Monday marks the Day of Ashura which is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wassalam was asked about the fast of the Day of Ashura and he replied saying, ‘it expiates the sins of the previous year’. The expiation mentioned in this hadith is regarding minor sins whereas any major sins committed require specific repentance. When the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wassalam came to Madinah, he saw the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Ashura. He said, “What is this?” They said, “This is a good day, this is the day when Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy and Musa fasted on this day.” He said, “We are closer to Musa than you.” So he fasted on this day and told the people to fast. In order to differentiate the fast from that of the Jews and Christians, the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wassalam said that ‘Next year, if Allah wills, we will fast on the 9th day’. However, the Prophet had passed away before the next ‘Ashura. Based on this, the scholars have said it is recommended to fast the 9th and the 10th day of Muharram. May Allah bless us with the fasting of Ashura and may He purify us and forgive our sins, ameen.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 09:30:49 +0000