Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar, marking the start of the Islamic New Year and one of the four sacred months where warfare is forbidden, with the 10th of Muharram being the special day because it is the day on which Allah saved Prophet Moosa (Moses) peace be upon him and drowned the people of Pharaoh so Prophet Moosa fasted in gratitude to Allah and this day is called Ashura and the Prophet peace be upon him has told us to fast on the 10th of muharram and also fast a day before to be different from the Jewish people.
Prophet Muhammad’s grandson hussain was also martered on the 10th of Muharram. The Prophet peace be uon him knew one of his beloved grandsons will be martered and the othergrandson, Hassan, would make peace between the Muslims. However the Prophet peace be upon him did not tell us to morn the death of his grandson. We must take lessons from his marterdom and his bravery but 10th of muharram is about Allah saving Prophet Musa (Moses) from pharoah and his army.
Here’s a more detailed explanation and what to do in Muharram:
Muharram is one of the Sacred Months of Islam
Allah says:
“Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein.” [al-Tawbah 9:36]
Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The year is twelve months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dhul-Qadah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumaada and Shabaan.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2958).
Muharram is so called because it is a sacred (Muharram) month and to confirm its sanctity.
This means do not wrong yourselves in the sacred months because committing sins in these months are worse than committing sins in other months
Allah says: “so wrong not yourselves therein”
It was reported that Ibn Abbaas said that this phrase (so wrong not yourselves therein) referred to all the months, then these four were singled out and made sacred, so that sin in these months is more serious and good deeds bring a greater reward.
What should A muslim do during Muharram
Muslims should exert themselves to do more voluntery fasts in the month of Muharram and exert themselves even more more to stay away fron sin. Muslims should expecially fast on the 9th and 10th of Muharram . The 10th being the day of Ashoora.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best of fasting after Ramadaan is fasting Allah’s month of Muharram.” (reported by Muslim, 1982).
The phrase Allah’s month, connecting the name of the month to the name of Allah in a genitive grammatical structure, signifies the importance of the month. Al-Qaari said: The apparent meaning is all of the month of Muharram. But it was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) never fasted any whole month apart from Ramadan, so this hadeeth is probably meant to encourage increasing one’s fasting during Muharram, without meaning that one should fast for the entire month.
It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to fast more in Shabaan. It is likely that the virtue of Muharram was not revealed to him until the end of his life, before he was able to fast during this month. (Sharh al-Nawawi ala Saheeh Muslim).
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/Ashura’.) 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
It was what was reported by Ibn Abbaas, who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to fast Aashooraa the tenth day of Muharram. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, who said, a saheeh hasan hadeeth).
Abd-Allaah ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) fasted on the day of Ashoora and told the people to fast, they said, O Messenger of Allaah, this is a day that is venerated by the Jews and Christians. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, Next year, if Allaah wills, we will fast on the ninth day.But by the time the following year came, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had passed away.(Narrated by Muslim, 1916.)
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/Ashura’.) 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)
Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I never saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) so keen to make sure he fasted any day and preferring it over another except this day, the day of Ashoora and this month meaning Ramadaan. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1867)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: For fasting the day of Aashooraa, I hope that Allaah will accept it as expiation for the year that went before. (Reported by Muslim, 1976).
This showsi t is recomended to fast the 9th (Taasooaa) and 10th (Ashoorah) of Muharram. Muslims should fast the 9th also in order to be different from the Jews if one is not able to fast the 9th he/she fast the 10th and 11th.
Ashura in History
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).
Therefore Initially Fasting on Ashura was compulsary but when Allah order Muslim to fast the Month of Ramadan the fast of Ashoora became non obligatory so whoever wished to fast could fast and who ever did not wish to fast did not have to fast.
Women who are menstruating or bleeding following childbirth, or those who are sick or are travelling
Obviously some people want to fast on Ashura but can not fast due to menstruction, post partum bleeding, sickness or because they are traveling. Some scholars say that since Aashoora occurs on a specific day it cannot be made up. So people who would have fasted had they not been sick, menstrauting, suffering from post partum bleeding or had not been on a traveling on a journey, they will be rewarded the same as the people fasting due to their intention of fasting
Abu Moosa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “If a person falls sick or travels, he will have a reward recorded for him like that of what he used to do when he was at home and was healthy.” al-Bukhaari (2996)
Some misconceptions and baseless traditions
Some people regard mahrem to be an evil or unlucky month because of the marterdom of the Prophets grandson Hussain and atribute the sanctity of Ashura to him being killed on that day. However this is baseless because the sanctity of Ashura was established during the Prophet peace be upon hims lifetime, These people also morn and lament and hold special cermonies for this were they hit and wip themselves.This is against Islam
Marterdom has agreat reward in Islam and this is what Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him) obtained.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) has forbidden us from holding mourning ceremonies on the death of any person, which was the practice of the people of jahiliyyah (ignorance).
Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “He is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, rends his garment, or cries with the cry of the Jaahiliyyah.” Al-Bukhaari (1294) and Muslim (103)
he Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not do them, nor did any of his companions. None of his companions did them when he or anyone else died, although the loss of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was greater than the death of al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him).
Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Every Muslim should mourn the killing of al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), for he is one of the leaders of the Muslims, one of the scholars of the Sahaabah, and the son of the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who was the best of his daughters. He was a devoted worshipper, and a courageous and generous man. But there is nothing good in what the Shi’ah do of expressing distress and grief, most of which may be done in order to show off. His father was better than him and he was killed, but they do not take his death as an anniversary as they do with the death of al-Husayn. His father was killed on a Friday as he was leaving the mosque after Fajr prayer, on the seventeenth of Ramadaan in 40 AH. ‘Uthmaan was better than ‘Ali according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, and he was killed when he was besieged in his house during the days of al-Tashreeq in Dhu’l-Hijjah of 36 AH, with his throat cut from one jugular vein to the other, but the people did not take his death as an anniversary. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab was better than ‘Ali and ‘Uthmaan, and he was killed as he was standing in the mihraab, praying Fajr and reciting Qur’aan, but the people did not take his death as an anniversary. Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq was better than him but the people did not take his death as an anniversary. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the leader of the sons of Adam in this world and the Hereafter, and Allah took him to Him as the Prophets died before him, but no one took the dates of their deaths as anniversaries on which they do what these ignorant Raafidis do on the day that al-Husayn was killed. … The best that can be said when remembering these and similar calamities is that which ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn narrated from his grandfather the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said: “There is no Muslim who is afflicted by a calamity and when he remembers it, even if it was in the dim and distant past, he says Inna Lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon (verily to Allah we belong and unto Him is our return), but Allah will give him a reward like that of the day when it befell him.”
Narrated by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Majaah, end quote from al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah (8/221).