Dear Readers! The month of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ), al-Muharram, is a great and blessed month. It is the first month of the Hijri year and is one of the sacred months concerning which Allah says:
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ ۚ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۚ وَقَاتِلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ كَافَّةً كَمَا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ كَافَّةً ۚ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٣٦﴾
“Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allah is with the righteous [who fear Him].”
At-Tawba [9:36]
That is, since the beginning of creation, Allah Almighty has ordained twelve months, in which four months have been sanctified. Which are these four months? Their description is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allahﷺ, said:
الزَّمَانُ قَدِ اسْتَدَارَ كَهَيْئَتِهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ السَّنَةُ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ، ثَلَاثَةٌ مُتَوَالِيَاتٌ ذُو الْقَعْدَةِ، وَذُو الْحِجَّةِ، وَالْمُحَرَّمُ، وَرَجَبُ مُضَرَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ جُمَادَى وَشَعْبَانَ
“The division of time has turned to its original form which was current when Allah created the Heavens and the Earths. The year is of twelve months, out of which four months are sacred: Three are in succession Dhu al-Qa‘dah, Dhu al-Hijjah and al-Muharram, and Rajab of Mudar which comes between Jumada and Sha‘ban.”
(Al-Bukhari 3197, Muslim 4383)
The month of Muharram is a month of sanctity, but as soon as this month comes in our country, myths and false practices are promoted and various kinds of vows are made with great fanfare, somewhere there are Sabeel (drinking stalls), somewhere there is the slaughter of animals and somewhere there are pots of Biryani.
Allah says in the Qur’an:
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّـهِ بِهِ
Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah.
Al-Ma’ida [5:3]
A person who slaughters in the name of other than Allah is cursed in the eyes of the Shari’ah, as it was narrated from Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) that I heard the Messenger of Allahﷺ say:
لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ ذَبَحَ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ
“Allah cursed him who sacrificed for anyone besides Allah.”
(Muslim 5124, Musnad Ahmad 7198)
It should be kept in mind that bowing in front of someone with the devotion of humility and reluctance translates into doing Sajdah and this thing is seen by everyone in the streets, this is the act of worship which was meant only for Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) but it is being done for replicas of Duldul, items made out of wood and horses.
It is narrated on the authority of Mu’adh bin Jabal (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), that he said: When I returned from Yemen, I said:
یَارَسُوْلَ اللہِ! رَاَیْتُ رِجَالًا بِالْیَمَن ِیَسْجُدُ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَفَـلَا نَسْجُدُ لَکَ؟ قَالَ: لَوْ کُنْتُ آمُرُ بَشَرًا یَسْجُدُ لِبَشَرٍ لَأَمَرْتُ الْمَرْأَةَ أَنْ تَسْجُدَ لِزَوْجِهَا
“O Messenger of Allah! I saw men in Yemen prostrating themselves to others, should we not prostrate to you?” Heﷺ replied: “If I were to order anyone to prostrate to anyone, then I would order the wife to prostrate to her husband.”
(Musnad Ahmad 21986)
After decorating horses, replicas of Duldul made of wood, bowing down in front of them and folding their hands, offerings are made to them and supplications are made to them which can only be done for Allah as told by Mariyam (علیھا السلام):
رَبِّ إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لَكَ مَا فِي بَطْنِي مُحَرَّرًا فَتَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ﴿٣٥﴾
“My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.”
Aal-i-Imran [3:35]
And Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) says:
قُلِ ادْعُوا الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ ۖ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِيهِمَا مِن شِرْكٍ وَمَا لَهُ مِنْهُم مِّن ظَهِيرٍ ﴿٢٢﴾
Say, [O Muhammad], “Invoke those you claim [as deities] besides Allah.” They do not possess an atom’s weight [of ability] in the heavens or on the earth, and they do not have therein any partnership [with Him], nor is there for Him from among them any assistant.
Saba [34:22]
And then amulets and strings are tied to these specific horses and wood. The Prophetﷺ had a strict stance on this matter, as narrated by ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) that a group came to the Messenger of Allahﷺ to swear their allegiance (bay’ah) to him:
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِﷺأَقْبَلَ إِلَيْهِ رَهْطٌ فَبَايَعَ تِسْعَةً وَأَمْسَكَ عَنْ وَاحِدٍ فَقَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ! بَايَعْتَ تِسْعَةً وَتَرَكْتَ هَذَا؟ قَالَ: إِنَّ عَلَيْهِ تَمِيمَةً فَأَدْخَلَ يَدَهُ فَقَطَعَهَا فَبَايَعَهُ وَقَالَ: مَنْ عَلَّقَ تَمِيمَةً فَقَدْ أَشْرَكَ
Heﷺ accepted the bay’ah of nine of them but not of one of them. They said, “O Messenger of Allaah, you accepted the bay’ah of nine but not of this one.” He said, “He is wearing an amulet.” The man put his hand (in his shirt) and took it off, then he (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)) accepted his bay’ah. He said, ‘Whoever wears an amulet has committed shirk.”
(Musnad Ahmad, 16781)
And as soon as the month of Muharram comes, men and women begin to recite the Noha (an allied short form of marsiya/elegy) loudly, which ends with the end of the month. I must express my regret here that those who say that the sound of the Adhaan of the masjid should be kept low, that is, it should be limited only to the masjid, the neighborhood and every visitor should not be hurt by loud sounds. Those people seem to be flouting their own principle while loudly reciting the Noha.
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophetﷺ said:
شُعْبَتَانِ مِنْ أَمْرِ الْجَاهِلِیِّةِ لَا یَتْرُکُهُمَا النَّاسُ أَبَدًا: النِّیاحَةُ وَالطَّعْنُ فِی النَّسَبِ
“People will not leave off two affairs of Pre-Islamic period: wailing over the dead and cursing the lineage.”
(Al-Bukhari 395, Musnad Ahmad 9571)
And in another tradition, it was narrated from Abu Saeed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), that:
لَعَنَ رَسُوْلُ اللہِ ﷺ النَّائِحَةَ وَالْمُسْتَمِعَةَ
“The Prophetﷺ cursed the woman who wails and the one who listens to her.”
(Musnad Ahmad 11645)
And the Messenger of Allahﷺ said:
أَرْبَعٌ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِیَّةِ لَا یُتْرَکْنَ، اَلْفَخْرُ فِی الْأَحْسَابِ، وَالطَّعْنُ فِی الْأَنْسَابِ، وَالْاِسْتِسْقَاءُ بِالنُّجُوْمِ، وَالنِّیاحَةُ، وَالنَّائِحَةُ إِذَا لَمْ تَتُبْ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهَا تُقَامُ یَوْمَ الْقِیَامَةِ وَعَلَیْهَا سِرْبَالٌ مِنْ قَطِرَانٍ أَوْ دِرْعٌ مِنْ جَرَبٍ
Among my people there are four characteristics belonging to the pre-Islamic period which they do not abandon: boasting of high rank, reviling other peoples’ genealogies, seeking rain by stars, and walling. And he (further) said: If the wailing woman does not repent before she dies, she will be made to stand on the Day of Resurrection wearing a garment of pitch and a chemise of mange.
(Muslim 934)
And how stupid is it that self-flagellation done in the name of grief is considered a reward! And it is with great regret that I have to write that in the month of Muharram, the martyrs and devotees of the religion of Islam, with whom the rulings of Shari’ah are bound, those companions of the Prophet (RadiaAllahu Anhum) are insulted and ridiculed.
It is narrated on the authority of Abdullah bin Abbas (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) that the Messenger of Allahﷺ said:
مَنْ سَبَّ أَصْحَابِي فَعَلَيْهِ لَعْنَةُ اللهِ وَالْمَلائِكَةِ، وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ
“The curse of Allah, the angels and the whole people is upon whoever reviles my companions.”
(Al-Sahiha Lil-Albani 2340)
And while claiming the love of Ahl al-Bayt, mourning is celebrated in this way, which is prohibited in the Shari’ah. It is narrated on the authority of Muhammad bin Seeren that:
تُوُفِّيَ ابْنٌ لِأُمِّ عَطِيَّةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا، فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْيَوْمُ الثَّالِثُ دَعَتْ بِصُفْرَةٍ فَتَمَسَّحَتْ بِهِ، وَقَالَتْ :نُهِينَا أَنْ نُحِدَّ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ثَلَاثٍ إِلَّا بِزَوْج
One of the sons of Um ‘Atiyya died, and when it was the third day she asked for a yellow perfume and put it over her body, and said, “We were forbidden to mourn for more than three days except for our husbands.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 1279)
From the mentioned and other Ahadeeth, it is known that mourning is only for three days, except for the wife who will observe Iddah for her husband for four months and ten days. So which Islamic law teaches this type of mourning after the passing of several centuries? Is it from the companions of the Holy Prophetﷺ or al-Salaf al-Saliheen? If so, then it is better to mourn the death of the Holy Prophetﷺ. While beating the faces, people rip their clothes and beat their chests, all these acts are out of Islam and among the acts of Pre-Islamic ignorance.
The Messenger of Allahﷺ said:
لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ ضَرَبَ الْخُدُودَ، وَشَقَّ الْجُيُوبَ، وَدَعَا بِدَعْوَى الْجَاهِلِيَّة
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “He who slaps the cheeks, tears the clothes and follows the tradition of the Days of Ignorance is not from us.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 1297)
And some people are also found to mourn in the month of Muharram, they express their grief by leaving their ornaments and fine clothes, and live with bare heads, bare feet, and bare bodies, although all these are rituals of ignorance.
The Prophetﷺ once went out to attend a funeral, and he saw some people who had cast aside their upper sheets and were walking in their shirts only. The Messenger of Allahﷺ said:
أَبِفِعْلِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ تَأْخُذُونَ أَوْ بِصُنْعِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ تَشَبَّهُونَ
“Are you adopting the practice of the days of ignorance?’ or ‘Are you imitating the behavior of the days of ignorance?”
(Ibn Majah 1485)
So they put their sheets back on and never did that again.
And while walking on the fire, slogans are chanted loudly. It is narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that, the Prophetﷺ said:
الشِّفَاءُ فِي ثَلَاثَةٍ فِي شَرْطَةِ مِحْجَمٍ أَوْشَرْبَةِ عَسَلٍ أَوْكَيَّةٍ بِنَارٍ وَأَنْهَى أُمَّتِي عَنِ الْكَيِّ
“Healing is in three things: cupping, a gulp of honey or cauterization, (branding with fire) but I forbid my followers to use cauterization (branding with fire).”
(Al-Bukhari 5249)
When the use of fire is prohibited even for medical purposes in Shari’ah, so there is no wisdom in walking on fire to express love during someone’s mourning.
“As the day of the 10th of Muharram approaches, the splendor of the cemetery increases until when the day of the 10th of Muharram dawns, one group comes out of their homes to mourn and beat their chests, while the other brings young daughters-in-law and daughters to the cemetery. Stalls of flowers and lamps are set up. Men and women perform the duty of putting soil on graves. On the 10th of Muharram, the graveyard doesn’t look like a graveyard, it feels like a market, and there is a large number of men and women present where doing a Hijab is practically impossible. The worshippers have fabricated such stories that may Allah forgive us! After placing the soil, sweets are distributed standing on the grave and it is said that if someone does not distribute the sweets after placing the soil, then the burden remains on the grave bearer. These are all fabricated things. The Prophetﷺ has given the command to visit the graves so that it reminds us of the Hereafter. If a market is established there, how can the Hereafter come to mind? Only the chances of sins will be increased due to the free intermingling of men and women and non-compliance with the Hijab. At the time of the Prophetﷺ in Baqi‘ al-Gharqad (the graveyard in Madinah) or during the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) was there ever a festival like this, or soil and flowers arranged?”
(Islami Maheeny or Murawwijah Bid’aat, by Tafzil Ahmad Zaigham MA, p. 35)
And often women take off scarves from their heads and beat their chests and take part in the processions with bare heads and bare feet with men and consider it a work of great reward. Abu Huraira (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) narrates that, the Prophetﷺ said:
مَا مِنَ امْرَأةٍ تَطَیَّبَتْ لِلْمَسْجِدِ فَیَقْبَلُ اللہُ لَھَا صَلَاةً حَتّٰی تَغْتَسِلَ مِنْهُ اِغْتِسَالَھَا مِنَ الْجَنَابَةِ
“If a woman comes out to the mosque and her fragrance is overpowering, Allah will not accept any prayer from her until she goes home and washes herself.”
(Musnad Ahmad 7946)
When there has been such a big warning about women going to the masjid, then which Shari’ah permits to participate in the gatherings of futile dancing, singing, lamenting, etc.?!
I have only briefly presented a few things that are done publicly in our society, otherwise, a detailed article can be written on the myths or false practices that are carried out in our society in the month of Muharram. See more books by Scholars:
❀ Rituals of Muharram by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
❀ Islamic Sermons by Shaykh Abdul Salam Bhutvi
❀ Islami Maheeny or Murawwijah Bid’aat, by Tafzil Ahmad Zaigham
