Praise be to Allaah,
the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be
upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and Chief of the Messengers, and upon
all his family and companions.
Allah’s sacred month of Muharram is a blessed
and important month. It is the first month of the Hijri calendar and is one of the four
sacred months concerning which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily,
the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so it was ordained by
Allaah 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…” [al-Tawbah 9:36]
Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The year is twelve months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of
Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes
between Jumaada and Sha’baan.” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, 2958).
Muharram is so called because it is
a sacred (muharram) month and to confirm its sanctity.
Allaah’s words (interpretation of the
meaning): “so wrong not yourselves therein…”
mean do not wrong yourselves in these sacred months, because sin in these months is worse
than in other months.
It was reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas said that
this phrase (so wrong not yourselves therein…) referred to all the months,
then these four were singled out and made sacred, so that sin in these months is more
serious and good deeds bring a greater reward.
Qutaadah said concerning this
phrase (so wrong not yourselves therein…) that wrongdoing during the sacred
months is more serious and more sinful that wrongdoing at any other time. Wrongdoing at
any time is a serious matter, but Allaah gives more weight to whichever of His commands He
will. Allaah has chosen certain ones of His creation. He has chosen from among the angels
Messengers and from among mankind Messengers. He chose from among speech the remembrance
of Him (dhikr). He chose from among the earth the mosques, from among the months Ramadaan
and the sacred months, from among the days Friday and from among the nights Laylat
al-Qadr, so venerate that which Allaah has told us to venerate. People of understanding
and wisdom venerate the things that Allaah has told us to venerate. (Summarized from the Tafseer of Ibn Katheer, may Allaah have mercy
on him. Tafseer of Surat al-Tawbah, aayah 36).
The Virtue of observing more naafil
fasts during Muharram:
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
‘The best of fasting after Ramadaan is fasting Allaah’s month of
Muharram.’” (reported by Muslim, 1982).
The phrase “Allaah’s month”,
connecting the name of the month to the name of Allaah in a genitive grammatical
structure, signifies the importance of the month. Al-Qaari said: “The apparent
meaning is all of the month of Muharram.” But it was proven that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never fasted any whole month apart from Ramadan, so
this hadeeth is probably meant to encourage increasing one’s fasting during Muharram,
without meaning that one should fast for the entire month.
It was reported that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast more in Sha’baan. It is likely that
the virtue of Muharram was not revealed to him until the end of his life, before he was
able to fast during this month. (Sharh
al-Nawawi ‘ala Saheeh Muslim).
Allaah chooses whatever times and
places He wills:
Al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd
al-Salaam (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Times and places may be given
preferred status in two ways, either temporal or religious/spiritual. With regard to the
latter, this is because Allaah bestows His generosity on His slaves at those times or in
those places, by giving a greater reward for deeds done, such as giving a greater reward
for fasting in Ramadaan than for fasting at all other times, and also on the day of
‘Aashooraa’, the virtue of which is due to Allaah’s generosity and kindness
towards His slaves on that day…” (Qawaa’id
al-Ahkaam, 1/38).
‘Aashooraa’ in History:
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came
to Madeenah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Aashooraa’. He said,
‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is a righteous day, it is the day when
Allaah saved the Children of Israel from their enemies, so Moosa fasted on this day.’
He said, ‘We have more right to Moosa than you,’ so he fasted on that day and
commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that day.” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, 1865).
“This is a righteous day”
– in a report narrated by Muslim, [the Jews said:] “This is a great day, on
which Allaah saved Moosa and his people, and drowned Pharaoh and his people.”
“Moosa fasted on this day” – a
report narrated by Muslim adds: “… in thanksgiving to Allaah, so we fast on this
day.”
According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari:
“… so we fast on this day to venerate it.”
A version narrated by Imaam Ahmad adds: “This
is the day on which the Ark settled on Mount Joodi, so Nooh fasted this day in
thanksgiving.”
“and commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that
day” – according to another report also narrated by al-Bukhaari: “He said
to his Companions: ‘You have more right to Moosa than they do, so fast on that
day.”
The practice of fasting on ‘Aashooraa’
was known even in the days of Jaahiliyyah, before the Prophet’s mission. It was
reported that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The people
of Jaahiliyyah used to fast on that day…”
Al-Qurtubi said: “Perhaps Quraysh used to
fast on that day on the basis of some past law, such as that of Ibraaheem, upon whom be
peace.”
It was also reported that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast on ‘Aashooraa’
in Makkah, before he migrated to Madeenah. When he migrated to Madeenah, he found the Jews
celebrating this day, so he asked them why, and they replied as described in the hadeeth
quoted above. He commanded the Muslims to be different from the Jews, who took it as a
festival, as was reported in the hadeeth of Abu Moosa (may Allaah be pleased with him),
who said: “The Jews used to take the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as a festival
[according to a report narrated by Muslim: the day of ‘Aashooraa’ was venerated
by the Jews, who took it as a festival. According to another report also narrated by
Muslim: the people of Khaybar (the Jews) used to take it as a festival and their women
would wear their jewellery and symbols on that day]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: ‘So you [Muslims] should fast on that day.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari).
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 al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar – may Allaah have mercy on him – in Fath
al-Baari Sharh ‘ala Saheeh al-Bukhaari).
Fasting on
‘Aashooraa’ was a gradual step in the process of introducing fasting as a
prescribed obligation in Islam. Fasting appeared in three forms. When the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah, he told the Muslims
to fast on three days of every month and on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, then Allaah
made fasting obligatory when He said (interpretation of the meaning): “… observing the fasting is prescribed for you…”
[al-Baqarah 2:183] (Ahkaam
al-Qur’aan by al-Jassas, part 1).
The obligation was transferred from
the fast of ‘Aashooraa’ to the fast of Ramadaan, and this one of the proofs in
the field of Usool al-Fiqh that it is possible to abrogate a lighter duty in favour of a
heavier duty.
Before the obligation of fasting
‘Aashooraa’ 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, and once again by
instructing mothers not to breastfeed their infants during this fast. It was reported from
Ibn Mas’ood that when fasting Ramadaan was made obligatory, the obligation to fast
‘Aashooraa’ was lifted, i.e., it was no longer obligatory to fast on this day,
but it is still desirable (mustahabb).
The virtues of fasting ‘Aashooraa’:
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be
pleased with them both) said: “I never saw the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) so keen to fast any day and give it priority over any
other than this day, the day of ‘Aashooraa’, and this month, meaning
Ramadaan.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1867).
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
of Allaah be upon him) said: “For fasting the day of ‘Aashooraa’, I hope
that Allaah will accept it as expiation for the year that went before.” (Reported by Muslim, 1976). This is from the bounty of Allaah towards us: for fasting one day
He gives us expiation for the sins of a whole year. And Allaah is the Owner of Great
Bounty.
Which day is ‘Aashooraa’?:
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy
on him) said: “ ‘Aashooraa’ and Taasoo’aa’ are two elongated
names [the vowels are elongated] as is stated in books on the Arabic language. Our
companions said: ‘Aashooraa’ is the tenth day of Muharram and
Taasoo’aa’ is the ninth day. This is our opinion, and that of the majority of
scholars. This is the apparent meaning of the ahaadeeth and is what we understand from the
general wording. It is also what is usually understood by scholars of the language.” (al-Majmoo’)
‘Aashooraa’
is an Islamic name that was not known at the time of Jaahiliyyah. (Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’, part 2, Sawm Muharram).
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy
on him) said:
“ ‘Aashooraa’ is
the tenth day of Muharram. This is the opinion of Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib and
al-Hasan. It was what was reported by Ibn ‘Abbaas, who said: ‘The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to fast
‘Aashooraa’, the tenth day of Muharram.’ (Reported
by al-Tirmidhi, who said, a saheeh hasan hadeeth). It was
reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: ‘The ninth,’ and reported that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast the ninth. (Reported
by Muslim). ‘Ataa’ reported
that he said, ‘Fast the ninth and the tenth, and do not be like the Jews.’ If
this is understood, we can say on this basis that it is mustahabb (encouraged) to fast on
the ninth and the tenth, for that reason. This is what Ahmad said, and it is the opinion
of Ishaaq.”
It is mustahabb (encouraged) to fast
Taasoo’aa’ with ‘Aashooraa’:
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas
(may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) fasted on ‘Aashooraa’ and commanded the Muslims
to fast as well, they said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, it is a day that is venerated by
the Jews and Christians.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said, ‘If I live to see the next year, in sha Allaah, we will fast on the
ninth day too.’ But it so happened that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) passed away before the next year came.” (Reported by Muslim, 1916).
Al-Shaafa'i and his companions,
Ahmad, Ishaaq and others said: “It is mustahabb to fast on both the ninth and tenth
days, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) fasted on the tenth,
and intended to fast on the ninth.”
On this basis it may be said that there are
varying degrees of fasting ‘Aashooraa’, the least of which is to fast only on
the tenth and the best of which is to fast the ninth as well. The more one fasts in
Muharram, the better it is.
The reason why it is mustahabb to fast on
Taasoo’aa’:
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“The scholars – our companions and others – mentioned several reasons why
it is mustahabb to fast on Taasoo’aa’:
the intention behind it is to be different from the
Jews, who only venerate the tenth day. This opinion was reported from Ibn
‘Abbaas…
the intention is to add another day’s fast to
‘Aashooraa’. This is akin to the prohibition on fasting a Friday by itself, as
was mentioned by al-Khattaabi and others.
To be on the safe side and make sure that one fasts
on the tenth, in case there is some error in sighting the crescent moon at the beginning
of Muharram and the ninth is in fact the tenth.”
The strongest of these reasons is
being different from the People of the Book. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade
imitating the People of the Book in many ahaadeeth, for example, his words concerning
‘Aashooraa’: ‘If I live until the next year, I will certainly fast on the
ninth day.’” (al-Fataawa al-Kubra,
part 6, Sadd al-Dharaa’i’ al-Mufdiyah ila’l-Mahaarim )
Ibn Hajar (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said in his commentary on the hadeeth “If I live until
the next year, I will certainly fast on the ninth day”: “What he meant by
fasting on the ninth day was probably not that he would limit himself to that day, but
would add it to the tenth, either to be on the safe side or to be different from the Jews
and Christians, which is more likely. This is also what we can understand from some of the
reports narrated by Muslim.” (Fath,
4/245).
Ruling on fasting only on the day
of ‘Aashooraa’:
Shaykh al-Islam said:
“Fasting on the day of ‘Aashoraa’ is an expiation for a year, and it is not
makrooh to fast only that day…” (al-Fataawa
al-Kubra, part 5). In Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj by Ibn
Hajar al-Haytami, it says: “There is nothing wrong with fasting only on
‘Aashooraa’.” (part 3, Baab Sawm al-Tatawwu’).
Fasting on ‘Aashooraa’
even if it is a Saturday or a Friday:
Al-Tahhaawi (may Allaah have mercy
on him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
allowed us to fast on ‘Aashooraa’ and urged us to do so. He did not say that if
it falls on a Saturday we should not fast. This is evidence that all days of the week are
included in this. In our view – and Allaah knows best – it could be the case
that even if this is true (that it is not allowed to fast on Saturdays), it is so that we
do not venerate this day and refrain from food, drink and intercourse, as the Jews do. As
for the one who fasts on a Saturday without intending to venerate it, and does not do so
because the Jews regard it as blessed, then this is not makrooh…” (Mushkil al-Aathaar, part 2, Baab Sawm Yawm al-Sabt).
The author of al-Minhaaj
said: “ ‘It is disliked (makrooh) to fast on a Friday alone…’ But it
is no longer makrooh if you add another day to it, as mentioned in the saheeh report to
that effect. A person may fast on a Friday if it coincides with his habitual fast, or he
is fasting in fulfilment of a vow, or he is making up an obligatory fast that he has
missed, as was stated in a saheeh report.”
Al-Shaarih said in Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj:
“ ‘If it coincides with his habitual
fast’ – i.e., such as if he fasts alternate days, and a day that he fasts
happens to be a Friday.
‘ if he is fasting in
fulfilment of a vow, etc.” – this also applies to fasting on days prescribed in
sharee’ah, such as ‘Aashooraa’ or ‘Arafaah. (Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj, part 3, Baab Sawm al-Tatawwu’)
Al-Bahooti (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: “It is makrooh to deliberately single out a Saturday
for fasting, because of the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Bishr, who reported from his
sister: ‘Do not fast on Saturdays except in the case of obligatory fasts’
(reported by Ahmad with a jayyid isnaad and by al-Haakim, who said: according to the
conditions of al-Bukhaari), and because it is a day that is venerated by the Jews, so
singling it out for fasting means being like them… except when a Friday or Saturday
coincides with a day when Muslims habitually fast, such as when it coincides with the day
of ‘Arafaah or the day of ‘Aashooraa’, and a person has the habit of
fasting on these days, in which case it is not makrooh, because a person’s habit
carries some weight.” (Kashshaaf
al-Qinaa’, part 2, Baab Sawm al-Tatawwu’).
What should be done if there is
confusion about the beginning of the month?:
Ahmad said: “If there is
confusion about the beginning of the month, one should fast for three days, to be sure of
fasting on the ninth and tenth days.” (al-Mughni
by Ibn Qudaamah, part 3 – al-Siyaam – Siyaam ‘Aashooraa’).
If a person does not know when
Muharram began, and he wants to be sure of fasting on the tenth, he should assume that
Dhoo’l-Hijjah was thirty days – as is the usual rule – and should fast on
the ninth and tenth. Whoever wants to be sure of fasting the ninth as well should fast the
eight, ninth and tenth (then if Dhoo’l-Hijjah was twenty-nine days, he can be sure of
having fasted Taasoo’aa’ and ‘Aashooraa’).
But given that fasting on ‘Aashooraa’ is
mustahabb rather than waajib, people are not commanded to look for the crescent of the new
moon of Muharram as they are to do in the case of Ramadaan and Shawwaal.
Fasting ‘Aashooraa’ – for what does
it offer expiation?:
Imaam al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:
“It expiates for all minor sins, i.e., it
brings forgiveness of all sins except major sins.”
Then he said (may Allaah have mercy on him):
“Fasting the day of
‘Arafaah expiates for two years, and the day of ‘Aashooraa’ expiates for
one year. If when a person says ‘Aameen’ it coincides with the
‘Aameen’ of the angels, he will be forgiven all his previous sins… Each one
of the things that we have mentioned will bring expiation. If there are minor sins for
which expiation is needed, expiation for them will be accepted; if there are no minor sins
or major sins, good deeds will be added to his account and he will be raised in
status… If he had committed major sins but no minor sins, we hope that his major sins
will be reduced.” (al-Majmoo’ Sharh
al-Muhadhdhab, part 6, Sawm Yawm ‘Arafaah).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Tahaarah, salaah, and fasting in
Ramadaan, on the day of ‘Arafaah and on ‘Aashooraa’ expiate for minor sins
only.” (al-Fataawa al-Kubra, part
5).
Not relying too much on the reward
for fasting:
Some people who are deceived rely
too much on things like fasting on ‘Aashooraa’ or the day of ‘Arafaah, to
the extent that some of them say, “Fasting on ‘Aashooraa’ will expiate for
the sins of the whole year, and fasting on the day of ‘Arafaah will bring extra
rewards.” Ibn al-Qayyim said: ‘This misguided person does not know that fasting
in Ramadaan and praying five times a day are much more important than fasting on the day
of ‘Arafaah and ‘Aashooraa’, and that they expiate for the sins between one
Ramadaan and the next, or between one Friday and the next, so long as one avoids major
sins. But they cannot expiate for minor sins unless one also avoids major sins; when the
two things are put together, they have the strength to expiate for minor sins. Among those
deceived people may be one who thinks that his good deeds are more than his sins, because
he does not pay attention to his bad deeds or check on his sins, but if he does a good
deed he remembers it and relies on it. This is like the one who seeks Allaah’s
forgiveness with his tongue (i.e., by words only), and glorifies Allaah by saying
“Subhaan Allaah” one hundred times a day, then he backbites about the Muslims
and slanders their honour, and speaks all day long about things that are not pleasing to
Allaah. This person is always thinking about the virtues of his tasbeehaat (saying
“Subhaan Allaah”) and tahleelaat (saying “Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah”) but he pays no attention to what has been reported concerning those who
backbite, tell lies and slander others, or commit other sins of the tongue. They are
completely deceived.” (al-Mawsoo’ah
al-Fiqhiyyah, part 31, Ghuroor).
Fasting ‘Aashooraa’ when
one still has days to make up from Ramadaan:
The fuqahaa’ differed
concerning the ruling on observing voluntary fasts before a person has made up days that
he or she did not fast in Ramadaan. The Hanafis said that it is permissible to observe
voluntary fasts before making up days from Ramadaan, and it is not makrooh to do so,
because the missed days do not have to be made up straight away. The Maalikis and
Shaafa’is said that it is permissible but is makrooh, because it means that one is
delaying something obligatory. Al-Dusooqi said: “It is makrooh to observe a voluntary
fast when one still has to make up an obligatory fast, such as a fast in fulfilment of a
vow, or a missed obligatory fast, or a fast done as an act of expiation (kafaarah),
whether the voluntary fast which is being given priority over an obligatory fast is
something confirmed in sharee’ah or not, such as ‘Aashooraa’ and the ninth
of Dhoo’l-Hijjah, according to the most correct opinion.” The Hanbalis said that
it is haraam to observe a voluntary fast before making up any fasts missed in Ramadaan,
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-Fiqhiyyah, part 28, Sawm al-tatawwu’).
Muslims must hasten to make up any
missed fasts after Ramadaan, so that they will be able to fast ‘Arafaah and
‘Aashooraa’ without any problem. If a person fasts ‘Arafaah and
‘Aashooraa’ with the intention from the night before of making up for a missed
fast, this will be good enough to make up what he has missed, for the bounty of Allaah is
great.
Bid’ahs common on ‘Aashooraa’:
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him) was asked about the things that people do on ‘Aashooraa’, such as
wearing kohl, taking a bath (ghusl), wearing henna, shaking hands with one another,
cooking grains (huboob), showing happiness and so on. Was any of this reported from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in a saheeh hadeeth, or not? If
nothing to that effect was reported in a saheeh hadeeth, is doing these things
bid’ah, or not? Is there any basis for what the other group do, such as grieving and
mourning, going without anything to drink, eulogizing and wailing, reciting in a crazy
manner, and rending their garments?
His reply was:
‘Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds.
Nothing to that effect has been reported in any saheeh hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from his Companions. None of the imaams of the Muslims
encouraged or recommended such things, neither the four imaams, nor any others. No
reliable scholars have narrated anything like this, neither from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), nor from the Sahaabah, nor from the Taabi’een;
neither in any saheeh report or in a da’eef (weak) report; neither in the books of Saheeh,
nor in al-Sunan, nor in the Musnads. No hadeeth of this nature was known
during the best centuries, but some of the later narrators reported ahaadeeth like the one
which says, “Whoever puts kohl in his eyes on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ will
not suffer from eye disease in that year, and whoever takes a bath (does ghusl) on the day
of ‘Aashooraa’ will not get sick in that year,” and so on. They also
reported a fabricated hadeeth that is falsely attributed to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), which says, “Whoever is generous to his family on
the day of ‘Aashooraa’, Allaah will be generous to him for the rest of the
year.” Reporting all of this from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) is tantamount to lying.’
Then he [Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on
him)] discussed in brief the tribulations that had occurred in the early days of this
ummah and the killing of al-Husayn (may Allaah 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 ‘Aashooraa’ as
a day of mourning and wailing, in which they openly displayed the rituals of jaahiliyyah
such as slapping their cheeks and rending their garments, grieving in the manner of the
jaahiliyyah… The Shaytaan made this attractive to those who are misled, so they took
the day of ‘Aashooraa’ 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 enmity towards al-Husayn and his family or ignorant people
who try to fight evil with evil, corruption with corruption, lies with lies and
bid’ah with bid’ah – opposed them by fabricating reports in favour of
making the day of ‘Aashooraa’ a day of celebration, by wearing kohl and henna,
spending money on one's children, cooking special dishes and other things that are done on
Eids and special occasions. These people took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ 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 plainly wrong… Neither
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) nor his successors (the
khulafa’ al-raashidoon) did any of these things on the day of ‘Aashooraa’,
they neither made it a day of mourning nor a day of celebration…
As for the other things, such as
cooking special dishes with or without grains, or wearing new clothes, or spending money
on one’s family, or buying the year’s supplies on that day, or doing special
acts of worship such as special prayers or deliberately slaughtering an animal on that
day, or saving some of the meat of the sacrifice to cook with grains, or wearing kohl and
henna, or taking a bath (ghusl), or shaking hands with one another, or visiting one
another, or visiting the mosques and mashhads (shrines) and so on… all of this is
reprehensible bid’ah and is wrong. None of it has anything to do with the Sunnah of
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or the way of the
Khulafa’ al-Raashidoon. It was not approved of by any of the imaams of the Muslims,
not Maalik, not al-Thawri, not al-Layth ibn Sa’d, not Abu Haneefah, not
al-Oozaa’i, not al-Shaafa'i, not Ahmad ibn Hanbal, not Ishaaq ibn Raahwayh, not any
of the imaams and scholars of the Muslims.’(al-Fataawa
al-Kubra by Ibn Taymiyah)
Ibn al-Haaj (may
Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned that one of the bid’ahs on ‘Aashooraa’
was deliberately paying zakaat on this day, late or early, or slaughtering a chicken just
for this occasion, or – in the case of women – using henna. (al-Madkhal, part 1, Yawm ‘Aashooraa’)
We ask Allaah to make us followers
of the Sunnah of His Noble Prophet, to make us live in Islam and die in a state of faith.
May He help us to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. We ask Him to help us to
remember Him and be thankful to Him, to worship Him properly and to accept our good deeds.
May He make us of those who are pious and fear Him. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad
and all his family and companions. |
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