Ashura: Remembering Moses and Imam Hussein

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This day is marked by many Muslims with a voluntary day of fasting .. By: Majd Arbil IslamiCity* – “Lailaha illa Huwa” There is no god except He Ashura is commemorated on the 10th of Muharram in the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is marked by many Muslims with a voluntary day of fasting to observe the day that Prophet Moses freed the Israelites from the bondage of the Egyptian Pharaoh. Along with this we also remember this day as one of the most tragic events in Islamic history when Prophet Muhammad’s beloved grandson Imam Hussein along with his family were martyred while standing up against injustice. Some men seek to emulate the suffering of Imam Hussein, lamenting the martyrdom by self-flagellation. A growing number of scholars discourage this self-infliction and instead encourage people to donate blood on this day. Fasting on the day of Ashura is highly recommended since the time Prophet Muhammad migrated to Madinah. According to Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 202 – Narrated Ibn Abbas:When the Prophet arrived at Medina, the Jews were observing the fast on ‘Ashura’ (10th of Muharram) and they said, “This is the day when Moses became victorious over Pharaoh,” On that, the Prophet said to his companions, “You (Muslims) have more right to celebrate Moses’ victory than they have, so observe the fast on this day. It is also recommended to be generous on this day towards family members and parents because prophet Muhammad stated that whoever is generous on his family on the day of Ashura, then Allah is generous towards him for the whole year. There are several other Hadith that refer to the importance of the day of Ashura. O’ Allah! Bless us to perform good deeds. Make the new year one of unity, cooperation and success.