Muharram
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Muharram (Arabic: محرم ) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sanctified months of the year. Fighting in this month is looked down upon and is often put to the side in respect for Islam. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar.
The first day of Muharram is the start of the Islamic Year. The Remembrance of Muharram takes place during this month. The Shia Muslims celebrate in a different way in which they commemorate the Battle of Karbala and consider this a month of sadness and mourning. The commemoration reaches its climax on the tenth day of Muharram, known as Ashurah.
This is the day Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad, was martyred along with his family members and friends in the Battle of Karbala. This day is also important in other religions. For example, it is related to the Jews as being the time when Moses crossed the Red Sea while escaping from Pharaoh. Sunni Muslims often fast on this sacred day.
The month of Muharram also has traditions which have no support from Islamic teachings. For example, the celebration of the Muslim new year, and the partying and card giving, etc, associated with it is considered to be a bidah and even haraam to all Shia muslims because they feel it is a time to mourn and it is haraam to express any happiness.
Muharram is so called because it was unlawful to fight during this month; the word is derived from the word ‘haram’ meaning forbidden. It is held to be the most sacred of all the months, excluding Ramadan. This month is most sacred to the Shi’a Muslim community and heavy mourning activities on the first ten days of the month are observed by Shi'a Muslims to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Muhammad. Some Muslims fast during these days but the Shi'a Muslims do not fast as they consider fasting a sign of happiness. The tenth day is called Ashurah, meaning, ‘the tenth’, and it is a day of voluntary fasting. The shia just stop eating and drinking but do not fast till the evening. The Sunni Muslims also fast during Muharram and on the ninth and the tenth day or the tenth and the eleventh day as recommended by Muhammad during his lifetime.
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[edit] Timing
The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Muharram migrates throughout the seasons. The estimated start and end dates for Muharram are as follows (all future dates are estimates):
- 1426 AH – First day: February 11, 2005; last day: March 11, 2005
- 1427 AH – First day: January 31, 2006; last day: March 1, 2006
- 1428 AH – First day: January 20, 2007; last day: February 18, 2007
- 1429 AH – First day: January 10, 2008; last day: February 8, 2008
[edit] Fasting During Muharram
The Prophet Muhammad was asked: "Which prayer is the best after the obligatory (five daily) prayers?"
He said: "Prayer during the middle of the night."
The Prophet was then asked: "Which fast is the best after the fast of Ramadan?"
He replied: "The (voluntary fasts during the) month of God that you call Muharram."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 125
[edit] Islamic Events
- On 1 Muharram, the Islamic New Year is observed by some Muslims.
- On 1 Muharram, Shi'ite Muslims begin the observance of the Commemoration of Muharram which marks the anniversary of the Battle of Karbala. Imam Husayn entered Karbala.
- On 7 Muharram, access to water was banned on Husayn by Yazid's order.
- On 10 Muharram, the Day of Ashurah is commemorated by Muslims as the anniversary of the martrydom of Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of Muhammad. But the Shi'ite Muslims attach much greater importance to this day.
- On 25 Muharram, Fourth Imam Hazrat Zain-ul-Abedin was poisoned.
- On 27 Muharram, Mesum was martyred.
