‘ashura and what it means for us
In the Islamic tradition, the 10th of Muharram is known as the ‘Ashura. For some of us, the word may conjure in our minds’ eye sordid scenes of self-mutilation rituals to mourn the martyrdom of Hussayn (may Allah be pleased with him). All this because we overlook a basic Islamic principle: no historic event holds any significance in Islam just because you and I confer it importance out of our love and adoration for someone; anyone.
Offerings to Hussayn (may Allah be pleased with him) as a gesture of mourning. We seek refuge in Allah from such innovations.
Time is the creation of Allah. Only He can confer holiness to any second, minute, or day. Even then, it cannot be celebrated beyond the degree of virtue granted it by Allah. The two days of Eid, the month of Ramadan, the days of Tashreeq (11, 12, 13 of Dhul Hijja), and the day of ‘Ashura are some examples.
The Prophet’s (may blessings be upon him) birthday, the day he migrated to Madina, the day of the battle of Badr (Yaum al-Furqan) are historic days, and no believer will discount that, but the fact is that they never held any extant religious value in Islam.
This distinction must be made.
The Day of ‘Ashura
The ‘Ashura is important to all believers because the Prophet (may blessings be upon him) gave it importance.
He fasted on this day throughout most of his life and enjoined the believers to do the same. These two factors, i.e., muwazabat (perpetual practice of the Prophet (may blessings be upon him)) and amr (enjoining) are enough to prove the status of wujub if not compulsory for fasting on ‘Ashura as it has for many other Islamic practices.
But the Prophet (may blessings be upon him) announced in the hadith that the ‘Ashura is an optional fast and not compulsory [1] to clarify its legal status and so that the umma does not misinterpret the Prophet’s (may blessings be upon him) perpetual practice and enjoining fasting on ‘Ashura as proof that it is wajib or compulsory.
Some of the predecessors still hold that view, though it has never been the majority opinion. Imam Shafi states that Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) seems to have leaned toward the wujub of ‘Ashura prior to the revelation of fasting of Ramadan as indicated in her words, “When fasting in Ramadan became compulsory, he then let go of fasting in ‘Ashura.”[2] Imam Abu Hanifa is also of the opinion that ‘Ashura was wajib until it’s abrogation by the revelation of fasting in Ramadan.[3]
Notwithstanding that it is not wajib, fasting on the ‘Ashura is still highly emphasized in the hadith. The Prophet (may blessings be upon him) once said to a Sahabi, “Tell your people to fast on this day of ‘Ashura.”
He replied, “But they have eaten.”
The Prophet (may blessings be upon him) said, “Even if they have already eaten.”[4]
In another hadith in the Musannaf of Abdul Razzaq, the Prophet (may blessings be upon him) asked an unnamed sahabi,
“Did you eat anything today?”
He replied, “No, but I did drink water.”
The Prophet (may blessings be upon him) said, “Don’t eat anything from now on to sunset and tell the others behind you [i.e., the tribe you left behind] to fast on this day.”[5]
According to many hadith, the Prophet (may blessings be upon him) fasted with Quraysh on ‘Ashura before prophethood and continued to do so after prophethood and also after migrating to Madina Munawwara.[6] In fact, the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas states that the Prophet (may blessings be upon him) looked forward to the coming of ‘Ashura so he could fast on it.[7]
This tradition continued with the Sahaba. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sent out letters to the officials to fast on ‘Ashura. He wrote to Harith bin al-Hisham (ra) [8] during his khilafat, “Tomorrow is ‘Ashura so fast and order your family to fast.”[9]
It is not clear why Quraysh fasted on ‘Ashura, but Allama ‘Ayni says that the Quraysh would drape the Ka‘ba annually with a newly embroidered covering (as they do now), and that the ceremony would take place on the day of ‘Ashura because ‘it was one of the sacred days.’[10]
Cover of Ka’ba (also known as the kiswah)
The hadith is nevertheless proof that ‘Ashura was as holy to the pagans as it was to the Jewish community in Madina Munawwara, and as we will learn in the next hadith, the Christians to the south of Hijaz in Najran. The consensus on the sanctity of ‘Ashura among both the mono- and polytheists of the Arabian Peninsula in Jahiliyya could be due to several reasons which is beyond the scope of this article. But the historical events attributed to this day most certainly have something to do with it.
In my last article Don’t burn in the Melting Pot I had elaborated on adhering to our Islamic identity. The Prophet (may blessings be upon him) put this principle to practice in ‘Ashura. In the last year before he passed away, he was informed that the Yahud and Nasara also celebrate it. He said, “If Allah wills, in the coming year we will fast on the 9th.”[11] According to the hadith of Muslim, the ‘Ashura was the Eid of the jews of Khayber and they dressed their women in beautiful attire and adorned them in jewelry on this day.[12]
When asked why they celebrate this day, they explained that it was the day Allah granted Musa (as) ascendance and Firaun was drowned in the sea. The Prophet (may blessings be upon him) said, “We have more right than you over Musa and more right to fast on this day than you.”[13]
Though this hadith indicates that the Prophet (may blessings be upon him) started fasting only after learning about the celebrations of the Yahud and their fasting on ‘Ashura, Qadi ‘Ayyaz explains that the Prophet (may blessings be upon him) had fasted since the Makkan period and his response to the Yahud was only to cite further evidence of his own practice [14] and to establish the unity of all the prophets.
The addition of the 9th was clearly an act of defiance to the Yahud and Nasara. Fasting on the 9th was not of any significance itself, but since it changed how we fast on the 10th, the Prophet (may blessings be upon him) gave it his blessing. In that case, one could reason that you should be able to fast on the 10th and 11th too since the said objective is fulfilled through the 9th or the 11th.
This is actually true.
Therefore, in the hadith of Ibn Khuzayma, the Prophet (may blessings be upon him) said, “Fast on the day of ‘Ashura and oppose the Yahud; fast one day before or one day after it.”[15]
Let us deduce another subtle point here. The Prophet (may blessings be upon him) fasted every year in ‘Ashura throughout his prophethood for 23 years. Even if we were to ungenerously add another 10 years from his pre-prophetic period, that would total 33 years of fasting on the day of ‘Ashura only. But the moment he was informed that the Jewish community fasted on this day, he promised to break his age-old routine [i.e. if he lived to the next year] just to oppose the ways of the Yahud.
A conceptual of the miraculous splitting of the Red sea
This point hits home the importance of non-assimilation.
In conclusion, fasting on ‘Ashura and one day before or after is Sunna. Its historical significance cannot trespass its boundaries to assume anything of religious significance.
It was the continuous practice of the Prophet (may blessings be upon him) and he encouraged it as did the Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) after him.
And that is enough for us.
May Allah give us the taufiq to do what pleases Him most.
[1] Muwatta, Siyam Yaum ‘Ashura, 1/299
[2] Ikhtilaf al-hadith, 8/610
[3] ‘Umdat al-Qari, al-zakat min al-Islam, 1/269
[4] al-Athar of Imam Abu Yusuf, p. 176
[5] Siyam Yaum ‘Ashura, 5/30
[6] Musnad al-Shafi, p. 161
[7] Ibn Khuzayma, fadeelat siyam Ashura, 3/287
[8] brother of Abu Jahl; he accepted Islam on the day of conquest of Makka
[9] Ibid
[10] ‘Umdat al-Qari, 9/234
[11] Muslim, 3/151
[12] Ibid, 3/150
[13] Bukhari, 3/1434
[14] Commentary of Sahih Muslim by Imam Nawawi, 8/11
[15] 3/290
