Muharram is a special month. It is the beginning of the Hijri year, and within it is the tenth of Muharram, the Day of Ashura. Although the Hijrah itself took place in Rabi’ al-Awwal, the Islamic calendar begins with Muharram and counts its years from the Hijrah. So when the new Hijri year begins, it…
The Prophet ﷺ warned us of a trait that lies at the heart of hypocrisy: “There are three signs of a hypocrite: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted, he betrays the trust.” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim) Betrayal (khiyana) is not a small sin….
The Tragedy of Karbala The very sad event that took place in the month of Muharram is the martyrdom of Al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him). It is a long and tragic history, but I will do my best to summarise what happened. My sources are based primarily on authentic Sunni narrations. While…
Muharram and the beginning of the Islamic Year Reflecting on the sacred month In the Islamic calendar, there are four months that are considered sacred (ash-hur ḥurum). As Allah says in the Qur’an: إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ… مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ…
Rifa’ah ibn Rafi’ (may Allah be pleased with him) said that Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) stood on the pulpit and then cried, saying: عن رفاعة بن رافع رضي الله تعالى عنه قال: قامَ أبو بَكرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ رضي الله تعالى عنه على المنبرِ ثمَّ بَكى فقالَ: قامَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّه…
Todays reminder is about unity and not returning to the habits of pre-Islamic (Jahiliyya) times. In Surat al Imran, Allah Almighty says: ﴿١٠٣﴾ وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا ۚ وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنْتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا وَكُنْتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِنَ النَّارِ فَأَنْقَذَكُمْ مِنْهَا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ…
Inspiration from the Hijra If you do not help him, God has already helped him, when those who disbelieved expelled him, and he was the second of two in the cave. He said to his friend, ‘Do not worry, God is with us.’ And God made His tranquility descend upon him, and supported…
Muharram: When did floodgates of fitnah open and how do we deal with Karbala? Why is our Ummah constantly suffering? Hudhaifa Ibn Al Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) was the collector of all the narrations from the Prophet (peace be on him) regarding fitnah – if anyone wants to know the details of fitnah…