Sacred Months
Abu
Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah 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-Bukhari, 2958).
It was
reported that Ibn 'Abbas 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.
The month
of Muharram will soon usher in a new year. Al Hamdu lillah, we have seen yet
another year of life. But some of us who
were here last year are no longer with us and some of us will not be here next
year.
Muharram
certainly is a time for reflection on how we have lived our lives this year and
how we will live our lives in the coming year.
It is a sacred month.
We have
forgotten the meaning of sacred months these days. In the past, these months were extremely
important. They were a time of
reflection, of devotion and worship of Allah, and a time of peace. No war is permitted during these months, no
fighting, no violence. Three of these
months, Dhu'l-Qa'dah, Dhu'l-Hijjah and Muharram, center around the coming and
going of Hajj. This allowed the tribes
of Arabia to cross each other’s territory
freely, without fear of attack, while making the pilgrimage. People could focus on ibaadah, and not worry
about all the matters of the duniya – tribe, territories, nations, and all the
things that divide us. They could focus
on their relationship with the Divine.
We are
enjoined by Allah not to commit dhulm in these months. We are reminded that as Muslims, we should
always stand for justice – for adl. And
we should always seek to remove oppression.
As the
rest of this ayat reveals, The Quraish, on the other hand, used to sometimes
fight during these months. If they wanted to fight, they would arbitrarily change
the sacred months. This was haphazard
and unjust. Allah makes four months
sacred and these months do not change at any person’s whim.
9:37
Postponement (of a sacred month) is only an excess of disbelief whereby those
who disbelieve are misled; they allow it one year and forbid it (another) year,
that they may make up the number of the months which Allah hath hallowed, so
that they allow that which Allah hath forbidden. The evil of their deeds is
made fairseeming unto them. Allah guideth not the disbelieving folk.
They are called Kafirun because they “cover” the truth, they
go through life in denial, with blinders on.
They see only what they want to see, and make up their religion and
their rules as they go along. These
ayaat reveal how capricious and arbitrary their beliefs and legal rules had
become.
Islam brings order into this chaos of whim. And it is not the product of one man or even
a collection of people, but the product of our Creator Allah. He alone knows us as we truly are and He
alone knows that of which we are capable.
He has given us the most just rules and the most meaningful form of
worship of Him.
Ashurah
In Islam, Allah has given us two Eids or Days of
Celebration, and we have one “holiday” season, in Ramadan. There is no sunnah for celebrating a New
Year, but there is one special day in Muharram, the day of Ashura.
Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to Madinah 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 Allah 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-Bukhari, 1865).
"This is a righteous day" - in a report narrated
by Muslim, [the Jews said:] "This is a great day, on which Allah 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 Allah, so we fast on this day."
According to a report narrated by al-Bukhari: ".. so
we fast on this day to venerate it."
Moosa fasted in thanksgiving… The story of Musa and Firawn reminds us of
the seemingly never ending struggle against oppression – the struggle for
justice in this world.
The day of Ashura is a day calling
for justice. It is also the day of the
death of Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib at Kerbala. This tragic event touches us all. The grandson of our beloved Prophet was
killed defending people from injustice.
It is an uncomfortable memory, and Allah alone knows the truth and the
intentions of the actors upon that historical stage, but what stands out in the
lives of Ali, Husayn, and Zain al Abidin is their commitment to defend people
from injustice.
On this Ashura, we also should
reaffirm our commitment to strive against injustice. Despite serious efforts to vilify our deen
and to destroy our communities, we have persevered. Like the people of Moosa,
we have been singled out for discrimination.
People seeking refuge from the terrors of war in their homelands, are
stopped at borders and hemmed in on all sides.
In Kashmir and Palestine, ongoing occupation by imperialist forces have
left the population drained, and those in diaspora are torn between two worlds,
unable to ever find solace or peace. How
does one cope with over seventy years of repression, prison-like conditions,
constant threats of death and terror, humiliation, and social castration? Three generations have endured.
Refugees from Myanmar
are fleeing bombs, guns and starvation only to be turned back. In Myanmar ,
the Rohingya people and their villages have been burned, and mines are laid so
they cannot go back. People in Ethiopia
suffer oppression, confiscation of land, torture and death. Across the globe Muslims face oppression by
others.
The discrimination of Muslims in
employment, education, religious expression and immigration in America
pales in comparison, but the seeds to greater oppression are there. Our communities face social isolation, and
our people face red-faced verbal abuse and even physical attacks at work, while
shopping and even at play.
But, we also face oppression by the
hands of those who call themselves Muslims.
In Central Asia , Syria ,
Yemen and
across East Africa , people with Muslim names are
murdering fellow Muslims over tribal disputes, economic greed, and the desire
for power. All of us must guard against
this evil. We are often more inclined to
dialogue with non-Muslims than with fellow Muslims who follow a different
madhdhab or school of thought. Allah SWT
reminds us that fitnah akbar min al qatl!!!
Our unity does not and has never meant that we do not have iktilaf. Islam
requires absolute freedom of belief. La
ikraha fi deen. Islamic Unity means that we do not fight or abuse one another
over differences of opinion. As long as
our opinions are reasonable, we must respect each other, despite the fact that
we disagree, because, in the end. Allah SWT ta’ala Alim.
May Allah SWT forgive us for all of
our errors, bring us closer together in brotherhood, and guide us to the
truth. And may Allah SWT protect us all
from dhulm as He protected Moosa and his followers.
Fasting Ashurah
So how should we commemorate our New Year and this day of
our thanksgiving, Ashoorah? Special
foods, practices, rituals, and customs are not the Sunnah of our Prophet (SAW),
and mourning for the dead is only for three days, except for the widow, and
then it is only 40 days. The best way to
commemorate this time is though the ibadaah that Musa and our Prophet
performed, the one that is for Allah alone – fasting.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
'The best of fasting after Ramadhan is fasting Allah’s month of
Muharram.'" (reported by Muslim, 1982).
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 Allah 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 Ibrahim, upon whom be
peace."
It was also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) used to fast on 'Aashooraa' in Makkah, before he migrated
to Madinah. When he migrated to Madinah, he found the Jews celebrating this
day, so he asked them why, and they replied as described in the hadeeth quoted
above.
Originally, fasting Ashura was obligatory or Fard, but Ibn Mas'ood reported that when
fasting Ramadhan 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).
'Abd-Allah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them
both) said: "When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) fasted on 'Aashooraa' and commanded the Muslims to fast as well, they
said, 'O Messenger of Allah, it is a day that is venerated by the Jews and
Christians.' The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said, 'If I live to see the next year, inshaAllaah, we will fast on the ninth
day too.' But it so happened that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) passed away before the next year came." (Reported
by Muslim, 1916). Aashooraa' is the
tenth day of Muharram and Taasoo'aa' is the ninth day.
Al-Shafi’ee and his companions, Ahmad, Ishaq and others
said: "It is mustahabb to fast on both the ninth and tenth days, because
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah 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. Some also fast on the eleventh.
Layaalin Ashr and Ibadah
Fasting is one way to commemorate
this sacred month. We can also increase
other acts of Ibaadah such as prayer. We
note that Allah SWT has told us that the first 10 days of Muharram are
special. Allah SWT says in Surah Al-Fajr,
Many scholars have informed us that
this 10 nights are the first 10 days of Muharram. Not only is the entire month sacred, and the
day of Ashoora a day of fasting, but the first 10 nights are especially blessed
for du’a and ibadaah at night. The next
ayaat say:
reminding us of the night prayers
of Witr and Tahajjud.
And during these 10 days, we can
also increase our amala salih, our good deeds, bringing us closer to Allah and
to each other. This year we have many opportunities to help the poor and needy.
Certainly, helping those who were affected by hurricanes Harvey
and Irma, as well as the natural disasters in Mexico ,
is one way we can serve Allah SWT and humanity this year. I would call on us to
not just send money, but to volunteer to provide food, shelter and assistance
to those in need. Volunteering on the 10 days of Muharram can be a profound
experience for Muslims. Many of us are
isolated from the community around us.
We may have impressions about America
and wealth. To see the faces of the
homeless and hungry and to understand the nature of poverty even in this land
of riches is very sobering. In the past,
I participated in a program that fed homeless women in Washington
DC
Volunteering not only connects
Muslims to the community, but it provides a positive image of Muslims to the
community. People never forget the
friendly face who gave them food and water.
They never forget the Muslims who came to them in their hour of
need.
May Allah guide us to take full
advantage of the opportunities for striving in the path of Allah through salat,
zakat, sawm and volunteering in true jihad, for the true meaning of jihad fi
sabillillah is voluntarily striving in service to Allah. May Allah grant us life for another year to be
able to serve Him more completely.
*All Quotations of the Qur'an in Arabic and some of the English Translations are from the Hypertext Quran Website, http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/htq/
