Podcast: Fasting Muḥarram and ʿĀshūrāʾ

The podcast of this translation


            


Related/Further Reading:

Dhūl Ḥijjah, the Day of ʿArafah and Fasting
Does the person who is unable to fast because of a long-term illness enter from this gate?
Terminological Differences Between the Sciences of Fiqh and Uṣūl al-Fiqh 


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Six Days of Shawwāl

A brief explanation of the matter

Imam Aḥmad ibn Naqīb al-Masri says in ʿUmdat as-Sālik:

'It is recommended to fast six days from Shawwāl, and it is recommended to do them consecutively after Eid. It one splits them up, it is permissible.'

Imam Muṣṭafā al-Bughā says in his commentary:

'It is on the authority of Abū Ayūb, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, {Whoever fasts Ramaḍān and follows it up with six days from Shawwāl, it's as if he has fasted his entire life[1].}

This is because one good deed is written down as ten, and thus Ramadan is like ten months and six days is like two months, completing an entire year. Therefore, if one does this every year, it's as if one fasts one's entire life.'


(The ḥadīth is narrated by Muslim in the Book of Fasting in the chapter on the recommendation to fast six days from the month of Shawwāl, following Ramaḍān, no. 1164; by Abū Dāwūd in the Book of Fasting in the chapter on fasting six days from Shawwāl, no. 2433; by at-Tirmidhī in the Book of Fasting in the chapter on what has reached us regarding six days from Shawwāl, no. 759, and he said it is ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ; by an-Nasāʾī in al-Kubrā in the Book of Fasting in the chapter mentioning the transmitters of Abū Ayūb's report and how they differ therein, after the chapter on fasting six days from Shawwāl, no. 2862-2867; and by Ibn Mājah in the Book of Fasting in the chapter on fasting six days from Shawwāl, no. 1716.)


[Translated from Tanwīr al-Masālik bi Sharḥ wa Adillah ʿUmdat as-Sālik wa ʿUddat an-Nāsik by Imam Musṭafā Dīb al-Bughā (Damascus: Dār al-Muṣṭafā, 1431/2010), v.1, p.532]


[1] Ar. ad-dahr, which in the normal context of the ḥadīth means an entire year, but Imam Muṣṭafā al-Bughā will explain how it could mean an entire lifetime.

Explanation of the Rituals of Hajj and Umrah

The first three parts with English subtitles

Main points: •Recommended acts of Tawaf • Explanation of hastening between as-Safaa and al-Marwah(sa'iee) •The story of lady Hajar • The benefits of Zamzam water • Recommended acts of sai'ee

In this episode:
- What is the difference between the two states of ihram (Ifraad and Qiran)?
-  What are the rituals to be done on the day of Tarwiyah?
-  How to spend the day of 'Arafah?
-  Dr. Tawfiq narrates his memories on the day of 'Arafah
-  Going to Muzdalifah


p.s. The translation is from the brothers and sisters at Naseem al-Sham.

Related Post:
Visiting the Grave of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace  

What Is The Righteous Action That Is Sought In These Ten Days?

An oral translation (with partial commentary) of this khutbah by Imam Muhammad Saeed Ramadan al-Bouti, may Allah have mercy on him: 

Related Posts: 
Imam an-Nawawi on the Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah
Dhul Hijjah, the Day of 'Arafah and Fasting

Articles on Mawlid

Two articles from Jurjis's blog:

21:107

1. Religion on Sale

This is an excellent article on the constant and consistent watering down of Islam in the Anglosphere, and in this case it takes the form of how Muslims celebrate the Mawlid, which this year fell on Christmas Eve and therefore it was hard to distinguish the Christmas lights put up by Christians from the "Mawlid" lights put up by Muslims. The marches that some Muslims partake are also hard to distinguish for those that Christians partake in during Easter festivities. Here are Russian Orthodox Christians partaking in the Paschal Outdoor Procession:

"Bright Week" Procession

Aside for the clear religious syncretism that these lights and processions display, how are non-believers supposed to respond when not only are their daily lives being disrupted (e.g. roads being blocked and traffic rerouted), but this year their own religious celebrations are imposed upon?

If these people do indeed love the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as they claim, why not do something about the horrific crimes that have been committed by Muslims in their own communities, top of the list being the rape of white girls? Rochdale appears to have an even more serious problem than Birmingham. Doing something about forced marriages and honour killings would also help.

2. The Balanced Way Regarding the Mawlid, Without Exaggeration 

Alhamdulilah, this article sheds light on how Mawlid should be acknowledged and celebrated, and with Allah is every success.

[An article on "self-identifying" in the Anglosphere will be published soon, insha'Allah,]

Fasting Muḥarram and ʿĀshūrāʾ

A continuation of this article

Fasting Muḥarram and ʿĀshūrāʾ

By Imam Wahbah az-Zuḥaylī, may Allah have mercy on him[1]

...As for fasting the month of Muḥarram, this is due to what Muslim has narrated in his Ṣaḥīḥ on the authority of Abū Hurayrah, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {The best fast after the month of Ramaḍān is Allah’s month of Muḥarram, and the best prayer after the obligatory is the night prayer.}’[2]

In another narration of Muslim, which is also in his Ṣaḥīḥ and on the authority of Abū Hurayrah: {The best fast after the month of Ramaḍān is the month of Allah that you call al-Muḥarram, and the best prayer after the obligatory is in the middle of the night.}[3][4]

As for fasting ʿĀshūrāʾ, this is due to what al-Bukhārī and Muslim have narrated on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said, ‘The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came and the Jews were fasting the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, so he said, {What is this day that they are fasting?} They replied, ‘This is an immense day; it is the day on which Allah saved Mūsā and drowned Firʿawn, so Mūsā fasted it out of gratitude.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then said, {We have more right to Mūsā than you.} From then on, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fasted it and commanded others to do so.

Fasting ʿĀshūrāʾ[5] is a sunnah[6] and not an obligation, and this is due to what has been narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim, as well as al-Bayhaqī in his Sunan; ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar said – when ʿĀshūrāʾ was mentioned in his presence - : ‘It was a day that the people of Ignorance[7] used to fast, so whoever wants to fast it can do so and whoever would prefer to leave it can do so.’

Al-Bayhaqī has narrated in his Shuʿab on the authority of Abū Qatādah, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {Fasting ʿĀshūrāʾ is expiation for one year, and fasting ʿArafah is expiation for the year before it and the year after it}’, i.e. expiation for two years.

It is recommended that the fast of ʿĀshūrāʾ be two days, i.e. one also fasts the day before it or the day after it, and this is due to what Muslim and Abū Dāwūd have narrated, as well as al-Bayhaqī in his Shuʿab, on the authority of ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAbbās, who said, ‘When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fasted the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ and commanded others to fast it, they said, “O Messenger of Allah, it is a day that the Jews exalt.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, thus replied, {Next year, if Allah so wills, we will fast the ninth day as well.} And the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed away before the next year came.

Muslim has narrated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {If I live to next year I will fast the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ as well as the ninth day.} Al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās that he said, {Fast the ninth and tenth and be different from the Jews.} In another ḥadīth, al-Bayhaqī relates on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {If I were to remain alive I would command that you fast the day before or the day after the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ.}

It is recommended for the Muslim to be generous towards his family on the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, and this is due to what al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {Whoever is generous towards his family on the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, Allah will be generous towards him the rest of the year.}

Al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {Whoever is generous towards his family and his dependents on the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, Allah will be generous towards him the rest of the year.}[8]

The benefit that one takes from these aḥādīth is that fasting the day of ʿArafah, Muḥarram, and the ninth and tenth of Muḥarram has an immense reward, and there is benefit therein for the one who fasts as there is a gap of only two months and a bit between Ramaḍān and these days.

Fasting is a sublime means of drawing nearer to Allah the Exalted and it has a great reward, not to mention the health, social, educational and moral benefits that fasting contains, in Ramaḍān and outside Ramaḍān, so whoever is able to fast should do so, and Allah will be pleased with him, and whoever is unable to fast, Allah will open up for him others means of attaining reward and avoiding punishment, because Allah is Most Merciful towards His slaves and He knows best about them. Thus, whoever misses a good opportunity to draw nearer to Allah the Exalted, Allah will prepare other opportunities for him.

And it has been made clear to us that fasting ʿĀshūrāʾ contains lofty evidence of the cooperation that exists between the Prophets, and that every Messenger completes the message of the Messenger who preceded him.

And today, how greatly do we need our connection to all the noble Messengers and their blessed calls to be strong, and to take knowledge from them that is of immense benefit to mankind.

---

[1] (tn): Translated from the Imam’s book Usūl al-Īmān wa al-Islām (Damascus: Dār al-Fikr, 2008), v.1 p.487-489

[2] Ar. ṣalāt al-layl

[3] Ar. fī jawf al-layl

[4] Ibn ʿAbbās explains that in the āyas: “And by the dawn, and the ten nights” [al-Fajr 89:1-2], the dawn (al-fajr) is Muḥarram, which is the dawn of the year.

[5] (tn): i.e. the 10^th of Muḥarram

[6] (tn): i.e. recommendation, in that one is rewarded for doing it but not punished for leaving it off

[7] Ar. ahl al-Jāhiliyyah

[8] Al-Bayhaqī says in his Shuʿab (3/366): ‘These chains of transmission, even though they are weak, if one gathers them together they become stronger, and Allah knows best. The ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah has been mentioned in chains some of which have been declared authentic by al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū al-Faḍl ibn Nāṣir. 

Dhūl Ḥijjah, the Day of ʿArafah and Fasting

Dhūl Ḥijjah, the Day of ʿArafah and Fasting

By Imam Wahbah Az-Zuḥaylī, may Allah have mercy on him[1]

…As for the ten days of Dhūl Ḥijjah, al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of Jābir, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “By the dawn, and ten nights” [al-Fajr 89:1-2], {The ten is the ten of the sacrifice, the day is the Day of ʿArafah and the even (shafʿ)[2] is the Day of the Immolation (yawm an-naḥr).}’

Ibn ʿAbbās explained “By the dawn” to be the dawn of the daytime “and ten nights” to be the ten of the sacrifice. Regarding “is there not in that an oath for the intelligent?”, he said, ‘those who have discernment’.

Masrūq said, ‘The ten is the ten of the sacrifice which Allah, Mighty and Majestic, promised Mūsā, peace be upon him, and we have completed them with ten.’

Al-Bukhārī and al-Bayhaqī have related on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he said, {There are no days more beloved to Allah in which to do good deeds and none better than these ten days.} They said: ‘And not even to strive[3] in Allah’s way?’ He said: {Not even to strive in Allah’s way, except for a man who strives with his life and his wealth and then doesn’t come back with anything.}’

Ibn ʿAbbās added, ‘Therefore, increase therein in tahlīl,[4] taḥmīd,[5] takbīr[6] and tasbīḥ.’[7]

Al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {There are no better days according to Allah, and there are no days that I love to do good deeds in more than these ten, so increase therein in tahlīl, takbīr and taḥmīd.}’

Al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of some of the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would fast the nine days of Dhūl Ḥijjah, the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ and three days of every month: the first Monday of the month and two Thursdays.

Al-Bayhaqī has also related in his Shuʿab on the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘{The master of the months is the month of Ramaḍān, and the greatest of them in sanctity (ḥurmah) is Dhūl Ḥijjah.}’

And there is al-Bayhaqī’s narration on the authority of Abū Hurayrah, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {There are no days in this worldly life in which Allah loves to be worshipped through deeds more than these ten days; fasting every day therein is equivalent to fasting a year and standing in every one of its nights is equivalent to standing in the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr).}’ This ḥadīth is proof that fasting every day of the ten days of Dhūl Ḥijjah[8] is equivalent to fasting a year.

In another narration of al-Bayhaqī, it is on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {There are no better days according to Allah, and there are no days in which good deeds are more beloved to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, than these ten days, so increase therein in tahlīl, takbīr and the dhikr of Allah, for indeed they are the days of tahlīl, takbīr and the dhikr of Allah. Fasting one of these days is equivalent to fasting a year and good deeds therein are multiplied seven hundred times.} This ḥadīth is proof of the Sunnah virtue of fasting the ten days of Dhūl Ḥijjah.

Fasting the Day of ʿArafah, Muḥarram and ʿĀshūrāʾ

The Prophetic Sunnah has emphasised fasting the Day of ʿArafah (al-Waqfah), Allah’s sacred month of al-Muḥarram and ʿĀshūrāʾ because of the virtues and distinctions that lie therein. As for fasting the Day of ʿArafah and commending it, this is due to the Exalted’s statement: “and the witness and the witnessed” [al-Burūj 85:3]. It has been related from Abū Hurayrah, marfūʿan[9] and mawqūfan,[10] that the witnessed is the Day of ʿArafah.

Al-Bayhaqī has related in his Shuʿab, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {The best of days according to Allah is Friday, which is the witness, while the witnessed is the Day of ʿArafah and the Promised Day is the Day of Resurrection.}[11]

Muslim has narrated on the authority of Abū Qatādah that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {For fasting the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, I expect that Allah expiate the sins of the year that preceded it.} In another narration, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, informs us, {Fasting the Day of ʿArafah is expiation for a year, as well as the one that follows it, while fasting the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ is expiation for a year.}

ʿĀʾishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, ‘There is no day in the year that I love to fast more than the Day of ʿArafah.’[12]

Al-Bayhaqī has narrated in his Shuʿab on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, who said, ‘The supplication that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made the most on the Day of ʿArafah was: {There is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner. He has the Dominion and He deserves all Praise, and He has power over everything.}’[13]

Al-Bayhaqī has also narrated in his Shuʿab on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said, ‘The specific days (al-ayām al-maʿlūmāt)[14] are the ten days and the designated days (al-ayām al-maʿdūdāt)[15] are the days of tashrīq.’[16]

…

Related Posts:

Imam an-Nawawī on the Ten Days of Dhūl Ḥijjah

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[1] (tn): Translated from the Imam’s book Uṣūl al-Īmān wa al-Islām (Damascus: Dār al-Fikr, 2008), v.1, p.485-487

[2] (tn): Sūrat al-Fajr 89:3

[3] Ar. jihād

[4] (tn): i.e. saying la ilāha illa Allah

[5] (tn): i.e. saying al-ḥamdu lillāh

[6] (tn): i.e. saying Allahu akbar

[7] (tn): i.e. saying subḥān Allah

[8] (tn): apart from the day of ʿĪd, which is the 10^th

[9] (tn): i.e. its chain of transmission is traceable back to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace

[10] (tn): i.e. attributed to a Companion and the Companion did not attribute it to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace

[11] (tn): Please refer to al-Burūj 85:1-3

[12] Narrated by al-Bayhaqī in as-Sunan al-Kubrā

[13] Ar. La ilaha illa Allah, waḥdahu, la sharīka lah, lahu al-mulk, wa lahu al-ḥamd wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr

[14] Please see al-Ḥajj 22:28: “…and invoke Allah’s name on specific days…”

[15] Please see al-Baqarah 2:203: “Remember Allah on the designated days…”

[16] (tn): i.e. the three days that follow the ʿĪd of the Sacrifice

Brief Notes on Shaʿbān

O Allah, enable us to reach Ramadan

Alhamdulilah, by the mercy of Allah, we have reached the month of Shaʿbān. May Allah bless us all in this month and allow us to reach Ramadan in health and wellbeing, ameen.

Shaʿbān is the eighth month of the lunar calendar, falling between Rajab and Ramadan. In the two saheeh collections, i.e. of Imams al-Bukhari and Muslim, it is related that Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, 

'I never saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fast an entire month apart from Ramadan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Shaʿbān." 

Usamah ibn Zayd, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

'I said, "O Messenger of Allah, I do not see you fasting in any other month like you fast in Shaʿbān."

He replied, 

"It's a month that people don't pay attention to, falling between Rajab and Ramadan, and it is a month in which deeds are lifted up to the Lord of all creation. I like for my deeds to be lifted up while I am fasting." [Narrated by An-Nasāʾī]

May Allah the Exalted grant us the enabling success and strength to follow in the footsteps of His Beloved, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and may He enable us to reach Ramadan and enjoy its blessings and bounties. Also, may Allah have mercy on those souls who yearned to fast Ramadan and are now under the earth. O Allah, cool their graves for them and open doors for them through which the cool breezes of Paradise may blow. Ameen.

Related Posts:
Explaining the 15th of Shaʿbān (Jurjis)
Authentic Narrations Regarding the 15th of Shaʿbān
Word of the Month for Rajab

The 27th of Rajab, and Tawassul

A translation of this fatwa from Naseem al-Sham

قبة الصخرة

Question:

Faḍīlat ash-Sheikh, As-salām ʿalaykum,

Did the Miʿrāj (Ascent) of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, happen on the 27^th of Rajab as some people claim? My second question: is it permissible to say “O Messenger of Allah, take my hand!” (Yā Rasūl Allah, khudh bi yadī) as some munshids say, and what is the proof? Please give us a fatwā, and may Allah reward you.

                                 

Answer (Sheikh Muḥammad Tawfīq Ramaḍān):

The date of the Miʿrāj is the same as that of the Isrāʾ (Night Journey), and its specified time being the 27^th of Rajab is not just what some people claim. Rather, it is the narration that many scholars have relied on. As for tawassul of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, it is a legislated matter. Those who oppose this cite as their evidence the ḥadīth: {When you ask, ask Allah…}, which is a ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth, but tawassul does not contradict this ḥadīth. Rather, tawassul is nothing but asking for his intercession, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and if seeking his intercession in his lifetime is established by the ḥadīth of the blind man, which is not denied by those who deny tawassul, and it is established in the ḥadīth of al-Bukhārī that he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, will intercede on the Day of Resurrection…is tawassul after his death thus not legislated? Thinking like this actually necessitates idolatry (shirk) because it implies that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has some sort of intrinsic benefit that he could bestow whilst alive, but since his death he is no longer able to do so![1] We, on the other hand, do not say that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has any intrinsic ability to benefit or harm. Rather, it is all in Allah’s Hand,[2] but Allah grants intercession to some of His slaves.[3]

Related Posts:

Word of the Month for Rajab

The Difference between Tawassul and Shirk

[This translation is also available from the English Naseem al-Sham site]

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[1] (tn): The sheikh’s father, Imam Muḥammad Saʿīd Ramaḍān al-Būṭī, may Allah have mercy on him, expands on this further while discussing the law of causation in the universe in his book Kubrā al-Yaqīniyyāt al-Kawniyyah. The Imam says,

‘What is amazing is that certain people continue to attribute matters to their apparent causes. Indeed, they use expressions that would clearly indicate that the apparent cause is actually that which produced the effect, such as attributing a cure to medicine, or asking a physician for it. Then you see these same people paying very close attention to the words of others and whenever they hear the words tawassul or tabarruk [seeking blessings] of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from anyone, they declare them guilty of shirk and kufr, even though this individual did not attribute the production of the effect to him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and did not say anything more about the Messenger than what they say about physicians and medicines. Is the causation of medicine with regards to a cure  greater than the causation of our master Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with regards to blessings and mercy?! What we say is that there is no actual causation in this or that, but it is preposterous to elevate this apparent causation in medicine and medication to even one-tenth of the degree to which the apparent causation in Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is raised with regards to mercy, forgiveness and blessings.

What is also amazing, and which boggles the mind, is to see them saying, “The Companions only did tawassul of him because he was still alive…after his passing, tawassul was nullified and its ruling was abolished, and it became shirk and kufr.”!!

Can anyone say this unless they think that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, assumed, while he was alive and had physical capacity, the means of producing an effect for those who did tawassul and tabarruk of him, and then when he died the means of producing an effect disappeared and therefore tawassul of him became tawassul of something that cannot produce an effect?! This is nothing but pure kufr, and it’s worse than what these people pretend they are fleeing from.

Indeed the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, cannot produce an effect in anything whatsoever, not in his lifetime nor after his death. Whoever believes otherwise is a disbeliever in Allah and His Messenger. As for the anchor of tawassul and tabarruk of him, it is nothing but an honouring from Allah, Mighty and Majestic, that is bestowed upon him, and He made him a means of mercy for His slaves. This honouring and ennoblement was not detached from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, upon him passing away. Rather, it was increased, as we know, in sublimity and nobility.’ [p.295-296]

[2] Ar. yad

[3] (tn): See Āyat al-Kursī, for example (Al-Baqarah 2:255)

Word of the Month for Rajab

A translation of this article from Naseem al-Sham

In the Name of Allah, the All Merciful, the Most Merciful

شهر رجب

Word of the Month for Rajab

By Asmāʾ Ramaḍān

Translated by Mahdi Lock

Praise be to Allah, Lord of all Creation, praise that complies with His blessings and compensates His abundance, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and all his family and Companions.

To proceed:

Al-Bukhārī and Muslim have related in their two Ṣaḥīḥ collections, from the ḥadīth of our master Abū Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave a khuṭbah in his farewell pilgrimage and in that khuṭbah he said, {Indeed time has come full circle and returned to how it was the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year is twelve months and four of them are sacred, three of which are in succession: Dhūl Qaʿdah, Dhūl Ḥijjah and Muḥarram, and the other is Rajab Muḍar, which comes between Jumādā and Shaʿbān}…and the rest of the ḥadīth.

Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has said in Sūrat at-Tawbah: {There have been twelve months with Allah in the Book of Allah, from the day He first created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred. That is the true religion. So do not wrong one another during them. However, fight the idolaters totally just as they fight you totally, and know that Allah is with the godfearing.} [At-Tawbah 9:36]

Thus, Allah, Glorified is He, has informed us that since the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the creation of night and day, both have revolved in their orbits and as a result we have the darkness of the night and the whiteness of the day, and that was when the year was made to comprise twelve months based on the sighting of the crescent moon.

Therefore, the year in the Revealed Law is measured according to the moon and its ascending, not the sun and its passage through the zodiac, as is done by the People of the Book.

Notes on ʿĪd Al-Aḍḥā

Sunnahs of Ṣalāt Al-ʿĪd

By Imam Wahbah Az-Zuḥaylī, may Allah have mercy on him

It is sunnah[1] to do it in the masjid due to its honour, and if it is prayed outside it is disliked unless the masjid isn’t big enough for the people. Then the sunnah would be to do it outside, due to following,[2] and it would be disliked to do it in the masjid. If there is rain or extreme heat, then it is done in the masjid. It is absolutely sunnah to do it in the Masjids of Makka and Jerusalem, following the Salaf and the Khalaf.

It is also sunnah to revive[3] the nights of the two ʿĪds in worship, recitation of the Qurʾān and dhikr, due to what has been related with weak chains of transmission, “Whoever revives the night of ʿĪd, Allah revives his heart on the day hearts die.”[4] This reviving is achieved by spending most of the night.

It is recommended to have a ghusl after the middle of the night has passed, to scent oneself, to wear one’s best clothes, to look one’s best whether one is in one’s house or going out to the ʿĪd prayer, for both the old and the young, in the place of prayer or elsewhere, and it is recommended for children to attend looking their best.

It is recommended for the elderly to attend without scent or embellishment. For other than the imam, it is recommended to go to the place of prayer early, after the fajr prayer, to walk there and back, and to come back home a different way that is also shorter, as is the case with all other acts of worship.

For the prayer on ʿĪd Al-Aḍḥā, one should make haste to the place of prayer, but for ʿĪd Al-Fiṭr, one should delay oneself slightly, due to his command, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which has been related mursalan,[5] to do so. With regards to the former, this is so that there is ample time after the ʿĪd Al-Aḍḥā prayer to perform the sacrifice, while with regards to the latter; it is so that there is ample time beforehand to give the Zakāt Al-Fiṭr.

On ʿĪd Al-Fiṭr, it is recommended to eat and drink before the prayer while on the ʿĪd of the Sacrifice, it is recommended to refrain from eating and drinking,[6] due to ittibāʾ, so that the two days are distinguished from the days that precede them. It is sunnah to eat from the liver of the sacrificed animal, due to ittibāʾ, and it is also sunnah to have an odd number of dates, due to ittibāʾ.

[Translated from Al-Fiqh Al-Shāfiʿī Al-Muyassar (Damascus: Dar Al-Fikr, 2008), p.285-286]

A note on takbīr:

The takbīr is as follows:

Allah Akbar Allah Akbar Allah Akbar

Lā ilāha illa Allah, w-Allah Akbar Allah Akbar, wa lillahil ḥamd.

Allah Akbar kabīra, wal-Ḥamdu lillahi Kathīra, wa subḥān Allahī bukratan wa aṣīla.

الله اكبر الله اكبر الله اكبر

لا اله الا الله و الله اكبر الله اكبر و لله الحمد

الله اكبر كبيرا و الحمد لله كثيرا و سبحان الله بكرة و أصيلا

For those not on Ḥajj, it is recommended to make takbīr from dawn on the Day of ʿArafa, i.e. the 9^th of Dhū Al-Ḥijja, until ʿAsr on the last day of tashrīq, i.e. the 13^th of Dhū Al-Ḥijja,[7] after every prayer, obligatory or supererogatory, current or make-up, funeral prayer etc.  If one forgets, one does it upon remembering.

Please see Al-Fiqh Al-Shāfiʿī Al-Muyassar (Damascus: Dar Al-Fikr, 2008), p.287-288.

And Allah knows best.

Jumuʿah Prayer on ʿĪd

[Question] In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful. May the peace, blessings and mercy of Allah be upon you. Is the obligation to pray the Jumuʿah prayer dropped if the first day of ʿĪd is a Friday? Thank you very much and may you always be in a good state.

[Answer (Imam Muḥammad Saʿīd Ramaḍān Al-Būṭī, may Allah have mercy on him)]:

The obligation to pray the Jumuʿah prayer is not dropped because of it coinciding with ʿĪd if the person praying is present inside the city or town in which the ʿĪd and Jumuʿah prayers are held. The obligation is only dropped for someone who comes from another town to pray the ʿĪd prayer, for if he returns to his town he is not obliged to return once again to the town in which he performed the ʿĪd prayer in order to perform the Jumuʿah prayer.

[This original Arabic of this fatwā can be read here.]

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[1] (tn): i.e. recommended

[2] (tn): Ar. Al-ittibāʾ, i.e. following the ḥadīth, which is a common term used by the Shāfiʿīs

[3] (tn): Ar. aḥyā, which literally means to revive or bring to life but in this context would mean to spend, i.e. spend the night in worship. Please see the ḥadīth below.

[4] Related by Ad-Dāraquṭnī mawqūfan [i.e. a statement, action or affirmation that is attributed to a Companion or group of Companions]. An-Nawawī says in ­Al-Majmūʾ, ‘Its chains of transmission are weak.’ He also adds that despite that, the scholars have recommended that the night be spent in worship, because weak ḥadīth are acted upon with regards to virtuous actions (faḍāʾil al-aʿamāl).

[5] (tn): i.e. a  ḥadīth in which there is no link in the chain of transmission after a Follower, such as a Companion and/or other Follower.

[6] (tn): i.e. before the prayer.

[7] (tn) It is related that Ibn Masʿūd would do this, may Allah be pleased with him, as related by Ibn Abī Shayba and Al-Ḥākim, and it is also related that ʿAlī did it, may Allah be pleased with him.