Muharram ul haraam
Virtues and rulings
The reality of muharram
First thing is, is this month great and respected or unlucky. Some people think it is unlucky. The reason in their view is that shahadat is very bad and unlucky, and because hazrat husain rd was martyred in it, they do not do any happy event, wedding, nikah etc in it. Opposite to this, with muslims this month is respected, great and full of virtue. Muharram itself means respected, great and holy. Commonly people think this month got virtue because hazrat husain rd was martyred in it. This is wrong. This month’s virtue was there even before islam. Bani israil with hazrat musa alayhissalam got freedom from firon on this day. To thank for this blessing, fasting on this day was ordered. Many other virtuous things happened in it. But we will say hazrat husain rd’s shahadat got more virtue because it happened in such a virtuous month. When it is proven that this month and day are superior, then we should do good deeds a lot in it. Nikah etc, happy gatherings should also be done more in it. Marriage will get blessing from it. But this is a big point because for many days these wrong things were filled in hearts. 100 years old wrong does not leave quickly. It leaves only gradually.
*9 and 10 muharram fasting*
In sahi bukhari hazrat ibne abbas rd narrates that janabe rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam came to madina tayyaba and saw the jews fasting on this day. Aap sallallahu alaihivasallam asked, why do you fast. They said, this is a very good day. On this day haq ta'ala gave bani israil freedom from their enemy firon, so hazrat musa alayhissalam fasted on this day. Hearing this, aap sallallahu alaihivasallam said, we have more right to follow hazrat musa alayhissalam than you. Then aap sallallahu alaihivasallam himself fasted and ordered sahaba ikram rd to fast on this day too. In sahi muslim hazrat abu haraira rd narrates that after ramzaan the best fast is muharram’s, and after fard prayer the best prayer is tahajjud. In huzur aqdas sallallahu alayhi wasallam’s life, whenever ashura day came, aap sallallahu alaihivasallam fasted. But before wafaat, when ashura day came, aap sallallahu alaihivasallam fasted and also said, on 10 muharram we also fast and jews also fast, which causes a slight similarity with them. So if i live next year i will not fast only ashura, rather i will add one more fast with it, i will also fast 9 muharram so similarity with jews ends. But before next year’s ashura came, huzur aqdas sallallahu alaihivasallam passed away and did not get chance to act on it. But because aap sallallahu alaihivasallam said this, sahaba ikram rd took care in ashura fast and added 9 or 11 muharram fast with it, and declared it mustahab. And keeping only ashura fast was declared makrooh tanzihi and khilafe awla in light of huzur sallallahu alaihi wasallam’s saying.
From this saying of rasool e akram sallallahu alyhivasallam we get another lesson that even slight similarity with non muslims was not liked by huzur sallallahu alaihi wasallam, though that similarity was not in a bad or unlawful act but in an act of worship that on this day they worship, we also worship on same day. But aap sallallahu alaihivasallam did not like it. Why. Because the deen allah ta'ala gave to muslims is distinct from all deens. When nabi kareem sallallahu alaihivasallam did not like similarity even in worship, then how bad would it be if a muslim adopts their similarity in other matters. If this similarity is adopted intentionally to look like them, then it is a major sin.
*Important events that happened on 10 muharram*
1. Acceptance of hazrat aadam alaihissalam’s tauba.
2. Freedom of hazrat moosa alaihissalam and his nation from firon.
3. Kashti e nooh alaihissalam stopped on jodi mountain on this day.
4. Hazrat yunus alaihissalam came out of fish’s stomach on this day.
5. Hazrat yusuf alaihissalam’s coming out of well.
6. Birth of hazrat isa alaihissalam and being raised to heavens.
7. Tauba of hazrat daoud alaihissalam.
8. Birth of hazrat ibrahim alaihissalam.
9. Return of hazrat ya'aqoob alaihissalam’s eyesight.
10. On this day janabe rasulullah sallallahu alaihivasallam’s past and future mistakes were forgiven by haq ta'ala.
These 10 events are in sharah bukhari. Besides these, some books count other big events that happened on ashura day. A few are:
1. Hazrat aadam alaihissalam’s selection for prophethood.
2. Hazrat idrees alaihissalam’s raising to heavens.
3. Haq ta'ala making hazrat ibrahim alaihissalam khalifa.
4. Huzur akram sallallahu alaihivasallam’s nikah with hazrat khadija radiyallahu anha also happened on this day.
5. On this day qayamat will establish.
6. On this day the incident of sayyadna hazrat husain radiyallahu anhu’s shahadat happened.
*Spending generously on family*
Imaam behki rh narrated a hadith that janabe rasulullah sallallahu alayhivasallam said, whoever spends generously on his family on ashura day, allah ta'ala will give abundant sustenance the whole year. Hadith narrator hazrat sufiyan bin ayniyah rd says we tried it and found it correct. But do not consider it necessary, nor do excessive arrangements. And when you spend on family then also send to poor neighbors.
*Unlawful acts in muharram and ashura*
1. Mourning, wailing, and observing sorrow.
Some people consider month of muharram unlucky though as mentioned earlier this month is blessed. Big great events happened in this month. Many people do maatam on ashura day and show grief. This is sin. Islam teaches us patience and steadfastness. Crying loudly, tearing clothes, beating chests is far from islamic teachings. Islam’s command is that after someone dies, do not show grief after 3 days and do not observe mourning. Only a woman observes mourning for 4 months 10 days after husband’s death. For anyone besides husband, whether father, brother or son, observing mourning more than 3 days is not allowed. Sahi bukhari hadith is that ummul momineen hazrat umme habiba raziyallahu anha got news of her father’s death. After 3 days she asked for perfume and applied on face and said, i did not need it because i am old and husband yani huzur sallallahu alaihivasallam had passed away. But i applied perfume to end father’s mourning because i heard from huzur sallallahu alaihivasallam that for any muslim woman observing mourning more than 3 days is not allowed. From this blessed hadith we know observing mourning more than 3 days is not allowed. Some people observe mourning for sayyadna hazrat husain raziyallahu anhu. In muharram they do not wear good clothes, do not go near wife, turn beds upside down etc. Though hazrat husain raziyallahu anhu’s shahadat has been more than 1400 years. These are ignorant things. Allah ta'ala keep us all on guidance and give ability to act on all things. Aameen ya rabbul aalameen.
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MUHARRAM INSIGHTS
