Brighton & Hove Muslim Forum

 

Muharram is the month with which the Muslims begin their lunar Hijrah Calendar. It is one of the four sanctified months about which the Holy Quran says, “The number of the months according to Allah is twelve months (mentioned) in the Book of Allah on the day in which He created heavens and the earth. Among these (twelve months) there are four sanctified”.

These four months, according to the authentic traditions are the months of Zhul Qa’dah, Zhul Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. All the commentators of the Holy Quran are unanimous on this point, because the Holy Prophet in his sermon on the occasion of his last Hajj, has declared:

“One year consists of twelve months, of which four are sanctified months, three of them are in sequence; Zhul Qa’dah, Zhul Hijjah, Muharram, and the fourth is Rajab.”

The specific mention of these four months does not mean that any other month has no sanctity, because the month of Ramadan is admittedly the most sanctified month in the year. But these four months were specifically termed as sanctified months for the simple reason that their sanctity was accepted even by the pagans of Makkah.

In fact, every month, out of the twelve, is originally equal to the other, and there is no inherent sanctity, which may be attributed to one of them in comparison to other months. When Allah Almighty chooses a particular time for His special blessings, then it acquires sanctity out of His grace.

Thus, the sanctity of these four months was recognized right from the days of Sayyidina Ibrahim. Since the Pagans of Makkah attributed themselves to Sayyidina Ibrahim they observed the sanctity of these four months and despite their frequent tribal battles, they held it unlawful to fight in these months.

In the Shariah of our Holy Prophet  the sanctity of these months was upheld and the Holy Quran referred to them as the “sanctified months”.

The month of Muharram has certain other characteristics peculiar to it, which are specified below.

Fasting during the month

The Holy Prophet  has said:

“The best fasts after the fasts of Ramadan are those of the month of Muharram.”

Although the fasts of the month of Muharram are not obligatory, yet, the one who fasts in these days out of his own will and choice is entitled to a great reward by Allah Almighty. The Hadith cited above signifies that the fasts of the month of Muharram are most reward-able ones among the Nafl fasts i.e. the fasts one observes out of his own choice without being obligatory on him.

The Hadith does not mean that the award promised for fasts of Muharram can be achieved only by fasting for the whole month. On the contrary, each fast during this month has merit. Therefore, one should avail of this opportunity as much as he can.

The day of Ashurah

Although the month of Muharram is a sanctified month as a whole, yet, the 10th day of Muharram is the most sacred among all its days. The day is named Ashurah.

According to the Holy companion Ibn Abbas. The Holy Prophet , when migrated to Madinah, found that  the Jews of Madinah used to fast on the 10th day of Muharram. They said that it was the day on which the Holy Prophet Musa (Moses) and his followers crossed the Red Sea miraculously and the Pharaoh was drowned in its water.

On hearing this from the Jews, the Holy Prophet  said, “We are more closely related to Musa than you” and directed the Muslims to fast on the day of Ashurah. (Abu Dawood)

It is also reported in a number of authentic traditions that in the beginning, fasting on the day of Ashurah was obligatory for the Muslims.

It was later that the fasts of Ramadan were made obligatory and the fast on the day of ”Ashurah was made optional. Sayyidah Aishah has said:

“When the Holy Prophet  came to Madinah, he fasted on the day of Ashurah and directed the people to fast it. But when the fasts of Ramadan were made obligatory, the obligation of fasting was confined to Ramadan and the obligatory nature of the fast of  Ashurah was abandoned. One can fast on this day, if he so wills, or can avoid fasting, if he so wills.”

However, the Holy Prophet  used to fast on the day of Ashurah even after the fasting in Ramadan was made obligatory.

Abdullah Ian Masud reports that the Holy Prophet  preferred the fast of Ashurah to the fast of other days and preferred the fast of Ramadan to the fast of Ashurah. (Bukhari and Muslim)

In short, it is established through a number of authentic hadith that fasting on the day of Ashurah is Sunnah of the Holy Prophet  and makes one entitled to a great reward.

MuslimVillage.com wishes all readers and the entire Umma Allah’s blessings, acceptance, and tawfiq in this year!

Source: MuslimVillage.com

Eid Mubarik to all our brothers and sisters.

May Allah tala accept your ibada (sacrifice, fasting, Qur’an reading, ziker, Salah, charity and all good deeds) ameen ameen amee

Eid-ul-Adha (‘festival of Sacrifice’), also known as the Greater Eid, is the second most important festival in the Muslim calendar.

The festival remembers the prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son when God ordered him to.

The story of Ibrahim’s sacrifice:-

Eid-ul-Adha celebrates the occasion when Allah appeared to Ibrahim in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son Isma’il as an act of obedience to God.

The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey Allah and spare his son. As Ibrahim was about to kill his son, Allah stopped him and gave him a lamb to sacrifice instead.

Celebrations:-

Eid ul Adha is a public holiday in Muslim countries.

This day Muslims all over the world who can afford it , sacrifice a sheep (sometimes a goat) as a reminder of Ibrahim’s obedience to Allah. In Britain, the animal has to be killed at a slaughterhouse.

They share out the meat among family, friends and the poor, who each get a third share.

Eid usually starts with Muslims going to the Mosque for prayers, dressed in their best clothes, and thanking Allah for all the blessings they have received.

It is also a time when they visit family and friends as well as offering presents.

At Eid it is obligatory to give a set amount of money to charity to be used to help poor people buy new clothes and food so they too can celebrate.

The Hajj:-

The Hajj is pilgrimage to Makkah.

It is the Fifth Pillar of Islam and therefore a very important part of the Islamic faith.

All physically fit Muslims who can afford it should make the visit toMakkah, in Saudi Arabia, at least once in their lives.

Every year around 2 million Muslims from all over the world converge on Makkah.

They stand before the Kaaba, a shrine built by Ibrahim praising Allah together.

The Hajjis or pilgrims wear simple white clothes called Ihram which promote the bonds of Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood by showing that everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah.

During the Hajj the Pilgrims perform acts of worship and they renew their faith and sense of purpose in the world.

Extra information:-

 It is celebrated on the tenth day of the lunar month of Dhul-Hijjah.

On the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah, pilgrims proceed to the plains of the Mount of `Arafah, outside Makkah and they spend their time totally in worship. This is the core of the worship of Hajj, without which no Hajj is said to have been performed. On that evening, pilgrims proceed from Arafah to Muzdalifah.

Early in the morning of the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the pilgrims having offered their prayers at Muzdalifah, proceed to the three pillars to cast seven stones at the symbols of Satan. This ceremony of casting stones has been performed since the days of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (peace be upon him).

It is a ceremony which indicates that one should cast away the evil of Satan repeatedly and resolve never to listen to him again, nor to succumb to temptations. In fact, the word for the casting process in Arabic is “rajm”, which means throwing of stones.

Then, pilgrims return to Mina, with a pure slate of mind and heart, where they perform the sacrifice of animals. This process commemorates the event when Prophet Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his most beloved treasure, his son…

 It was Ismail–his beloved and righteous son–who was destined also to become a prophet. He is known as “Adh-dhabih”, or the chosen sacrifice of Allah.

For those who did not go to Hajj, this year–like most of us–it is celebrated as a feast. We begin with the prayers of Eid, following which, sacrifices of animals are made and the meat is shared with the poor.

There is a difference between mere charity and sacrifice. Charity is a regular all-time practice of helping the needy and no particular day is fixed for it. This is while sacrifice is an annual ritual, which is to be performed on the prescribed days commencing with Eid al-Adha.