Question Summary:
How should we spend ashura and express condemnation towards the barbaric act of the kuffar in the battle of karbala? Question Detail:
Hope you are doing well I come from a very liberal family which has mixed religions and outside marriages in other sects including ahle tashieh. Ever since I have had religious inclination, started going on Tabligh I've had dozens of questions and reservations bombarded on me from my relatives especially those who are shia. Alhamdulilah I take guidance from the tablighi ulema here in Karachi and they have been absolutely brilliant in guiding me.
There's one question which I would really like your forum to address since you all are a pro supporter of unity in the ummah and follow the deobandi akabir. A lot of my friends quote maulana Tariq jameel sahab's various bayanaat on the sacrifices made in the battle of Karbala And the extent to which The Prophet PBUH used to love his grand children. It's not just maulana Tariq jameel's bayanaat but if i search other videos too on the internet then also many deobandi scholars narrate a similar account on the battle of Karbala.
My question is that given the historical narrations by Maulana and we believing in that event, how should we spend 9th and 10th Muharram? The ahle tashieh hazraat are like see, Maulana also narrates a similar account hence we are right and you should also do the same as we do. Even if the historical account what Maulana narrates and what ahle tashieh narrate is similar, that doesn't mean that the actions of ahle tashieh becomes right? If their actions are not right, then which actions are right? How should we spend ashura and these days of Muharram and how do we express are condemnation towards the barbaric act by the kuffar in the battle of Karbala?
Answer :
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
We commend you on your adherence to following the path of truth despite all odds against you. May Allah Taala keep you steadfast on his Deen.
Ashura is an arabic word meaning tenth. Ashura refers to the tenth day of Muharram. The basis of the sacredness of the day of Ashura is understood from the following hadith:
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، - رضى الله عنهما - أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَدِمَ الْمَدِينَةَ فَوَجَدَ الْيَهُودَ صِيَامًا يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَا هَذَا الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي تَصُومُونَهُ " . فَقَالُوا هَذَا يَوْمٌ عَظِيمٌ أَنْجَى اللَّهُ فِيهِ مُوسَى وَقَوْمَهُ وَغَرَّقَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَقَوْمَهُ فَصَامَهُ مُوسَى شُكْرًا فَنَحْنُ نَصُومُهُ . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " فَنَحْنُ أَحَقُّ وَأَوْلَى بِمُوسَى مِنْكُمْ " . فَصَامَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَمَرَ بِصِيَامِهِ
What is the (significance) of this day that you observe fast on it? They said: It is the day of great (significance) when Allah saved Musa عليه السلام and his people, and drowned the Pharaoh and his people, and Moses observed fast out of gratitude and we also observe it. Upon this the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: We have more right, and we have a closer connection with Moses than you have; so Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم observed fast (on the day of 'Ashura), and gave orders that it should be observed.1
Rasulullah صلي الله عليه وسلم encouraged fasting on the 10th of Muharram.
Consider the following hadith:
أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا، قَالَتْ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَأْمُرُ بِصِيَامِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُفْرَضَ رَمَضَانُ، فَلَمَّا فُرِضَ رَمَضَانُ، كَانَ مَنْ شَاءَ صَامَ يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ وَمَنْ شَاءَ أَفْطَرَ
'A'isha رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا reported that the Quraish used to fast on the day of 'Ashura in the pre-Islamic days and the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ also observed it. When he migrated to Madina, he himself observed this fast and commanded (others) to observe it. But when fasting during the month of Ramadan was made obligatory he said: He who wishes to observe this fast may do so, and he who wishes to abandon it may do so.2
When fasting on the day of Ashura, it is also advisable to fast one day before or one day after the day of Ashura to avoid imitating the Jews.
See the following hadith:
عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا، يَقُولُ: حِينَ صَامَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ وَأَمَرَ بِصِيَامِهِ قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنَّهُ يَوْمٌ تُعَظِّمُهُ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: فَإِذَا كَانَ الْعَامُ الْمُقْبِلُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ صُمْنَا الْيَوْمَ التَّاسِعَ قَالَ: فَلَمْ يَأْتِ الْعَامُ الْمُقْبِلُ، حَتَّى تُوُفِّيَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا reported that when the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ fasted on the day of 'Ashura and commanded that it should be observed as a fast, they (his Companions) said to him: Messenger of Allah, it is a day which the Jews and Christians hold in high esteem. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: When the next year comes, God willing, we would observe fast on the 9th But the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ died before the advent of the next year.3
One should adhere to the Sunnah of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and also reflect how Allah Taala liberated the Banu Israeel from the oppression and tyranny of Firoun on this day.
The martyrdom of Hazrat Husain رضي الله عنه was indeed one of the darkest aspects of Islamic history, however the sacredness of the day of Ashura was before the martyrdom of Hazrat Husain رضي الله عنه . It is incorrect to make the martyrdom of Hazrat Husain رضي الله عنه the focus of the day of Ashura.
Furthermore, Islam has prohibited mourning the death of a person for more than three days, except the mourning a widow has to observe for her deceased husband.
Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم emphasized this point as follows:
لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ ضَرَبَ الْخُدُودَ، وَشَقَّ الْجُيُوبَ، وَدَعَا بِدَعْوَى الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ ".
“He is not from our group who slaps his checks, tears his clothes and cries in the manner of the people of jahiliyyah”4
It is therefore, haraam and totally un-Islamic to observe any type of mourning on the day of Ashura, or anytime during the month of Muharram, especially the mad, wild actions of people who beat and bludgeon themselves as part of their Ashura ritual. These are baatil practices and acts of deviation that have nothing to do with Islam. It is natural for any true believer to feel the pain of Hazrat Husains رضي الله عنه death.
However, the incident of Karbala is not recorded by historians and not by eye witnesses. Such historical facts are not absolute.
In response to the various accusations against Hazrat Muawiyyah and Yazid رضي الله عنهم we follow the following guidance of the Quran.
تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُمْ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
Those people that have passed away; for them is what they earned and for you what you earn; and you will not be questioned for what they did.5
رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ
And those who came after them say: "Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are verily full of kindness, Most Merciful.6
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Huzaifah Deedat
Student Darul Iftaa
Lusaka, Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
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(مسلم-1125)1
(مسلم -1125) 2
(مسلم -1134)3
(بخاري -1297)4
5(البقرة: 134)
(الحشر: 10)6
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