The Month of Muharram – محرم الحرام

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ الأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ.

All Praise is due to Allah, we praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allah, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, peace and blessings on him, is His servant, and His messenger.

Dear Brothers and Sisters …

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Allah has given preference to some of his creation over others. From among mankind He chose the Messengers. From speech, He chose remembrance of Him, From among the places, He chose Mecca, Madinah and blessed the vicinity around Bayt Al Maqdis. From the days of the week, He chose Friday, and from among the nights, He chose Laylat al-Qadr. And from the months He chose Ramadan and the sacred months

Allah the Exalted designated four months as sacred the day that He created the skies and earth.

Al Tawbah 36-   Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve months in the register of Allah from the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them.

And the Prophet (ﷺ) specified these months in the Khutbah of the farewell hajj : “Time has completed its cycle and has come to the state of the day when Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year consists of twelve months of which four are inviolable; three of them consecutive – Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram and Rajab, the month of Mudar (tribe), which comes between Jumada and Sha’ban.

Muharram is described as “the month of Allah” and this indicates the respect that the month of Muharram deserves.  The believer must be guarded to respect a month respected by Allah and his Prophet (ﷺ)

Allah said referring to the sacred months: so do not wrong yourselves during them.

In this regard, Ibn Abbas said- Verily Allah has chosen four months from among the months. He has made them sacred. And has made the consequence of sin committed in them more serious. And has multiplied the reward of a good deed offered in them.

One should not wrong themselves at any time. One should avoid sinning at any time and should be particularly careful during the sacred months as the consequence of sin committed during them is more serious. For it combines disobedience of Allah with irreverence of what Allah has made inviolable.

So during Muharram a person should be extra careful to stay away from sin and disobedience. And distance himself from wrongdoing. And elevate himself from his whims and desires and the plots of the shaytan.

Among the greatest types of wronging oneself is associating others with Allah the exalted as Luqman said to his son:

Luqman 13 – “O my son, do not associate anything with Allah. Indeed, association with him is great injustice.”

A person should dedicate his worship solely for the pleasure of Allah not for some temporary worldly gain. He should fear only Allah. He should put his hopes only in Allah. If he asks, he should only ask Allah.

Also, should not wrong himself by leaving what Allah has ordained or committing what Allah has prohibited. Or by disobeying limits set by his Creator.

At-Talaq 1: And those are the set limits of Allah. And whosoever transgresses the set limits of Allah, then indeed he has wronged himself.

At the same time, one should strive to do all types of good deeds. For as Ibn Abbas mentioned, the reward of a good deed offered in the sacred months is multiplied. A Muslim during Muharram and at other times should draw closer to Allah through performing the obligatory deeds and performing plenty of nawafil (voluntary deeds).

And from among the best voluntary deeds is fasting. Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah said: The Fast is for Me and I will give the reward for it, as he (the one who observes the fast) leaves his sexual desire, food and drink for My Sake. Fasting is a screen (from Hell) and there are two pleasures for a fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord. And the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better in Allah’s Sight than the smell of musk. Sahih al-Bukhari 7492

https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7492

And the Prophet (ﷺ) singled out the fasting during the Month of Muharram.

Abu Haraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: The most excellent fast after Ramadan is God’s month. al-Muharram, and the most excellent prayer after what is prescribed is prayer during the night.  Sahih Muslim 1163a

https://sunnah.com/muslim:1163a

This indicates the great virtue of fasting some days (not all) of Muharram. From among the greatest bounties of Allah on His servants is that the last month of the year -the sacred of month of Dhul Hijjah- is a month of worship and obedience and that the first month of the year is a month of worship and obedience. By venerating these months and performing all types of good deeds, a Muslim concludes the year with the obedience of Allah and starts the year with obedience of Allah.

Fasting on the tenth day of Muharram which is called Ashurah is a virtuous. On that day Allah saved Musa from Pharoah so the Prophet of Allah Musa used to fast this day in gratitude to Allah.

Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) came to Medina and saw the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura. He asked them about that. They replied, “This is a good day, the day on which Allah rescued Bani Israel from their enemy. So, Moses fasted this day.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “We have more claim over Moses than you.” So, the Prophet fasted on that day and ordered (the Muslims) to fast (on that day). Sahih al-Bukhari 2004

https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2004

The Prophet (ﷺ) was keen to fast this day. As Narrated by Ibn `Abbas: “I do not know that the Prophet (ﷺ) fasted any day because of its virtue, except this day” meaning the month of Ramadan and the day of Ashura.

With regards to the reward for fasting this day, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Fasting the day of  Ashurah, I hope, will expiate for the sins of the previous year.”

That is, the minor sins of the previous year will be expiated.

This is a great bounty of Allah. Fasting one day expiates the sins of an entire year.

And from the Sunnah with regards to fasting the day of Ashura is to fast a day before. Ibn Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said “If I live until next year, I will fast the ninth day (of Muharram) too”.

I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon your Prophet as your Lord commanded:

Al Ahzaab (33) 56: Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace.

Allahumma Sallai Al’a Muahmmad’n wa’aila Muhammad

Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favours – He will increase you therein.  And seek forgiveness from Him – He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him – He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.

BY IMAM MCCIRLAM MAHBOOB RASOOL