The Fast of Ashura

By Aneela Sultan. 

Narrated: Abdullah Ibn Abbas:  The Prophet came to Medina and saw the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura. He asked them about that. They replied, "This is a good day, the day on which Allah rescued Bani Israel from their enemy. So, Moses fasted this day." The Prophet said, "We have more claim over Moses than you." So, the Prophet fasted on that day and ordered (the Muslims) to fast (on that day).  

Reference : Sahih al Bukhari Vol 3 Hadith 222 

Let us analyse and contemplate on whether this Hadith is Sahih or not. Let us bear in mind the words of Allah when He states: 

“Do they not consider the Qur’ān?  Had it been from other than Allāh they would surely have found therein much discrepancy.” Qur’an 4:82 

Allah is teaching us that if the Qur’an had been written by anyone other than Him we would find that there would be many mistakes in it and so any book written by anyone other than Allah is bound to have mistakes in it, there is no book on the face of the earth, which is perfect except the Book Allah. 

Having accepted this, the Hadith that we find quoted by those who are claimants to the followers of the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh and his family) contains many discrepancies in it that can be stated and we should not be afraid to state them: 

Let us look ponder on this verse of the Qur’an: 

“Has not the time arrived for the believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allāh and of the truth which has been revealed (to them) and that they should not become like those to whom was given the Book aforetime?  But long ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard, for many among them are rebellious transgressors.”  Qur’an 57:16 

Are we acquainted with those people who were given the Book foretime the coming of the Prophet (pbuh and his family)?  Obviously they were the Jews and the Christians and what could it mean to not become like them?  We could state that that Allah is teaching us that the Jews and the Christians changed the ways of their prophets or turned away from what their prophets taught them, rejecting what their prophets came with, we could even state that they fabricated or ascribed lies to their prophets by stating that they said or did such and such.  We all know as Muslims that we are instructed not to resemble the ways of the Jews and the Christians to the extent that men were taught by the Prophet (pbuh and his family) not to keep their beards like the people of the previous scriptures.  The question that needs to be asked is, how is it that Prophet (pbuh and his family) keeps with a tradition that the Jews followed when what he brought to the Muslims cancelled the way of fasting of the people of the previous scriptures? 

Let us break it down: 

1)  The Prophet (pbuh and his family) came with a new Shariah. 

The Qur’an teaches us that the Jews and Christians will not be happy until you follow their way: 

“Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou follow their form of religion.  Say: "The guidance of Allah that is the (only) guidance."  Wert thou to follow their desires after the knowledge which hath reached thee then wouldst thou find neither protector nor helper against Allah.”  Qur’an 2:120 

2)  Was it the Jews who taught the Prophet (pbuh and his family) matters in regards to the Shariah or Allah?   

3)  Prophet (pbuh and his family) taught us that even if Moses-Musa (AS) was alive today he would have to follow him i.e what he brought. 

Reference: Sahih Al-Tirmidhi Hadith No 194 

Narrated Jabir Ibn Abdullah: Umar ibn al-Khattab brought to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) a copy of the Torah and said: Allah's Messenger, this is a copy of the Torah. He (Allah's  Messenger) kept quiet and he (Umar) began to read it. The (colour) of the face of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) underwent a change, whereupon AbuBakr said: Would that your mother mourn you, don't you see the face of Allah's Messenger? Umar saw the face of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and said: I seek refuge with Allah from the  wrath of Allah and the wrath of His Messenger. We are well pleased with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as Prophet. Whereupon Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, even if Moses were to appear before you and you were to follow him, leaving me aside, you would certainly stray into error; for if (Moses) were alive (now), and he found my prophetical ministry, he would have definitely followed me. Transmitted by Darimi. 

How is it that in this practice of the fast of Ashura the Prophet (pbuh and his family) follows Moses?   

We need to understand that we can find contradictory statements in regards to the fast of Ashura: 

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1865 

“After the Hijrah when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Madinah, he found that the Jews of Madinah also used to observe this day with fasting. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked them the reason of their fasting on this day. They said? ‘This is a blessed day. On this day Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy (in Egypt) and so Prophet Musa fasted on this day giving thanks to Allah?’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:  ‘We are closer to Musa than you are.’  He fasted on that day and commanded Muslims to fast on this day.”    

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith 1866 

In another report it is mentioned that Jews of Madinah used to hold feast on this day.  The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told his Companions to fast instead.  

Within the first narration, we find that the Prophet notices the Jews are fasting, and so commands the Muslims also to fast, but within the second narration it is stated that the Jews held a feast on this day but the Prophet informed his companions to fast instead. 

Also it is narrated: 

Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 222 

Narrated ibn Abbas: “The Prophet came to Medina and saw the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura. He asked them about that. They replied, "This is a good day, the day on which Allah rescued Bani Israel from their enemy. So, Moses fasted this day." The Prophet said, "We have more claim over Moses than you." So, the Prophet fasted on that day and ordered (the Muslims) to fast (on that day).” 

Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book 35 Number 2528 

Ibn 'Abbas reported that when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) fasted on the day of 'Ashura and commanded that it should he 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 (may peace be upon him) said: When the next year comes, God willing, we would observe fast on the 9th But the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) died before the advent of the next year. 
 

Take note, in the first narration it is the Prophet (pbuh and his family) who asked the Jews why they were fasting on the day of Ashura and they in turn explained to him the reason, whilst the second narration portrays that the companions explained to the Prophet (pbuh and his family) why the Jews and also the Christians fasted on the day of Ashura, and within it we are informed that this fast was explained to the Prophet the year before he passed away. 

Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book 35, Number 2529:

Abdullah b 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said: If I live till the next (year), I would definitely observe fast on the 9th, and the narration transmitted by Abu Bakr is: "He meant the day of Ashura."

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari Volume 3, Book 31, Number 224

Ibn `Abbas also quotes the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying:  If I live next year, I shall also fast on the 9th day.”

We need to contemplate; does a Prophet of God need explanation from the people of the previous scriptures, or his followers in regards to a practice, which was existent amongst them?   

“And this is a Book which We have sent down, bringing blessings, and confirming (the revelations) which came before it.”  Qur’an 6:92 

We cannot doubt that whatever was revealed pre-Muhammad was known by Muhammad. 

However, it is also observed: 

Reference: Volume 3, Book 31, Number 220 

Narrated Aisha: “Quraish used to fast on the day of 'Ashura' in the pre-lslamic period, and Allah's Apostle too, used to fast on that day. When he came to Medina, he fasted on that day and ordered others to fast, too. Later when the fasting of the month of Ramadan was prescribed, he gave up fasting on the day of 'Ashura' and it became optional for one to fast on it or not.” 

It was a day on which people of Makkah used to change the covering (Kiswah) of the Ka`bah.  Quraysh also used to fast on this day. (Al-Bukhari, Hadith 1489 and 1760) 

Here we find it stated that the Prophet (pbuh and his family) already fasted on the day of Ashura as a pre-Islamic custom and later gave it up leaving it as an option, meaning, if one wished to fast on that day, they could do so voluntarily.  These narrations indicate that fasting on this day was already practiced by the Quraysh if they wished to do so, regardless of whether or not the Jews fasted on this day. 

The fact that the traditions ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh and his family) bear such contradiction and also the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt have totally called them innovations portrays to us why Shiahs do not observe such a thing on the day of Ashura.   

We really need to ponder on how such traditions have been brought into the fold of Islam, which also contradict the teachings of the Qur’an. 

Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi stated (May God Bless his soul) in an article on the fast of Ashura (Al- Serat, A Journal of Islamic Studies): 

“One feels constrained to mention here that this and other such traditions were forged by camp-followers of the Umayyads, after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, as a part of their campaign to turn the 10th of Muharram into a day of rejoicing. These traditions are of the same genre as those which say that it was on the 10th of Muharram that Noah's ark rested on Mount Arafat, the fire became cool and safe for Abraham, and Jesus ascended to the heaven. In the same category came the traditions exhorting the Muslims to treat 'Ashura as a festival of joy, and to store one's food-grain on this very day as it would increase one's sustenance and bring the blessings of Allah to the household.”  

May Allah guide us all, Ameen.