Virtues of Muharram and the Day of Ashoora

Virtues of Muharram and the Day of Ashoora

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic year. The Islamic lunar calendar has 12 months, the first one being Muharram.

The word Muharram translates to Sacred in English, indicating the sanctity of this Month. In this post ,we are going to discuss the virtues of Muharram and the day of Ashoora.

Muharram is a Sacred Month

The month of Allah Muharram is a blessed and sacred month.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said,
 "One year consists of twelve months, of which four are sacred months; three of them are in sequence; Dhul-Qi'dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram, and the fourth is Rajab."
(Bukhari)

Sinning in a Sacred Month is Worse than Sinning in Other Months

"Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so DO NOT WRONG yourselves during them......" 

(Surah Tawbah-9:36)

The above ayat (verse) is taken from Surah Tawbah of The Holy Quran.

We learn from the Tafseer of this Ayah that "sinning" is more serious and worse during these sacred months and "righteous deeds" carry more rewards in them. So we should make a conscious effort to increase in good deeds during these months. But what remains more important is to abstain from all kinds of evil. 

Few acts that are prohibited in Islam are taken too lightly these days by many muslims. For example, back biting, lying or behaving rudely with parents. Make an effort to avoid all of these prohibited acts that you would usually overlook.

Observe Nafl (voluntary) fasts in Muharram

Fasting is one of the highly recommended deeds during Muharram. You can also take this as a chance to increase in other righteous deeds like offering charity, being dutiful to parents, offering nafl prayers, reading and reciting Quran, etc.

The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“The best fast after Ramadan is in the month of Allah Muharram.”
(Muslim)

The general meaning is that you may fast the whole of Muharram or fast as much or as little as you can. 

Muharram has been referred to as 'Shahr Allah' (Month of Allah)

Though all the months and days belong to Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the attribution of Muharram to Allah in the above hadeeth emphasizes the huge respect that the month deserves.

Fasting The Day Of Ashoora - 10th Muharram

The 10th of Muharram is known as the day of Ashoora. It is highly recommended to fast the day of Ashoora because this day marks a significant event in the history of Islam. It was the day when Allah عزوجل saved Moosa عليه السلام and his people from Firaun by drowning him and his army in the river.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم came to Madinah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Ashoora’. He said, “What is this?” They said, “This is a good day, this is the day when Allaah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy and Moosa fasted on this day.” He said, “We are closer to Moosa than you.” So he fasted on this day and told the people to fast.
  (Al-Bukhari)

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas رضي الله عنه said:
 I never saw the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم so keen to make sure he fasted any day and preferring it over another except this day, the day of ‘Ashoora’, and this month – meaning Ramadaan.
(Al-Bukhari)

SubhanAllah ! It is among one of the many Bounties of Allah on His slaves that fasting one day of Ashoora expiates for the sins of one year (preceding year).

An improtant point to note is that ONLY minor sins are forgiven by fasting on Ashoora, fasting on Arafah or spending the night of Laylatul Qadr in prayer. 

This is because the Major sins require separate and sincere repentance. Such Repentance has certain conditions like giving up the sin altogether, feeling a deep remorse for having committed it and asking sincerely for Allah's forgiveness. Of course, you can also resort to these conditions and make use of this auspicious time to repent from a sin that you have been wanting to repent from ever since. 

Fasting The Day Of Tasooaa - 9th Muharram

It is mustahab (recommended) to fast 9th Muharram along with Ashoora so as to be "different" form the Jews and Christians. Though fasting Ashoora alone is sufficient but it is a better practice to fast it along with another day.

"When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم fasted the day of Ashoora and enjoined that we fast it, they said: "O Messenger of Allah, it is the day which is venerated by the Jews and Christians."
The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said,
"NEXT YEAR - In shaa Allah - WE WILL FAST ON THE 9th DAY TOO."
But the next year did not come untill the Messenger of Allah (saw) had passed away."
(Muslim)

It is therefore recommended to fast the Ashoora along with a day before it or a day after it i.e. the the 9th or the 11th Muharram, respectively.

Fasting Ashoora while You Still Owe Fasts from Ramadan

You might ask, "Can I still fast the day of Ashoora if I have to make up fasts from Ramadan?" Well, there is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding this issue. Some say obligatory fasts should be completed first while others say voluntary fasts can be made before completing the obligatory ones.

The best way out is to fast the Ashoora with the intention of making up a missed fast of Ramadan as well as fasting the Ashoora itself. This way you are combining the intentions and it will serve both the purpose. You will have the reward of both the fasts, Insha'Allah.

Refer this post for further clarity.

Why do Some people Mourn in Muharram

You must be wondering, if such is the status of Muharram in Islam and it is a month in which you are supposed to be religiously more connected then why do some people mourn in this month, particularly on the 10th Muharram.

I am sure you must have seen people weeping, whipping and self-flagellating themselves on this day at some point of your life, either in real or in media. Well, these are all innovations and malpractices that a sect has fallen into.

These practices prevail due to the fact that 10th Muharram also marks another significant event in the Islamic history.

What Happened on 10th Muharram

On 10th Muharram 61 A.H., around 50 years after the death of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, his beloved grandson, Hussain Ibn Ali was killed wrongfully in the battle of Karbala. Al-Hussain was the son of his daughter, Fatima رضي الله عنها - leader of the women of Paradise and his cousin and one of the closest companion, Ali رضي الله عنه - the fourth rightly guided Caliph.

Innovations (Bidah) in the Month of Muharram

The Rafidis and Shi'ah go to extremes to commemorate the martyrdom of Al-Hussayn and follow malpractices like self-flagellating and mourning in public. However, none of their practices has any basis in the religion of Islam. What they do is infact considered evil and is completely prohibited in Islam.

Sadly, there are many widespread innovations in Muharram which we will discuss in the next post.

Make Use of the Opportunity

It is important for us to comprehend that it is Sunnah and not fard (obligatory) to fast the day of Ashoora. If  you are able to fast, then please do so but don't look down upon the one who is not fasting that day.

Fasting is one of the Most beloved deeds to Allah عزوجل. You would not want to let go off the reward for fasting Ashoora. Think about it. In the past year, you must have committed so many sins, knowingly or unknowingly and you have been blessed with this opportunity to get those sins erased from your record. Subhan'Allah !

May Allah سبحانه وتعالى accept it from us. 

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