I read that the correct day is the tenth day of the month of Tishrei
in the Hebrew calendar, and that the Umayyad caliphs are the ones who
changed it to the tenth day of the month of Muharram. Tishrei is the
first month of the Jewish calendar.
Praise be to Allah.
-1-
The fast of 'Aashoora', which we observe on the tenth day of the month
of Muharram, is the day on which Allah, may He be exalted, saved Moosa
(peace be upon him), and it is the day on which some of the Jews in
Madinah fasted because of that. It is also the day on which Allah
commanded the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to
fast at first, then the obligation to do so was abrogated when fasting
Ramadan was made obligatory, and fasting 'Aashoora' became mustahabb
(encouraged but not obligatory).
The claim that some of the Umayyad caliphs are the ones who put this
day in Muharram is a Raafidi claim. It is one of the many lies on
which their religion is based and it is part of their belief to
attribute all kinds of evil to the Umayyad caliphs and their era. If
the Umayyads had wanted to fabricate false hadeeths and attribute them
to Islam, they would have fabricated hadeeths that made the day of
'Aashoora' an Eid or festival! and not a day of fasting on which a
person refrains from eating, drinking and sex. Fasting is an act of
worship in which one refrains from permissible things, and Eid is a
celebration in which one partakes of those things.
-2-
There is no doubt that the arrival of the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) in Madinah, when he migrated, occurred in Rabee'
al-Awwal, not in Muharram. He saw some of the Jews fasting, and when
he asked them about this fast of theirs, they said: It is the day on
which Allah saved Moosa and those who were with him from drowning, so
we fast on this day in gratitude to Allah.
It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) that
when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came to
Madinah, he found them fasting on one day, i.e., 'Aashoora'. They
said: This is a great day; it is the day on which Allah saved Moosa
and drowned the people of Pharaoh, so Moosa fasted in gratitude to
Allah. He (the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him))
said: "I am closer to Moosa than they are." So he fasted on that day
and issued instructions to fast on that day.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3216
When he saw the Jews doing that, was it when he first came to Madinah
in Rabee' al-Awwal, or was it later on, in the month of Muharram?
There are two scholarly views; the more correct view is that his
seeing them, that discussion and that command to fast occurred in
Muharram, i.e., in the second year after he (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) arrived in Madinah, and from that we may conclude
that the Jews followed the lunar calendar in commemorating that day.
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Some people were confused by this and said: The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came to Madinah in the
month of Rabee' al-Awwal, so how come Ibn 'Abbaas said that when he
came to Madinah, he found the Jews fasting on the day of 'Aashoora'?
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the first issue, which is that when he came to Madinah,
he found them fasting on the day of 'Aashoora', this does not indicate
that on the day of his arrival he found them observing that fast. He
arrived on a Monday, the twelfth of Rabee' al-Awwal, but the first he
knew of that was in the second year after his arrival in Madinah, and
it did not happen when he was in Makkah. This is if the people of the
Book worked out the date for this fast according to the lunar
calendar.
Zaad al-Ma'aad fi Hadiy Khayr al-'Ibaad, 2/66
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The apparent meaning of the report was problematic to some people,
because it appears to mean that when the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) arrived in Madinah, he found the Jews fasting
the day of 'Aashoora', but he arrived in Madinah in Rabee' al-Awwal.
The answer to that is that what is meant is that his first knowing of
that and asking about it happened after he came to Madinah; he had no
knowledge of that before he came there. What the hadeeth implies is
that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came to
Madinah and stayed until the day of 'Aashoora', when he found the Jews
fasting on that day.
Fath al-Baari, 4/247
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Was the calendar that the Jews used for that fast of theirs based on
lunar or solar months?
If we say that it was based on lunar months, as stated above, then
there is no problem, because the tenth of Muharram does not change
every year. But if we say that it was based on solar months, then
there is a problem, because this day will change every year (in
relation to the lunar calendar) and will not always coincide with the
tenth day of Muharram.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned this difference
of opinion, and explained that he was of the view that their calendar
was based on the solar months, so when the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) saw the Jews fasting on that day, it was
in Rabee' al-Awwal when he first came to Madinah, and the date based
on the solar calendar coincided with his arrival. With regard to the
real day on which Allah saved Moosa, it was the tenth of Muharram, but
because they followed a solar calendar, they got the day wrong.
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If they followed the solar calendar, there is no confusion about the
meaning of the hadeeth, and the day on which Allah saved Moosa was the
day of 'Ashoora' in Muharram. Thus the people of the Book worked it
out according to a solar calendar, and that coincided with the
Prophet's arrival in Madinah in Rabee' al-Awwal. The fast observed by
the people of the Book was worked out according to a solar calendar,
whereas the Muslims' fast is according to the lunar calendar, as is
their pilgrimage and all important occasions that are obligatory or
recommended. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said: "We are closer to Moosa than you." Thus it becomes clear that
the Muslims should have a greater reason to venerate that day and work
out when it is, and that they (the Jews) got it wrong, because they
were using a solar calendar, as the Christians got it wrong with
regard to their fast, when they put it in a particular season of the
year, with the result that it could coincide with any lunar month.
Zaad al-Ma'aad fi Hadiy Khayr al-'Ibaad, 2/69, 70
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajr mentioned this possible interpretation, and refuted
it, and he refuted Ibn al-Qayyim's favouring of this view.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Some of the later scholars said: It may be that their fast was worked
out according to the solar calendar, which does not rule out the
possibility of 'Ashoora' occurring in Rabee' al-Awwal, which would
resolve the problem (of understanding the hadeeth) altogether. This
was stated by Ibn al-Qayyim inal-Hadiy, where he said: The fast
observed by the people of the Book was worked out according to a solar
calendar. But I say: What he claimed of the problem being resolved is
strange, because it leads to another problem, which is that the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed the
Muslims to fast 'Ashoora' according to the lunar calendar, and it is
known how the Muslims fasted 'Ashoora' in all eras: it was in Muharram
and not in any other month. Yes, I found a report in at-Tabaraani with
a jayyid isnaad from Zayd ibn Thaabit who said: The day of 'Ashoora'
is not the day people say it is; rather it is the day on which the
cover of the Ka'bah replaced and the Abyssinians play with swords and
other tools of war, and was not fixed in one (lunar) month. The people
used to go to So and so, the Jew, and ask him when it was; when he
died they came to Zayd ibn Thaabit and asked him.
Based on this, the way to reconcile the reports is to say that it was
originally like that (based on a solar calendar), then when the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed the
Muslims to fast 'Ashoora', he based it on the shar'i ruling, which is
to base it on the lunar calendar, and the Muslims followed that. But
with regard to the claim that the people of the Book based their fast
on a solar calendar, that is subject to further discussion. The Jews
base their fast on a lunar calendar, and this is what we have seen
them do. It may be that among them were some who followed a solar
calendar, but there are none who do that now, just as those of whom
Allah has told us that they said that 'Uzayr was a son of God no
longer exist. Exalted be Allah far above that.
Fath al-Baari, 7/267; see also 4/247
Elsewhere inFath al-Baari, al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar says, commenting on the
report of at-Tabaraani:
I came across something similar inal-Athaar al-Qadeemahby
Abu'r-Rayhaan al-Bayrooni, and what he said, in brief, was: the
ignorant among the Jews base their fasts and festivals on astronomical
calculations, so their year is solar, not lunar. I say: Hence they
need someone who has knowledge of such calculations, so that they can
rely on him for that purpose.
Fath al-Baari, 4/247, 248
With regard to the report of Zayd ibn Thaabit that was mentioned by
al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him), and to which he
responded, al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) has
discussed its isnaad and text.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This suggests that 'Ashoora' is
not in Muharram; rather its date is worked out according to the solar
calendar, as the people of the Book do, and this is contrary to the
practice of the Muslims in earlier times. Ibn Abi'z-Zinnaad is not to
be relied on in reports that are narrated only by him. He regarded the
entire hadeeth as being from Zayd ibn Thaabit, and the latter part of
it is not fit to be the words of Zayd, so perhaps that is the words of
another narrator. And Allah knows best.
Lataa'if al-Ma'aarif, p. 53
-4-
One may ask: how come the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) believe what the Jews said about the day of 'Ashoora' being
the day on which Moosa and those who were with him were saved? This is
what the Raafidis ask with evil ulterior motives, so as to cast
aspersions on the hadeeths which encourage fasting on the day of
'Ashoora', and so as to support their claim that this is one of the
innovations introduced by the Umayyads!
Al-Maaziri (may Allah have mercy on him) said concerning this issue
and the response to it:
What the Jews say is not to be accepted (and taken as true), so it may
be that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
received revelation that confirmed what they said, or that he heard
about that from many different sources, so that he concluded that it
was true. End quote.
This was quoted by an-Nawawi inSharh Muslim, 8/11
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Even though this fast was not originally intended to do the same as
the people of the Book, his saying, "We are closer to Moosa than you"
is a confirmation of the prescription to observe this the fast, and
explaining to the Jews that what you do of expressing love for Moosa,
we do too, and we are closer to Moosa than you.
Iqtida' as-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, p. 174
-5-
It should be noted that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) liked to do the same as the people of the Book in matters
concerning which he had not received any (divine) instructions; this
included the fast of 'Ashoora'.
It was narrated from 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used
tolet his hair fall over his foreheads; the mushrikeen used to part
their hair and the people of the Book used tolet their hair fall over
their foreheads, and the Prophet (sa) liked to do the same as the
people of the Book in matters concerning which he had not received any
(divine) instructions. Then (later on) the Prophet (sa) parted his
hair.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3728
It is a sign of Imam al-Bukhaari's understanding of the religion that
he narrated this hadeeth after the two hadeeths of Abu Moosa and Ibn
'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with them) that speak of the fast of
'Ashoora'.
Abu'l-'Abbaas al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The fact that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) fasted it ('Ashoora') may have come under the heading of
doing the same as them (the people of the Book) in that regard,
because that was a good deed.
It may be said that Allah, may He be exalted, gave him permission to
fast on that day, then when he came to Madinah, he found the Jews
fasting on that day, so he asked them about what motivated them to
observe that fast. They told him what Ibn 'Abbaas mentioned, that it
was a great day, on which Allah saved Moosa and his people, and
drowned Pharaoh and his people, so Moosa fasted that day in gratitude,
so we fast it too. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: "We have more right and are closer to Moosa than you." So
at that time he fasted this day in Madinah and issued instructions to
fast on that day, i.e., he made it obligatory to fast it and confirmed
his instructions, to such an extent that they would make little
children fast as well. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) adhered to that, as did his Companions, until the month of
Ramadan was made obligatory and fasting the day of 'Ashoora' was
abrogated. At that time he said: "Allah has not prescribed fasting
this day for you." Then he gave them the choice between fasting it or
not fasting it, but the virtue attached to it remained in place,
because he said "However I am fasting," as it says in the hadeeth of
Mu'aawiyah.
Based on that, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
did not fast the day of 'Ashoora' in emulation of the Jews, because he
used to fast it before he came to them and before he knew anything
about them; rather what happened was that he made it obligatory, in
hope of softening the Jews' hearts and win them over to Islam, just as
was the reason for facing towards their qiblah. That period was the
time when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) liked
to do the same as the people of the Book in matters that he had not
been forbidden to do so.
Al-Mufhim lima Ashkala min Talkhees Kitaab Muslim, 3/191-192
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Whatever the case, he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did
not fast it in emulation of them – i.e., the Jews – because he used to
fast it before that, and that was at the time when the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) liked to do the same as the
people of the Book in matters that he had not been forbidden to do so.
Fath al-Baari, 4/248
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We have seen above from the comments of the scholars that which
indicates that the day of 'Ashoora' was known to Quraysh and to the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in Makkah, and they
used to venerate it and indeed fast it. The Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) fasted it with them, and on that day they
used to put the new cover on the Ka'bah. So how can anyone, after all
this, falsely claim that 'Ashoora' is an Umayyad innovation at the
time when it is clearly mentioned in the proven, saheeh hadeeths?!
It was narrated that 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
Quraysh used to fast on 'Ashoora' during the Jaahiliyyah, and the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to
fast on (that day) too. When he migrated to Madinah, he fasted this
day and ordered that this fast be observed. When the month of Ramadaan
was enjoined, he said: "Whoever wishes may fast on (this day) and
whoever wishes may forsake it."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1794); Muslim (1125).
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the
people of the Jaahiliyyah used to fast on the day of 'Ashoora', and
the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and
the Muslims fasted it before Ramadaan was made obligatory. When the
month of Ramadaan was made obligatory, the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: " 'Ashoora' is one of
the days of Allah, so whoever wishes may fast it and whoever wishes
may omit it."
Narrated by Muslim (1126).
We have quoted the hadeeth of Ibn 'Umar here so as to refute the
Raafidis and those who followed them in their ignorance, who claim
that 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was the only one who
narrated the report about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) fasting 'Ashoora' in Makkah.
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) a report similar to
that of 'Aa'ishah concerning this matter. It was also narrated by
'Ubaydullah ibn 'Umar and Ayyoob, from Naafi', from Ibn 'Umar that he
said concerning the fast of 'Ashoora': The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) fasted it and instructed
(the people) to fast it.
At-Tamheed lima fi'l-Muwatta' min al-Ma'aani wa'l-Asaaneed, 7/207
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
What we conclude from these hadeeths is that during the Jaahiliyyah,
the kuffaar of Quraysh and others, and the Jews, fasted on the day of
'Ashoora'. Islam confirmed fasting on this day, then the ruling on
fasting it became less emphatic.
Sharh Muslim, 8/9, 10
Abu'l-'Abbaas al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The words of 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "Quryash used
to fast 'Ashoora' during the Jaahiliyyah," indicate that fasting on
this day was known to them to be prescribed and they were aware of its
virtue. Perhaps they fasted on that day on the grounds that it was
part of what was prescribed to Ibraaheem and Ismaa'eel (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon them), because they claimed to be following
them and they attributed many of the rulings of Hajj and so on to
them.
Al-Mufhim lima Ashkala min Talkhees Kitaab Muslim, 3/190, 191
For more information on the reasons why Quraysh fasted on that day,
please seeal-Mufassal fi Tareekh al-'Arab qabl al-Islam, 11/339, 340
-7-
Finally, what we have mentioned from the saheeh Sunnah about the
virtues of 'Ashoora', and the fact that fasting it expiates for the
sins of a year, and that its date is fixed, on the tenth of Muharram –
all of that is not unique to Ahl as-Sunnah. Rather it is also
mentioned in the main reference book of the Raafidis! So how can this
be reconciled with their claims that what we have
areisraa'eeliyyat(stories from Jewish sources), that were taken from
the Jews or invented by the Umayyads??
(i)
It was narrated from Abu 'Abdullah (peace be upon him) from his father
that 'Ali (peace be upon him) said: Fast 'Ashoora' in this manner, on
the ninth and the tenth, for it expiates the sins of a year.
Narrated by at-Toosi inTahdheeb al-Ahkaam, 4/299;al-Istibsaar, 2/134;
by al-Fayd al-Kaashaani inal-Waafi, 7/13; by al-Hurr al-'Aamili
inWasaa'il ash-Shi'ah, 7/337; by al-Buroojardi inJaami' Ahaadeeth
ash-Shi'ah, 9/474, 475.
(ii)
It was narrated from Abu'l-Hasan (peace be upon him) that he said: The
Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family)
fasted the day of 'Ashoora'.
Tahdheeb al-Ahkaam, 4/39;al-Istibsaar, 2/134;al-Waafi, 7/13;Wasaa'il
ash-Shi'ah, 7/337; also inJaami' Ahaadeeth ash-Shi'ah, 9/475
(iii)
It was narrated from Ja'far, from his father (peace be upon him) that
he said: Fasting the day of 'Ashoora' is an expiation for a year.
Tahdheeb al-Ahkaam,4/300;al-Istibsaar, 2/134;Jaami' Ahaadeeth
ash-Shi'ah, 9/475;al-Hadaa'iq an-Naadirah, 13/371;al-Waafiby
al-Kaashaani,7/13; al-Hurr al-'Aamili inWasaa'il ash-Shi'ah, 7/337
(iv)
It was narrated that 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Fast
the day of 'Ashoora', the ninth and the tenth to be on the safe side,
because that is expiation for the past year. If one of you did not
know about it before he ate, then let him fast for the rest of the
day.
This report was narrated by the Shi'i hadeeth scholar Husayn an-Noori
at-Tabrusi inMustadrak al-Wasaa'il, 1/594; and by al-Buroojardi
inAhaadeeth ash-Shi'ah, 9/475.
(v)
It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
When you see the new moon of Muharram, then count (the days), and when
the ninth day comes, then fast. I – that is, the narrator – said: Is
that how Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) used to fast? He
said: Yes.
This report was narrated by the Shi'i Radiy ad-Deen Abu'l-Qaasim 'Ali
ibn Moosa ibn Ja'far ibn Tawoos in his bookIqbaal al-A'maal, p. 554;
and by al-Hurr al-'Aamili inWasaa'il ash-Shi'ah, 7/347; and by
an-Noori at-Tabrusi inMustadrak al-Wasaa'il, 1/594; and inJaami'
Ahaadeeth ash-Shi'ah, 9/475.
We have quoted these reports and their sources from the bookMan qatala
al-Husayn (radiy Allah 'andhu)? by 'Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-'Azeez.
And Allah knows best.
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