Al-a'shura and at-ta'sua (The ninth and tenth days of Muharam); remembering its Sunnah, caution against innovative worships and following the wrong doers

Ar - Risalah (The Message)

Monday, Muharram 9, 1441 (9/9/2019)
#Issue 6

As salamu alaekum warahmatullahi

Al-a'shura and at-ta'sua  (The ninth and tenth days of Muharam); remembering its Sunnah, caution against innovative worships and following the wrong doers.

Bismillah wa solat wa salam ala rosulilah.
In the name of Allah, May the benediction and peace of Allah be upon the prophet. We give thanks to Allah, the One who made Islam a blessing for us.
In every days, weeks and months of the year, there is always a blessing for Muslims.
This episode of Ar-risalah bothers on the;
–Remembering the Sunnah of the 9th and 10th days of Muharam.
–Cautious against innovative worships and following the wrong doers.

1. Remembering the Sunnah of the 9th and 10th days of Muharam.
The 10th day of Muharam is the most significant of the above. It is a blessed day which is equivalent to the day Prophet Musa(ASW) and the children of Isreal was freed from the autocratic leadership of Pharaoh. Historians have also deduced that the 10th day of Muharam is equivalent to the day Prophet Nuhu (ASW) left the Ark Allah asked him to build after the unbelievers had perished. Similarly, in islamic history, it was equivalent to the day our Prophet may the peace of Allah be upon him arrived Medina. In one of the traditions of the prophet may the peace of Allah be upon him related by Ibn Abass ( may Allah be pleased with him ) said: "The Prophet ( peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) came to Madinah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of 'Ashura' . He said, 'What is this?' They said, 'This is a righteous day, it is the day when Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemies, so Musa fasted on this day.' He (SAW) said, 'We have more right to Musa than you.' So he (SAW) fasted on that day and commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that day." [ al-Bukhari, 1865].

Ibn Abass also related; " I never saw the Messenger of Allah ( peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) so keen to fast any day and give it priority over any other than this day, the day of 'Ashura' , and this month, meaning Ramadhan." (Bukhari, 1867)
 √ Fasting on the Ninth day; the sunna of fasting on the ninth day is deduced from the tradition of the Prophet where the Prophet said;
 ' If I live until the next year, I will certainly fast on the ninth day' (Muslim 1134). Scholars gave two major reasons for this hadith in its explanation.
 The first was; Muslims should fast on the ninth day of Muharam to be different from the people of the book who also fast on this day. Infact the people of Quraish even fast on this day before the call of the Prophet. Aisha (RDT) related that the Prophet fasted in Mecca on this day before he migrated to Medina. So to be different from other religions was the main reason Muslims should fast on the 9th day.
 The second reason is to be on a safe side as to if there was a mistake in the counting of the days or sighting of the Moon.(see Al-fatwa al-kubra part6).

2. Caution against innovative worships and following the wrong doers
Any act of worship which is done even for the sake of Allah which is not on the path of the Prophet is in vain. There is no reason behind congregational prayers, congregational dinners, special prayers and night vigils on these days. Muslims should not exceed the limit set by the Prophet and the ones that followed the early Muslims.
Those we mean here as the wrong doers are the Shittes. They have a very tight connection with the day of Ashura. They mourn the death of Husayn Ibn Ali the grandson of the Prophet on this day. They engage in different types of mourning habits, like striking themselves with chains, knives, sword on different part of the body all in the name of mourning. As if that is not enough, they rain curses on Aisha the wife of the Prophet, Abu bakr, Umar and Uthman (may the peace of Allah be upon them). They go on pilgrim to the tomb of Husayn Ibn Ali and observe the prayer called; "ziyart al-ashura" facing the tomb of the Prophet's grandson.
Muslims should avoid celebration on this day lest they become a wrong doer.

3. Virtues of fasting on Al - 'ashura
Fasting the day of ‘Ashoora’ does expiate for the past year sins, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fasting the day of ‘Arafah' I hope Allaah will expiate thereby for the year before it and the year after it, and fasting the day of ‘Ashoora’ I hope Allaah will expiate thereby for the year that came before it.” Narrated by Muslim, 1162.

May Allah ease our Affairs.

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