The root of the word Ashura has the meaning of tenth; hence the name, literally translated, means “the tenth day” and it refers to the 10th day of the first month of the Islamic year (i.e. the 10^th of Muharram).   In the Islamic literature, it is suggested that this day, Ashura (10th of Muharram) many events with great historical significance happened in it, such as:  

1. Allah accepted the repentance of Sayyidina Adam after his exile from Paradise.
2. Allah saved Sayyidina Nuh and his companions in the ark
3. Allah extinguished the fire in which Sayyidina Ibrahim was thrown by Nimrod.
4. Allah spoke directly to Sayyidina Musa and gave him the Commandments.
5. On this same, Sayyidina Ayyub was restored to health
6. Sayyidina Yusuf was reunited with his father Sayyidina Ya’qub
7. Sayyidina Yunus was taken out from the belly of the fish
8. Sayyidina Isa was raised to Jannah
9. On this same 10th of Muharram, the sea was divided as Sayyidina Musa and the children of Israel were delivered from captivity and Pharoah’s army was destroyed.
10. Sayyidina al-Husayn ibn Ali (Radiyallahu ‘anh) (the grandson of the Prophet (PBUH)) achieved the honor of Martyrdom in the battle of Karbala Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 10, 680 CE). The massacre of Al-Husayn with a small group of his companions and family members had great impact on the conscience of all Muslims.

There are many narrations and ahadeath referring to fasting on that day.  Since we have taking about the importance of taking our religion seriously and before we advice anyone we should study the subject, let me mention few of them and then ask you to analyze them.

Ibn ‘Abbas (ابن عباس) reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) arrived in Medina and found the Jews observing fast on the day of ‘Ashura. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to them: What is the (significance) of this day that you observe fast on it?

عن عبد اللَّه بن عباس رضي اللَّه عنهما قال: ” قدم رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم المدينة فرأى اليهود تصوم يوم عاشوراء، فقال: ما هذا؟ قالوا: ،

They said: (هذا يوم صالح، نجّى اللَّه فيه موسى وبني إسرائيل من عدوهم، فصامه)  It is the day of great (significance) when Allah delivered Moses and his people, and drowned the Pharaoh and his people, and Moses observed fast out of gratitude and we also observe it.

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:

فقال: أنا أحق بموسى منكم فصامه وأمر بصيامه” .

 وفي رواية: ” فصامه موسى شكراً، فنحن نصومه” .

 وفي رواية أخرى: ” فنحن نصومه تعظيماً له” رواه البخاري ومسلم وأبو داؤد وابن ماجة والبيهقي

We have more right, and we have a closer connection with Moses than you have and commanded Muslims to fast it. (Sahih Muslim)  (Al-Bukhari)

The following year, Allah commanded the Muslims to fast the month of Ramadan, and the fasting of ‘Ashura’ became optional.

Ibn ‘Abbas (ابن عباس) also reported:

” حين صام رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم عاشوراء، وأمر بصيامه، قالوا: يا رسول اللَّه إنه يوم تعظّمه اليهود والنصارى؟ فقال رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم : فإذا كان العام القابل – إن شاء اللَّه – صمنا اليوم التاسع، قال: فلم يأت العام المقبل، حتى توفي رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم ” رواه مسلم وأبو داؤد وأحمد والطبراني والبيهقي ..

The Messenger of Allah fasted on the day of ‘Ashura’ and ordered the people to fast on it. The people said, “O Messenger of Allah, it is a day that the Jews and Christians honor.” The Prophet said, “When the following year comes, Allah willing, we shall fast on the ninth.” The death of the Prophet came before the following year. (Muslim and Abu Dawud)

It is also reported in the Sahih of Imam Al-Bukhari and other authentic collections of hadith that:

وفي رواية لمسلم: ” إن أهل الجاهلية كانوا يصومون يوم عاشوراء، وأن رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم صامه، والمسلمون قبل أن يفرض رمضان، فلما افترض، قال رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم :

The Prophet (PBUH) and his Companions used to fast on the 10th day of Muharram while they were in Makkah (before the hijrah) and before the fasting in Ramadan was prescribed and when it was prescribed the Prophet (PBUH) said:

” إن عاشوراء يوم من أيام الله، فمن شاء صامه، ومن شاء تركه” رواه البخاري ومسلم وأصحاب السنن

“The Ashura is day from the days of Allah, whoever wish can fast it and whoever wish can leave it.”

It is reported that on this day the people of Makkah used to change the covering (kiswah) of the Ka`bah and Quraysh also used to fast on this day. as reported in Al-Bukhari) according to Sayeda ‘A’ishah (عائشة) who said:

كان يوم عاشوراء تصومه قريش في الجاهلية، وكان رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم يصومه في الجاهلية، فلما قدم المدينة صامه، وأمر بصيامه، فلما فرض رمضان ترك يوم عاشوراء، فمن شاء صامه، ومن شاء تركه” رواه البخاري ومسلم وأبو داؤد والترمذي ومالك وأحمد وابن خزيمة

 “The people of Jahiliyyah used to fast on that day of Ashura and the Prophet (PBUH) used to fast it and when arrived Al-Madina, he commanded its fast.  When the fasting of Ramadan was prescribed and the fasting of the Day of Ashura became optional. “

Abduallah ibn Omar (عبد اللَّه بن عمر رضي اللَّه) said:

“كان عاشوراء يصومه أهل الجاهلية، فلما نزل رمضان قال: من شاء صامه، ومن شاء لم يصمه” .

The people of Jahiliyyah used to fast on that day of Ashura and when the fasting of Ramadan was prescribed, the Messenger of Allah said: whoever wants to fast can fast it and whoever does not want can leave its fast.   And it was reported that Abdullah ibn Omar (وكان عبد اللَّه لا يصومه إلا أن يوافق صومه) would not fast it unless it coincides with a day he commonly fast.

Imam Al-Qurtubi said: “Perhaps Quraysh used to fast on that day on the basis of some past law, such as that of Ibrahim (PBUH).”

The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Fasting the day of ‘Ashura’ (is of great merits), I hope that Allah will accept it as an expiation for (the sins committed in) the previous year.” (Muslim)

Challenges around the accounts and the hadeath narrations about Aushura (إشكالات في الروايات والأحاديث)

Some of these challenges were identified by Imam Ibn Al-Qayam (ابن قيّم الجوزية) in his book “Provision of the hereafter” (زاد المعاد في هدي خير العباد)

First: The prophet (PBUH) arrived Madina on Monday the 8^th of Rabi‘ al-Awwal (ربيع الأول) (622 CE), so how could he found the Jews fasting in Ashura (عاشوراء) which is the 10^th of Muharram [Muharram – Safer – Rabi Al-Awal]

Second: The accounts that the Prophet (PBUH) used to fast Ashura in Mecca as was the common practice of the Arabs is contradicting the narrations that he only found about the fasting of Ashua when he arrived to Madina and find the Jews fasting it.

Third: The narration that indicates that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:  If I lived until the nexy year, I’ll fast the ninth (لئن بقيت إلى قابل لأصومن التاسع) and he died before he had a chance to fast the 9^th contradicts that the narrations that he made the statement when he first arrived to Madina.  Note the two narrations are attributed to Ibn Abbas (ابن عباس)  

There is fourth challenge that was identified by others such as ibn Atheer (إبن الأثير) in his book “The End” (النهاية) and Al-Qadi Eyad (القاضي عياض) in his book “The illumination of lights” (مشارق الأنوار).  They said that “Ashura is an Islamic name and was not known during the Jahylia Era”  (أن عاشوراء إسم إسلامي لا يعرف في الجاهلية).  It appears that the name Ashura  (عاشوراء) was not known before that martyr of Imam Al-Hunssian and his family (الإمام الحسين عليه السلام وأهل بيته) on the 10^th of Muharram.

Since references are made in some of these ahadeath about the Jews fasting on that day, we note that the Jews has two celebrations:  The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) (يوم الغفران)

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement.” (Lev. 23:26-32).

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. (Exodus 12)

The fifth is that the Jews have their own calendar that does not follow the lunar or the solar year but somewhere in between, so they don’t have the 10th of Muharram.  There are several beginnings for the Jewish calendar. One form is the religious year and starts with the month of April and the other form is the civil year and it starts with the month Tishri (تِشري) which corresponds to October and the 10^th of October or the 10th of Tishri is Yum Kupour (note that October of the 7^th month in the religious year that starts with April). 

Reconciling the differences among these apparent conflicts. 

Could it be that the year in which the 10th of October matched the 10^th of Muharram was the year before the Prophet’s death?

This speculation is not correct because the Prophet (PBUH) died on June 8, 632 AD.  The 10th October 631 matches Thursday 8 Rajab 10 A.H.

But it seems that the likely significance of Ashura is:

Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 10, 680 CE).

And without full awareness of the Georgian year to the Hijra calendar year, the reference to the date was politically changed in the narrations to avoid reference to the martyrdom of Sayedna Al-Hussain.  

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is the Jewish day of repentance, considered to be the holiest and most solemn day of the year. It takes place on the tenth day* of Tishrei, the seventh month. This means it always occurs between 14th September and 14th October in the Western calendar.

وهناك عدة بدايات للسنة اليهودية .. السنة الدينية تبدأ في شهر نيسان (أبريل) مع الربيع لتوافق خروج موسى من مصر في الفترة التي يقع فيها عيد الفصح .. أما حسب النظام المدني فإن السنة تبدأ بشهر تشري على النحو التالي:

تِشري 30 يوماً.. ويوافق أكتوبر

حِشوان 29 أو 30 يوماً .. ويوافق آخر أكتوبر – نوفمبر

كِسلو 29 أو 30 يوماً .. ويوافق آخر نوفمبر – ديسمبر

طِبِت 29 يوماً .. ويوافق آخر ديسمبر – يناير

شباط 30 يوماً .. ويوافق آخر يناير – فبراير

آذار 29 يوماً .. ويوافق آخر فبراير – مارس

نيسان 30 يوماً .. ويوافق آخر مارس – إبريل

أيار 29 يوماً .. ويوافق آخر إبريل – مايو

سِيوان 30 يوماً .. ويوافق آخر مايو – يونيو

تمّوز 29 يوماً .. ويوافق آخر يونيو – يوليو

آب 30 يوماً .. ويوافق آخر يوليو – أغسطس

أيلول 29 يوماً .. ويوافق آخر أغسطس – سبتمبر

وفي السنة الكبيسة يضاف شهر يسمَّى آذار الثاني بين آذار ونيسان .. وهنا يُحسَب آذار الأول 30 يوما وآذار الثاني 29 يوماً ..

عاشوراء اليهودي

 وإذا راجعنا المناسبات الدينية لليهود وأيام الصوم والأعياد سنرى أن اليهود لايصومون بالطبع العاشر من محرّم ولا يعرفونه، بل هم يصومون العاشر من أول شهور السنة اليهودية، أي 10 تشري

يستهلّ تقويم اليهود من نقطة بداية أسطورية وهي بدء الخليقة في العام 3760 قبل الميلاد حسب بعض نصوص الكتاب المقدّس .. والشهور اليهودية تُحسَب على دورة القمر، أما حساب السنين فيتبع دورة الشمس .. أي أن تقويم اليهود قمري وشمسي .. والسنة اليهودية تتوافق في الجملة مع السنة الميلادية .. وتتكوّن السنة اليهودية من 12 شهرا .. وحتى يتطابق الحسابان، الحساب القمري للشهور والحساب الشمسي للسنين يجمع اليهود الفرق بينهما في شهر زائد ( أي نسيء ) يتم إضافته إلى التقويم كل 3 سنوات .. فتكون السنة الكبيسة اليهودية( 13 شهراً) كل ثلاث سنوات ..

يعتبر اليوم العاشر من شهر محرّم هو يوم عاشوراء عند المسلمين، وهو من الأيّام المستحبّ صيامها عند أكثر أهل العلم، وقد ورد في ذلك الكثير من الأحاديث التي تذكر فضل يوم عاشوراء وأجر صيامه،

عن أبي قَتادة رضي الله تعالى عنه، عن الرّسول – صلّى الله عليه وسلّم – قال:

(صوم عاشوراء يكفِّر السّنة الماضية، وصوم عرفة يكفِّر سنتين: الماضية والمستقبَلة) رواه النَّسائي في السّنن الكبرى ،

وعن ابن عباس رضي الله تعالى عنه قال: (ما رأيت النّبي – صلّى الله عليه وسلّم – يتحرّى صيام يومٍ فضَّله على غيره إلا هذا اليوم، يوم عاشوراء، وهذا الشّهر، يعني شهر رمضان) رواه البخاري، ومسلم، والنَّسائي، وأحمد .

ن عبد الله بن أبي يزيد، أنّه سمع ابنَ عباسٍ رضيَ اللهُ عنهما، وسُئل عن صيامِ يومِ عاشوراءَ، فقال: (ما علمتُ أنَّ رسولَ اللهِ – صلَّى اللهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ – صام يومًا، يطلُبُ فضلُه على الأيّامِ، إلا هذا اليومَ. ولا شهرًا إلا هذا الشهرَ، يعني رمضانَ) رواه مسلم ،

وفي لفظ: (ما رأيت النّبي – صلّى الله عليه وسلّم – يتحرّى صيام يوم فضّله على غيره إلا هذا اليوم: يوم عاشوراء..) أخرجه البخاري، ومسلم، والنّسائي، وأحمد .

عن أبي قتادة رضي الله عنه، أنّ النّبي – صلّى الله عليه وسلّم – قال: (صيام يوم عاشوراء، أحتسب على اللَّه أن يكفر السّنة التي قبله) أخرجه مسلم، وأبو داود، والترمذي، وأحمد، والبيهقي .