Muharrum The Islamic New Year

The 1st of Muharram is New Year's Day, and with it marks the beginning of the Islamic (Hijri) Calendar. Its real significance lies in the major turning point in the course of Islam. As told in the Noble Qur'ân: "Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allah n the day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein..." [At-Taubah:36]

Today itself, as we usher in the new year, many of us take the time to at least briefly reflect on the major lessons in the past year and anticipate new experiences in the fresh year of 1422 Hijrah. This is also the day that we should be reminded of the Prophet 's last pilgrimage and the message that he wants us to carry in our hearts.

The Prophet offered the noon and afternoon prayers in Arafah along with 100,000 worshippers, and the victory of Islaam over blasphemy became decisive and final. Thereafter, the Prophet mounted his camel, and delivered the historical sermon. In it, he had said: "... All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab, also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves...".

Thirteen Blessed Days

Bismillah ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem

With Allah's bounty, we are at the doors of very blessed days for both the hajeej (pilgrims) and the residents. So we should know the Sunnah regarding these days in order to make the best out of them.

I.The First Ten Days of Dthul-Hijjah:

-------------------------------------

1. Ibn Abbas (R) reported that the Messenger (S) said: "There are no other days on which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than on these (Ten) Days" He was asked: "Not even Jihaad in Allah's way?" He replied: "Not even Jihaad in Allah's way; except for a person who went out (for Jihaad) with his self and wealth and came back with none (i.e., lost all for Allah)." [Al-Bukhaaree, ...]

2. Ibn Umar (R) reported that the Messenger (S) said: "There are no other days that are greater before Allah (T), or that good deeds are more beloved to Him in them, than these Ten Days, so say in plenty Tahleel (laa ilaaha illa 'Llaah), Takbeer (Allahu Akbar), and Tahmeed (al-Hamdu lillaah)." [Ahamd & at-Tabarani; authentic]

3. In Tafseer of the aayah {And to mention and remember Allah's Name [plentifully] on known days} [al-Hajj 28], Ibn Abbas said: "These are the Ten Days." [Ibn Katheer]

4. Ibn Umar and Abu Hurairah used to go out to the market places on the Ten Days making Takbeer. And people used to say Takbeer too based on their action. [al-Bukhaaree].

5. Hafsah (R) said: "There are four acts that the Messenger of Allah (S) never stopped to do: Fasting on Aashooraa, on the Ten Days, and three days of every month, and to pray two rak'aat before the morning prayer." [Ahmad & an-Nasaa'ee; authentic]

6. One of the wives of the Prophet (S) said: "Allah's Messenger (S) used to fast the (first) nine days of Dthil Hijjah, the Day of 'Aashooraa', and three days of each month." [Sahih Abi Dawud by al-Albaani]

7. Fasting on all these days, however, is not a waajib or a sunnah that the Messenger (S) was striclty constant in it. Aaishah (R) said: "I never saw the Messenger (S) fasting the Ten Days." [Muslim]

8. It is reported that once the Ten Days started, Sa'eed bin Jubair used to exert very excessively (in worshiping Allah) that it was almost beyond his capability.

II. The Day of 'Arafah:

-----------------------

1. Abu Qatadah reported that the Messenger (S) said: "Fasting the Day of 'Arafah expiates the sins of two years: past one and coming one. And fasting the Day of 'Aashooraa' expiates the sins of the past year." [Muslim, ...]

2. Aaishah (R) reported that the Messenger (S) said: "There is no day on which Allah (T) frees people from the Fire as He does on the Day of 'Arafah. He comes close and then He boasts to His angels: 'What are these people seeking?'" [Muslim, an-Nasaa'ee, Ibn Maajah]

III. The Ruling of the Udhiyah (Sacrifice):

-------------------------------------------

1. Suurat ul-Kawthar ((... For Your Lord Pray and offer Sacrifice ...))

2. ((Say: my salaah, sacrifice, life, and death are for Allah the Lord of the peoples. He has no Partners, with this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the believers.)) [al-An`aam 6:162-163]

3. Abu Hurairah (R) reported that the Messenger (S) said: "He who has the capacity but chooses not to sacrifice may not approach our prayer place (on Eed)." [Ibn Maajah, Ahmad, ..; authentic]

4. Anas reported that the Messenger (S) said: "He who slaughtered before the prayer (of Eed) has only slaughtered for himself. But the one who did it after the prayer has indeed completed his sacrifice and conformed with the Sunnah of the Muslims." [Al-Bukhaaree]

5. Al-Baraa' reported that the Messenger (S) said: "The first thing that we do on this day (al-Adhaa) is to pray. Then we go back and slaughter. The one who does this has indeed complied with our Sunnah, but the one who slaughtered earlier had only gotten some (regular) meat for his household, which does not count as sacrifice in the least." [Al-Bukharee & Muslim]

6. The one who cannot afford to sacrifice has been covered by the Messenger (S) who sacrificed for those who did not sacrifice in his Ummah, as was reported by Jaabir. [abu Dawud, at-Tirmidthi, ...; authentic:Irwa ul-ghaleel]

IV. Some Sunan and Regulations:

-------------------------------

1. Umm Salamah (R) reported that the Messenger (S) said: "The one who has a slaughtering to slaughter (on Eed) then, once the hilaal of Dthil Hijjah is observed, he should not cut any of his hair or nails until he sacrifices." [Muslim, ...]

2. Anas (R) reported that the Messenger of Allah (S) sacrificed two rams of beautiful (dark) eyes and large horns. He slaughtered them himself, putting his foot on the side of the kneck, and saying: "Bismillah, wallahu Akbar." [Al-Bukharee and Muslim.]

3. Aaishah (R) reported that the Messenger (S) said to her: "Give me the knife." Then he said: "Sharpen it against a stone." Then He took it, laid down the ram, and slaughtered it saying: "Bismillaah. O Allah, accept from Muhammad, Muhammad's family, and Muhammad's Ummah." And thus he sacrificed it.

4. The Messenger (S) first prohibited saving any of the Sacrifice's meat, to benefit poor people. Then permitted it saying: "Eat (from the meat), save, and give as Sadagqh." [Al-Bukharee & Muslim]

5. It can be done on any of the three days (Days of Tashreeq) following the Eed. Jubair bin Mut'im (R) reported that the Messenger (S) said: "All the Days of Tashreeq are slaughtering days." [Ahmad, Ibn Hibban, etc. Good in its collective chains of narrators]

6. Ibn Umar said: "The days of slaughtering are the day of adhaa and the two days following it." [Al-Muwatta'; Authentic]

V. The Three Days of Tashreeq:

------------------------------

1.'Uqbah bin Aamir said the the Messenger (S) said: "The day of 'Arafah, the day of slaughtering, and the days of Tashreeq are our Eed - Muslim people. They are days of eating and drinking." [Abu Dawud; authentic]

2. 'Amr bin al-'Aas said: "These days (the Days of Tashreeq) are the days that the Messenger (S) used to order us to eat on them and to prohibit us from fasting them." [Abu Dawud; authentic]

3. Nuhaishah al-Hudthali said that the Messenger (S) said: "The Days of Tashreeq are days of eating, drinking, and mentioning Allah." [Muslim, Ahmad]

4. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (S) said: "The Days of Minaa are days of eating and drinking." [At-Tahaawi & Ahmad; as-Saheehah 1282 by al-Albaani]

[Muhammad al-Jibaly]

A Goodly Tree

Allah (the Exalted and Almighty) has said:

See you not how Allâh sets forth a parable?

A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed,

and its branches (reach) to the sky (i.e. very high).

Giving its fruit at all times, by the Leave of its Lord,

and Allâh sets forth parables for mankind in order

that they may remember.

May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him)and his family and companions, and those who follow them in truth

The month of Sha’baan

Sha’baan is the name of the (eighth) month, and it is so called because in this month the Arabs used to disperse (tasha’’aba) in search of water, or it was said that they dispersed to carry out raids and forays. Or it was said that it is so called because it sha’aba (branches out or emerges) i.e., it appears between the months of Rajab and Ramadaan. The plural forms of the word Sha’baan are Sha’baanaat and Sha’aabeen.

Fasting in Sha’baan

‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said:

“The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allaah fasting for an entire month except in Ramadaan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Sha’baan.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 1833; Muslim, no. 1956).

According to a report narrated by Muslim(no. 1957),

“He used to fast all of Sha’baan, he used to fast all but a little of Sha’baan.”

A group of scholars, including Ibn al-Mubaarak and others, thought that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast all of Sha’baan, but he fasted most of it. This is supported by a report in Saheeh Muslim

(no. 1954) narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: “I never knew of him – meaning the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – fasting for any entire month apart from Ramadaan.” According to another report also narrated by Muslim (no. 1955), ‘Aa’ishah said: “I never saw him fast for any entire month from the time he came to Madeenah, apart from Ramadaan.”

It was reported in al-Saheehayn that Ibn ‘Abbaas said:

“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast any entire month apart from Ramadaan.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 1971, and Muslim, no. 1157). Ibn ‘Abbaas regarded it as makrooh to fast any entire month apart from Ramadaan. Ibn Hajar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “He observed more voluntary fasts in Sha’baan than in any other month, and he used to fast most of Sha’baan.”

Usaamah ibn Zayd (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said:

“I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I do not see you fasting in any other month like you fast in Sha’baan.’ He said, ‘That is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadaan, and it is a month in which deeds are lifted up to the Lord of the Worlds. I like for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting.’” (Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, see Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, page 425). According to a report narrated by Abu Dawood (no. 2076) she said: “The most beloved of months for the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to fast in was Sha’baan, and his fasting in Sha’baan was continuous with his fasting in Ramadaan.” (Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, see Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 2/461).

Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

“Fasting in Sha’baan is better than fasting in the Sacred Months, and the best of voluntary fasts are those that are (observed in the months) closest to Ramadaan, before or after. The status of these fasts is like that of al-Sunan al-Rawaatib which are done before and after fard (prayers) and which make up for any shortfall in the number of obliagtory prayers. The same applies to fasts observed before and after Ramadaan. Just as al-Sunan al-Rawaatib are better than other kinds of voluntary prayers, so fasts observed (in the months) before and after Ramadaan are better than fasts at other times.

thanks for reading this ..if you guys learnt any thing from this post, your comments will really be appreciated..

Jazak Allah o Khair

A Hadith

Abu Hunaira Narrated that:

The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said, "Name yourselves with my name (use my name) but do not name yourselves with my Kunya name (i.e. Abu-l Qasim). And whoever sees me in a dream then surely he has seen me for Satan cannot impersonate me. And whoever tells a lie against me (intentionally), then (surely) let him occupy his seat in Hell-fire."

[Sahih Al-Bukhari: Volume 1, Book 3, Number 110]