The sacred month of Muharram, referred to as “Shahrullah al-Muharram” (The Month of Allah), holds a distinguished place in the Islamic calendar. Its attribution to Allah ﷻ signifies its immense honor and spiritual significance, for whenever Allah links something to Himself from among His creation, it indicates its elevated status.
However, this honor is not based on historical tragedies or sorrowful events. Rather, Muharram’s virtue lies in the acts of worship performed during it, especially fasting. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said,
“The most excellent fast after Ramadan is Allah’s month.”1
This makes fasting in Muharram, especially on the day of ‘Ashura (10th Muharram), highly recommended.
When the Prophet ﷺ was informed that the Day of ‘Ashura was the same day Allah ﷻ saved Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) and the Children of Israel from Pharaoh and his tyranny, he observed a fast out of gratitude to Allah 2. This1 fasting was not in mourning, but an act of thankfulness and devotion.
Indeed, the martyrdom of Sayyidna Husayn ibn Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) – the beloved grandson of the Prophet ﷺ – was a tragic and painful event for the entire Muslim Ummah. However, the righteous predecessors (Salaf al-Saliheen), including the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, did not commemorate Muharram with mourning, lamentation, or rituals of grief.
They honored this month through worship, particularly fasting, not through cultural practices of sorrow or public mourning. Let us revive the Sunnah of worship in this sacred month, reflecting on the lessons of gratitude, sacrifice, and obedience to Allah, rather than turning it into a time of mourning that has no basis in the Prophet’s ﷺ teachings.
- [ Sahih Muslim 1163a] ↩︎
