<ul>
	<li><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b"><strong>The virtue of fasting in Muharram:</strong></span></span></li>
</ul>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">Muharram is one of the sacred months, and the Prophet- peace be upon him- desired to fast. It was narrated from Muslim in his Sahih that Abu Hurairah said: &quot;The Messenger of Allah - peace be upon him- said: &#39;The best fasting after the month of Ramadan is the month of Allah, Al-Muharram, and the best prayer is prayer at night.&#39;&quot;&nbsp;The scholars said what is meant is to increase fasting in it, and that fasting in the month of God Muharram has virtue and advantages over others. This may be interpreted as what was mentioned in the Sahih that the Prophet used to fast in Sha&#39;ban, and Al-Nawawi -may God have mercy on him- explained this and said that the saying of the Messenger of Allah: &#39;The best fasting after the month of Ramadan is the month of Allah, Al-Muharram&rdquo;&nbsp;This is a statement that it is one of the best months to fast.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">And in this month a day on which a great event and a clear victory occurred, in which God revealed truth over falsehood. Where Moses - peace be upon him - and his people were saved in it, and Pharaoh and his people drowned, so it is a day that has a great virtue and an old rank.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">Ibn &lsquo;Abbas said that God&rsquo;s messenger came to Medina and found the Jews observing the fast on the day of &lsquo;Ashura&rsquo;, so he asked them what was the significance of that day which they were observing and they replied, &ldquo;It is a great day on which God delivered Moses and his people and drowned Pharaoh and his people; so Moses observed it as a fast out of gratitude, and we do so also.&rdquo; He said, &ldquo;We have more right, and we have a closer connection with Moses than you have,&rdquo; so God&rsquo;s messenger observed it as a fast himself and gave orders that it should be observed.&nbsp;And Imam Ahmad narrated it on the authority of Abu Hurairah, the same and added to it: &ldquo;It is the day on which the ship settled on al-Judi and Noah fasted as thanks&rdquo;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">Ibn &lsquo;Abbas said, &quot;I never saw the Prophet singling out any day&rsquo;s fast and considering it more excellent than another, except this day, the day of &lsquo;Ashura&rsquo;,* and this month, meaning the month of Ramadan.&quot;&nbsp;Agreed.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">Ibn Hajar said: &ldquo;This implies that Ashura is the best day for fasting after Ramadan&rdquo;. But Ibn Abbas based this on his knowledge,&nbsp;as there is nothing in it that is intended for the knowledge of others.&nbsp;Muslim narrated from the hadith of Abu Qatada that fasting Ashura expiates a year, and fasting on the day of Arafah expiates two years.&nbsp;This shows that fasting on the day of Arafah is better than fasting Ashura, and it has been said in the wisdom of that, that the day of Ashura is attributed to Moses - peace be upon him -, and the day of Arafah is attributed to the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - so it was better.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">The virtue of the day of Ashura</span></span></li>
</ul>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">The day of Ashura has great virtue and ancient sacredness. That Moses - peace be upon him - used to fast it for its virtue. Rather, the People of the scripture used to fast it, and even the Quraysh used to fast it during ignorance. There are several narrations about the virtue of Ashura and fasting on it, including:</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">What came in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu Qatada that a man asked the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - about fasting the day of Ashura, and he said:&rdquo;&nbsp;I hope, will expiate for the sins of the previous year.&rdquo;,&nbsp;narrated by (Muslim 1976).&nbsp;&nbsp;And this is from the virtue of God that he makes fasting one day expiate for the sins of a whole year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">Ibn &lsquo;Abbas said, &quot;I never saw the Prophet singling out any day&rsquo;s fast and considering it more excellent than another, except this day, the day of &lsquo;Ashura&rsquo;,* and this month, meaning the month of Ramadan.&quot;,&nbsp;narrated by (Bukhari 1867). (The meaning of singling out, meaning: he intends his fasting to attain his reward and desire for it).</span></span></p>

<ul>
	<li><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">The wisdom of its fasting:</span></span></li>
</ul>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">The wisdom of its fasting is that the day of Ashura is the day on which God saved Moses - peace be upon him - and his people from Pharaoh and his soldiers. So Moses fasted thanks to God and our Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - fasted and ordered Muslims to fast it. came in the Two Sahihs that&nbsp;Ibn &lsquo;Abbas said that God&rsquo;s messenger came to Medina and found the Jews observing the fast on the day of &lsquo;Ashura&rsquo;, so he asked them what was the significance of that day which they were observing and they replied, &ldquo;It is a great day on which God delivered Moses and his people and drowned Pharaoh and his people; so Moses observed it as a fast out of gratitude, and we do so also.&rdquo; He said, &ldquo;We have more right, and we have a closer connection with Moses than you have,&rdquo; so God&rsquo;s messenger observed it as a fast himself and gave orders that it should be observed.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">And regarding to the wisdom of fasting on the ninth day, Al-Nawawi -May God have mercy on him- narrated that the scholars have several reasons for that:</span></span></p>

<ul>
	<li><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">One of them is to&nbsp;act differently from the Jews who limited fasting to the tenth day.</span></span></li>
	<li><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">The second: is that the day of Ashura should be connected with another day in the fast, just as it is forbidden to fast on Friday alone.</span></span></li>
	<li><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">The third: Precaution in fasting the tenth for fear of deficiency of the crescent moon and a mistake, so the ninth in the number is the tenth in the same matter.</span></span></li>
</ul>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">The strongest of these aspects is to act differently from the Jews, as indicated by Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah - may God have mercy on him -.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">The rank of fasting on the day of Ashura:</span></span></li>
</ul>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">First: fasting on the ninth and tenth days, and this is the best of rank,&nbsp;because of the hadith of Abu Qatada according to Muslim that the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - said on fasting the day of Ashura: &ldquo;I hope from Allah, expiates for the sins of the year before.&rdquo;, And the hadith of Ibn Abbas from Muslim also: &quot;If I remain alive till the next year, I shall also observe fast on the ninth of Muharram.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">Second: Fasting on the tenth and eleventh days, Because of the hadith of Ibn Abbas -may God be pleased with him- that the Prophet -may God bless him and grant him peace- said: &ldquo;Act differently from the Jews by fasting a day before or a day after&rdquo;. Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Khuzaymah.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">Third: fasting on the ninth, tenth, and eleventh days, Because of the hadith of Ibn Abbas &ldquo;fasting a day before or a day after&rdquo;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="color:#c0392b">Fourth: Singling out the tenth for fasting, because of the hadith of Abu Qatada according to Muslim that the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - said on fasting the day of Ashura: &ldquo;I hope from Allah, expiates for the sins of the year before.&rdquo;</span></span></p>
