Muharram and ʿĀshūra in the age of unabated genocide

Our Islamic twelve months of the year were not chosen by human hands, but by the Creator of the Universe at the dawn of creation.

Allah says,

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ

Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve months in the Book of Allah, from the day He created the Heavens and the Earth; among them, four are sacred…” [1]

Three of them follow in sequence: Dhul Qa’dah, Dhul Hijjah, and Muharram. The fourth stands alone — Rajab.

In all of these months, fighting was traditionally forbidden, recognising that even in conflict, lines must not be crossed.

That is why Allah says,

فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ

So do not wrong yourselves during them.” [1]

Every month demands caution, but in these months good deeds are amplified and sins are heavier.

Beginning of the Hijri calendar

From the twelve months, only one was singled out with the honorary title of Shahrullāh (the month of Allah), and that is the month we are in now: Muharram.

Similarly, if you ask about the month that the Companions chose as the beginning of the Islamic year, it is also this month, Muharram.

During the reign of ‘Umar (radiy Allāhu ʿanhu), the Islamic empire grew exponentially, causing them to encounter new challenges. Of them were the many important documents that were arriving into the Islamic state without complete dates.

While the months and days of the calendar were well established, the Companions still faced the problem of properly chronicling events on a yearly basis, seeing that it was unknown as to which year they were referring.

A legal document was delivered to ‘Umar which had the month of Sha’bān written on it; and he asked,

Is this the Sha’bān of last year or this coming year?” [2]

Then he said to the Companions:

Let us determine an epoch for the people to use.” [2]

‘Umar then gathered his advisors. Some suggested using the calendar of the Persians or Romans, but ‘Umar detested the idea.

Some suggested using the birth of the Prophet ﷺ as the starting point of the era. Others suggested basing it on the date of the first revelation that came to him, whilst others suggested his death.

‘Umar did not favour any of these opinions, particularly because their dates were not definitively known.

When each had given their view, ‘Umar said,

الهجرة فرَّقت بين الحق والباطل، فأرِّخوا بها

The Hijrah separated truth from falsehood, so begin your calendar with it.” [2]

Choosing Muharram as the start of the year

The Migration (Hijrah) was the ultimate turning point in the Prophetic story, lifting from the Muslims persecution and granting them land from which they could gather themselves, conduct their affairs, and form the very first state of Islam.

As a result, the date of the Migration became a matter of consensus amongst the Companions. It was thus a fixed point from which the first year of the calendar (1 AH) was determined.

Now that a starting point was agreed upon, what remained was to decide what month to begin the year with. Some suggested Ramadan while others suggested Muharram. They decided to go with the latter, though Rabbi al-Awwal is, according to the majority of historians, when the Migration took place.

Ibn Hajar explains:

وإنما أخروه من الربيع الأول إلى المحرم؛ لأن ابتداء العزم على الهجرة كان في المحرم [..]فناسب أن يُجعل

They chose not to opt for the month of Rabbi’ al-Awwal, opting for Muharram instead because the resolve to migrate was set in Muharram.” [3]

Furthermore, as most Muslims during that time would go to Hajj every year in Dhul Hijjah, the month of Muharram depicted a new beginning after having their sins erased. So, it made perfect sense to start the Islamic year with Muharram, signifying spiritual rebirth.

Best month in which to fast (after Ramadan)

If you ask about the most virtuous month for fasting after Ramadan, it is Muharram.

The Prophet ﷺ said,

أَفْضَلُ الصِّيَامِ بَعْدَ رَمَضَانَ شَهْرُ اللهِ الْمُحَرَّمُ

The best fasting after Ramadan is in the Month of Allah, al-Muharram.” [4]

In fact, there was one day in this month for which the Prophet ﷺ showed special care: the tenth, the Day of ʿĀshūra’.

Ibn ʿAbbās said,

مَا رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا يَتَحَرَّى فَضْلَهُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ إِلَّا هَذَا الْيَوْمَ، يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاء، وَهَذَا الشَّهْرَ، يَعْنِي شَهْرَ رَمَضَانَ

I never saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ so keen to fast any day, seeking its virtue, more than the Day of ʿĀshūra’ and this month — meaning Ramadan.” [5a] [5b]

The Prophet ﷺ had already been fasting this day from as early as his time in Makkah, well before Ramadan was obligated.

Ā’ishah (radiy Allāhu ʿanha) said,

كَانَت قُرَيْشٌ تَصُومُ عَاشُورَاءَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَصُومُهُ

Quraysh used to fast ʿĀshūra’ in the pre-Islamic period, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to fast it as well.” [6]

Some said it was the day Allah saved Nūh (ʿalayhi al-Salām) and the Ark came to rest on Mount Jūdī. Others reported that Quraysh, after committing a great sin, were told by Jews and Christians: “You will not be forgiven, except by fasting ʿĀshūra’.” So they fasted it in repentance.

Significance of fasting on ʿĀshūra’

Then came the migration to Madinah. Upon his arrival, the Prophet ﷺ saw the Jews fasting the 10^th.

He asked why, to which they replied:

هَذَا يَوْمٌ أَنْجَى اللَّهُ فِيهِ مُوسَى وَقَوْمَهُ، وَأَغْرَقَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَقَوْمَهُ، فَصَامَهُ مُوسَى شُكْرًا، فَنَحْنُ نَصُومُهُ

This is the day Allah saved Mūsā and his people and drowned Pharaoh and his people. So Mūsā fasted it in gratitude, and we fast it too.” [7a] [7b]

The Prophet ﷺ responded:

نَحْنُ أَحَقُّ بِمُوسَى مِنْكُمْ

We are more entitled to Mūsā than you.” [7a] [7b]

So he fasted it and ordered others to fast.

In fact, the Prophet ﷺ instructed a man from the tribe of Aslam to call out:

مَن كانَ أكَلَ فَلْيَصُمْ بَقِيَّةَ يَومِهِ، ومَن لَمْ يَكُنْ أكَلَ فَلْيَصُمْ، فإنَّ اليومَ يَوْمُ عَاشُورَاءَ

Whoever has eaten, let him fast the rest of the day. Whoever has not eaten, let him fast. Today is the Day of ʿĀshūra’.” [8a] [8b]

Later, when fasting in Ramadan was made obligatory, the Prophet ﷺ said,

مَنْ شَاءَ صَامَهُ وَمَنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَه

Whoever wishes to fast it may fast, and whoever wishes to leave it may leave it.” [9]

But he (ﷺ) never abandoned the fast.

In fact, he would say,

وصيام يوم عاشوراء أَحْتَسِبُ على الله أن يكفِّر السَّنة التي قبله

I anticipate from Allah that it will expiate the sins of the year before it.” [10]

Even the Companions made it a practice to fast this day with their families, enabling their children to fast by distracting them with toys made of wool to help complete the day.

Forging a new identity

It is important to understand — as noted by al-Qurtubi and others — that the Prophet ﷺ did not fast the Day of ʿĀshūra’ out of imitation of the Jews, but to draw hearts. He (ﷺ) began his mission with alignment, in the hope of highlighting to the Jewish community the continuity with the prophets that came before.

He prayed toward Bayt al-Maqdis in the early days of Madinah with the same purpose: to soften hearts, to build a bridge, to remind the People of the Book that his message was familiar, not foreign.

However, by the 10^th year after Hijrah, the Prophet ﷺ performed his one and only Hajj, and during it, some of the final verses of revelation descended:

ٱلۡيَوۡمَ أَكۡمَلۡتُ لَكُمۡ دِينَكُمۡ وَأَتۡمَمۡتُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ نِعۡمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡإِسۡلَٰمَ دِينٗا

This day I have perfected for you your religion, completed My favour upon you, and approved for you Islam as your religion.” [11]

Seeing that the mission was complete and the Ummah was ready, the Prophet ﷺ turned to something urgent and defining: forging a distinct Muslim identity.

He (ﷺ) said,

خَالِفُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ

Oppose the polytheists.” [12]

Far from being an invitation to hostility, it was in fact a call to clarity and dignity. It was as if to say: you have your own prayer, your own direction, your own fast. It is time for you to stand on your own moral and religious footing.

In fact, the Jews of Madinah noticed this and said,

ما يريد هذا الرجل أن يدع من أمرنا شيئًا إلا خالفنا فيه

This man does not want to leave anything of our way without opposing us in it!” [13]

In keeping with this vision of distinction and dignity, the Prophet ﷺ said and instructed,

لَئِنْ بَقِيتُ إِلَىٰ قَابِلٍ لَأَصُومَنَّ التَّاسِعَ

If I live until next year, I will fast the ninth.” [14]

But he (ﷺ) passed away just three months after returning from that Hajj, not living to fast the 9^th as he intended and instructed the Ummah — i.e. to fast a day before or after the 10^th. This marked the final phase in the evolution of ʿĀshūra’.

This, then, is the path of ʿĀshūra’; its meaning, its practice, and the stages it passed through, till it became part of the religious and moral fabric of this Ummah.

However, to stop at history and legalities would be to miss the deeper current running beneath this day, particularly those that speak to an Ummah that is heartbroken, bleeding in Gaza and elsewhere, yet finding its feet.

No Pharaoh reigns forever

This is one of the central messages of Muharram. The tyrant always falls. Eventually.

Prophet Mūsā’s experience on the Day of ʿĀshūra’ is a yearly reminder that no empire or entity of injustice — no matter how powerful, influential, or entrenched — escapes the reckoning of Allah.

Centuries later, on that same day, another tragedy unfolded. A beloved grandson of the Messenger of Allah was slain in the sands of Karbalā’.

al-Husayn ibn ‘Alī (radiy Allāhu ‘anhum) stood for truth in the face of power and refused to legitimise tyranny. For that, he was betrayed, encircled, and murdered — along with his companions and family.

But as history has shown again and again: blood spilled in truth does not vanish, and those who carried out or enabled the killing of al-Husayn did not escape the consequences, as Ibn Kathīr states:

قل من نجا منهم في الدنيا إلا أصيب بمرض ، وأكثرهم أصابه الجنون

Hardly any of them made it through this world without falling ill — and most ended up losing their minds.” [15]

None were left untouched, as Allah promises:

مَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا يُجْزَ بِهِ

Whoever commits evil will be repaid for it…” [16]

ʿĀshūra is an annual reminder that every tyrant falls, and that though the arc of justice may be long, it is certain.

وَلَتَعۡلَمُنَّ نَبَأَهُۥ بَعۡدَ حِينٍ

And you will surely know its truth after a time.” [17]

Exhaust every avenue and strategy

Having said the above, we often hear it said that tyranny is bound to fall, and whilst this is certain, it does not excuse inaction or the comfortable delusion that justice will arrive on its own.

This is the second message we take from the month of Muharram. The victory of Mūsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) did not descend from the sky unearned. It came after he exhausted every possible means.

He stood before Pharaoh, spoke truth to power, educated his community, raised them upon īmān, led his people out in the night, reached the shore with an army at his back and a sea before him — and only then, when every human effort had been made, did Allah split the sea.

Similarly, we — the true heirs of Mūsā — must walk to the water and not freeze when the Pharaohs approach. Even as they censor truth, tarnish the names of the innocent, hurl false accusations, threaten livelihoods, and invert the narrative (painting the victim as the aggressor), we mustn’t look back, even when every calculation tells us there is nowhere left to go!

Muharram’s reality check is that Mūsā himself once stood where we stand today: at the edge of the sea with no clue as to what happens next. At that moment where the universe held its breath, his words were immortalised in the Qur’ān for us to carry, for us to speak today when we, too, are cornered:

كَلَّاۚ إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهۡدِينِ

No. Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me.” [18]

So, chase the means of resisting oppression as though everything depends on you, whilst trusting Allah’s All-Capable intervention as though nothing depends on you.

Allah’s aid in the most unexpected of ways

When the above is achieved, Allah often miraculously turns the very tools of oppression into tools of salvation. The sea that saved Mūsā was the same sea that destroyed Pharaoh.

One path, two fates, as Allah says:

وَأَنجَيۡنَا مُوسَىٰ وَمَن مَّعَهُۥٓ أَجۡمَعِينَ * ثُمَّ أَغۡرَقۡنَا ٱلۡأٓخَرِينَ

And We saved Mūsā and those with him, all together. Then We drowned the others.” [19]

One ocean carried the oppressed to freedom. The same ocean buried the tyrant. This is the might of Allah, when the same instrument becomes both mercy and reckoning, hence why the next verse reads:

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةٗۖ

Indeed, in that is a sign…” [20]

Today, are we not witness to this Divine pattern?

In Palestine, the very violence meant to break people into silence is what is awakening the hearts of the world. The censorship designed to erase the truth is what is making it go viral.

The compulsive lies have become the clearest cause of truth. The bans, the threats, the career cancellations, the frozen bank accounts — they are not producing fear, as one would think, but courage.

And this takes me to the final point below.

With every rising tyrant, reformers are born

Pharaohs fall and new Pharaohs rise. One tyrant is buried; another takes his place. One firebrand of chaos is extinguished; another is lit…

But this pattern is not just reserved for the oppressors, as every time a prophet is taken by Allah or a righteous soul departs, a new bearer of the truth emerges!

For every Pharaoh, there is a Mūsā. For every apartheid South Africa, a Mandela.
For every Crusader, a Salāh al-Dīn. For every colonial empire, a freedom fighter.
And for every genocidal machine, the conscience of the free that is impossible to silence.

This is by design — Sunnat al-Mudāfa‘ah (the law of push and pull) — it is Divine, and balance is always restored.

Likewise for Islam, the relaying of its truth will continue, as the Prophet ﷺ said:

لا تَزَالَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي ظَاهِرِينَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ مَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ وَلَا مَنْ خَذَلَهُمْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ وَهُمْ عَلَى ذَٰلِكَ

There will always remain a group of my Ummah manifest upon the truth.

They will not be harmed by those who oppose them, nor by those who forsake them — until the command of Allah comes and they are upon that.” [21]

The temptation is to romanticise such people — to stand on the sidelines, waiting for a hero to emerge, admiring their courage from afar while quietly excusing ourselves from duty.

But Muharram is not a month for spectators, but an annual summons to break free from the paralysis of admiration, and to become of those we admire. To not merely marvel at their lineage of courage but to step into it, so that when the Earth is finally filled with justice — whether during your lifetime or otherwise — your name is among those written with Allah.

Source: Islam21c

Notes

[1] al-Qur’ān, 9:36

]2[ al-Tabarī, Tārīkh al-Rusūl wa-l-Mulūk

[3] Fath al-Bārī

[4] Muslim; https://sunnah.com/muslim:1163a

]5a] al-Bukhārī; https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2006

[5b] Muslim; https://sunnah.com/muslim:1132a

[6] al-Bukhārī; https://sunnah.com/bukhari:1893

[7a] al-Bukhārī; https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3397

[7b] Muslim; https://sunnah.com/muslim:1130c

[8a] al-Bukhārī; https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7265