In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent
Alhamdulillah… Infinite praise and thanks are due to Allah the Almighty. Complete peace and salutations are upon our master of all time, Sayyidunā Muhammad, his household, his companions and all those who follow his guided path.
This post is dedicated for the month of Muharram, and hence, the Muharram Page. Here, I highlight the basic characteristics of the month, which include:
- the name and position of Muharram
- the sacredness of the month of Muharram
- fasting in the month of Muharram,
Thereafter, I provide links to articles I have written or will write in the future pertaining to the month of Muharram in any way. I also embed or will embed any video for that matter, insha Allah.
If you are reading this, and you happen to have any questions pertaining to the month of Muharram, and you can’t find it highlighted here, kindly comment or message me directly, and I’ll research it and update it here, Insha Allah.
Name and Position of Muharram
Muharram is the first month in the Hijri calendar. It earned its name, Muharram from Islam. Does this mean that it was called a different name before Islam? The answer is yes. Before Islam, the month of Muharram was called Ṣafar al-Awwal (The First Safar). And the current Safar, which is the second month was called Ṣafar al-Thānī (the Second Safar).
The Sacredness of the Month
The name Muharram means sacred. Thus, Muharram is also one of the four sacred months in Islam. Besides Muharram, the other three sacred months are, Dhul-Qi’dah, Dhil-Hijjah, and Rajab.
It’s said, that they are made sacred because wars and fighting are disallowed during these months. Kind of cease-fire periods regardless. That allows people to travel and plan ahead of any conflict time.
Fasting in the Month of Muharram
As a sacred month, Muharram is one of the months we are encouraged, as Muslims to fast in. For that, Rasulullah ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam says in the hadith reported by Imam Muslim (1163):
أفضلُ الصِّيامِ بعدَ شهرِ رمضانَ شهرُ اللَّهِ المحرَّمُ. وأفضلُ الصَّلاةِ بعدَ الفريضةِ، صلاةُ اللَّيلِ.ـ
“The best fast after the month of Ramadan is fasting the month of Allah; al-Muharram, and the best prayer after the prescribed ones is the night prayer.”
Here, it’s worth indicating, that fasting on any day in the month of Muharram isn’t the same as fasting the first day of Muharram. In other words, there’s a difference between fasting on any of the days of Muharram (including the first day) and fasting on the first day on its own. The former is done because it’s Muharram, and people fast the latter is to celebrate the new year. The former is Sunnah as the Messenger of Allah ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam has explicitly taught us to fast it, and the latter opposes Sunnah, as there’s no explicit guidance from the Messenger of Allah pertaining to it.
What about the Day of Ashura’?
The Day of Ahura' (‘Āshūrā’) and Its Significance
Contrary to fasting on the first day of Muharram to celebrate the new year, fasting on the tenth day of Muharram is strongly encouraged for the Muslim to fast. Regardless of whether he fasts on other days or not.
This is because one of the prominent events in human history happened on the 10th day of Muharram. That is what is known as Ashura’.
“What’s that great historical event?” you may ask. Well.. it was on the day of Ashura’ (‘Āshūrā’) when Allah subḥānahū wa ta’ālā saved Sayyiduna Musa and his followers (the believing folks of the time) from the tyranny and persecution of Fir’awn.
For that, to celebrate and to show gratitude to Allah, on the day of Ashura’, Muslims are encouraged to fast.
For more, kindly check out the following articles…
Allahu Hafiz ☺
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