 140.

In summary, despite a weak attribution to the Prophet ﷺ, there are numerous quotes, statements, and testimonies about receiving extra generosity from Allāh the year following having spent on one’s family on ʿĀshūrāʾ.²⁰Al-Bayhaqī, Shuʿab Al-Īmān, v. 7 p. 379; Al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar Al-ʿAsqalānī, Al-Amālī Al-Muṭlaqah p. 27-30; Ibn Ḥajar, Mukhtaṣar Al-Targhīb, p. 82; Ibn ʿĀbidīn, Ḥāshiyah, v. 2 p. 419; Al-Ṣāwī Al-Mālikī, Ḥāshiyah Al-Ṣāwī ʿalā Al-Sharḥ Al-Ṣaghīr, v. 1 p. 691; The recommendation has also been mentioned by Sulaymān Al-Jamal in his Ḥāshiyah, and by Al-Bahūtī Al-Ḥanbalī in his Sharḥ Muntahā Al-Irādāt. So anyone who is able to, and chooses to act upon this²¹If someone refrains from acting on this due to precaution and/or in following those scholars that considered this action to be incorrect or an innovation (like Al-Imām Ibn Bāz raḥimahu Allāh in his Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, v. 26 p. 252), then, God-willing, they will be rewarded for their caution., should go ahead and be extra generous with his or her family onʿĀshūrāʾ, and hope and pray for extra generosity and blessings from Allāh . — Allāh knows best.

May Allāh — Al-Razzāq, The Sustainer — provide for us all, bless us in what He Alone has provided us with, make us grateful and content, and free us from any and all forms of debt. May Allāh accept our fasting on ʿĀshūrāʾ, and forgive us for our previous years’ sins. Āmīn.

The Martyrdom of Ḥusayn ibnʿAlī

[This section has been added to to correct some misconceptions that have crept into the Muslim community. Some Muslims simply do not know how they are supposed to feel and/or speak about Ḥusayn , the beloved grandson of the Prophet ﷺ. Some people say bad things about the companions (ṣaḥabah) in general, and some specifically say vile things about the companion and a scribe of revelation, Muʿāwiyah . This section serves to clearly demonstrate Allāh’s happiness with the companions as a whole, to show us and teach us the love the Prophet ﷺ had for his family, grandchildren, and his companions, and to highlight the love, respect, and admiration towards the companions that we should have, as we strive to emulate the Prophet ﷺ.]

As was described above, the Prophet ﷺ himself taught us the importance of the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, as well as the rewards associated with fasting that day. However, after the Prophet ﷺ left this world, his grandson, Ḥusayn , as well as many of his extended family members were martyred on the plains of Karbalāʾ by a platoon from the Umayyad Army, as a result of political issues in the year 56 AH. A detailed overview of the incidents leading up to this event can be found here and here.

Ḥusayn is the son of Fāṭimah bint Muḥammad and ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib , two of the greatest companions of the Prophet ﷺ. Fāṭimah bint Muḥammad is the beloved daughter of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib  is the 1st cousin of the Prophet ﷺ, his son-in-law, and the 4th Caliph. They also had an older son, Ḥasan . Regarding Ḥasan and Ḥusayn (raḍiya Allāhuʿanhumā), the Prophet ﷺ said “Ḥasan and Ḥusayn are the two leaders of the young men of Jannah.”²² Al-Tirmidhī, Jāmiʿ: Kitāb al-Manāqib ʿan Rasūl Allāh #3768 He ﷺ also said about them while they were holding onto his knees “These two are my sons. The sons of my daughter (Fāṭimah). O Allāh! I love both of them! So You love both of them! And love whoever loves both of them!”²³Ibid #3769 He ﷺ also said regarding them: “Ḥasan and Ḥusayn are my two fragrant smelling plants²⁴ The word rayḥān can also literally mean basil. This is the Arabic idiom comparable to the American English idiom, “my rose” or “my flower”. of this world.”²⁵Al-Tirmidhī, Jāmiʿ: Kitāb al-Manāqib ʿan Rasūl Allāh #3770

Regarding Ḥusayn in particular, Anas ibn Mālik  – the servant of the Prophet ﷺ for 10 years – remarked “He most closely resembles the physical features of the Prophet ﷺ.”²⁶Ibid #3778 There can be no doubt about the love we must have for the Prophet ﷺ, his family, his daughters, his grandchildren, and our respect towards them. And because of our immense love of the Prophet ﷺ, we follow his teachings, his guidelines, and the way of life he modeled for us. He ﷺ taught us that the 10th of Muḥarram is a day of victory, and a day of fasting. He also taught us that we focus on our worship, commemorate successes, and take lessons from – not mourn – times of difficulty. Our hearts should feel sad for the martyrdom of Ḥusayn , in a similar way that it feels sad over the martyrdom of all of the great Ṣaḥābah, those who were role models even to Ḥusayn , likeʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb , ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān , and Ḥusayn’s own father, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib [raanhu]. But our hearts should feel the greatest sadness at the loss of our Prophet ﷺ who said “No one from my Ummah has faced a more difficult calamity than my death.”²⁷Ibn Mājah, Sunan: K. al-Janāʾiz B. mā jāʾ fī al-ṣabr ʿalā al-Muṣībah #1599

Despite that, we still do not take the passing of the Prophet ﷺ on the 12th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal to be a day of mourning or lamenting. The Prophet ﷺ taught us how to grieve when his own son Ibrāhīm  passed away when he ﷺ said, “The eyes shed tears. The hearts feel sad. But we only say that which pleases Allāh.”²⁸Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ: K. al-Janāʾiz B. Qawl al-Nabī ﷺ Innā bika la Maḥzūnūn #1303. Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ: #2315 We do not say anything or do anything in our sadness that will make Allāh displeased.

As a final point, some people use instances like these to criticize the Ṣaḥābah (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum), the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, even though Allāh ﷻ is already pleased and happy with all of them. Allāh ﷻ says in The Qurʾān regarding the companions (ṣaḥābah raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum) “ِAllāh is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Allāh”²⁹Al-Qurʾān, Sūrah al-Tawbah 9:100 وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُهَـٰجِرِینَ وَٱلۡأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِینَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحۡسَـٰنࣲ رَّضِیَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡهُمۡ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنۡهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتࣲ تَجۡرِی تَحۡتَهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِینَ فِیهَاۤ أَبَدࣰاۚ ذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِیمُ and “Those who spent their money and put their lives on the line before the conquest of Makkah are not equal to those who did so after. The first category has a superior rank compared to those who spent money and fought after the conquest of Makkah. BUT STILL, Allāh has promised and prepared Al-Ḥusnā, Jannah, and Paradise for BOTH groups.”Al-Qurʾān, Sūrah al-Ḥadīd 57:10 لَا یَسۡتَوِی مِنكُم مَّنۡ أَنفَقَ مِن قَبۡلِ ٱلۡفَتۡحِ وَقَـٰتَلَۚ أُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ أَعۡظَمُ دَرَجَةࣰ مِّنَ ٱلَّذِینَ أَنفَقُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعۡدُ وَقَـٰتَلُوا۟ۚ وَكُلࣰّا وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰۚ

May Allāh ﷻ allow us to love those whom He loves, and to act in a manner that is pleasing to Him in all times and places. Āmīn.

Related:

– Ashura: The Victory of Musa And Victory of Husain – MuslimMatters.org

– An Ashura Message: Proclaim Good And Refrain From Evil, Always And At All Costs! – MuslimMatters.org

– Reflections on the Day of ‘Ashuraa | Sh. Waleed Basyouni – MuslimMatters.org