The month of Muharram is the 1st month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar. Its virtues, drawn directly from the Qur’an, authentic ahadith, and the verdicts of the scholars, are as follows.
1. It is One of the Four Sacred Months Named in the Qur’an
Allah says:
“Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allah on 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.”
— Surah at-Tawbah 9:36
The Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) identified these four months explicitly:
“The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months — Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, and Muharram — and Rajab of Mudar, which comes between Jumada and Sha’ban.”
— Narrated by al-Bukhari, no. 2958 (from Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him)
2. Its Very Name Signals Its Sanctity
“Muharram” comes from the root meaning forbidden or sacred — its name itself reinforces the prohibition of wrongdoing during it.
3. Sins Are Graver and Good Deeds More Rewarded in It
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, commenting on “so wrong not yourselves therein”:
“(The command not to wrong yourself) applies in all months, then Allah singled out four months and made them sacred, and emphasized their sanctity. He made sin during these months more grave, and He made righteous deeds and the reward thereof greater.”
Qatadah said:
“Wrongdoing during the sacred months is more serious and incurs a greater burden of sin than in other months… Allah has chosen elites from His creation: from among the angels He chose Messengers, from among mankind He chose Messengers, from among speech He chose dhikr, from among spaces He chose the mosques, from among the months He chose Ramadan and the sacred months, from among days He chose Friday, and from among nights He chose Laylat al-Qadr.”
— Tafsir Ibn Kathir, commentary on Surah at-Tawbah 9:36
4. It Is Honored by Being Attributed Directly to Allah — “Shahr Allah” (the Month of Allah)
The Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:
“The best fast after Ramadan is in the month of Allah, Muharram.”
— Sahih Muslim, no. 1163 (also reported as 1982), from Abu Hurayrah
Al-Qari noted that this genitive attribution (idafah) — calling it “the month of Allah” — indicates the veneration this month deserves, and that “what is meant is the entire month of Muharram.” (Cited in Sharh an-Nawawi ala Sahih Muslim.)
5. It Is the Most Virtuous Month for Voluntary Fasting After Ramadan
Based on the hadith above (Muslim 1163), Imam an-Nawawi clarified that the Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) never fasted any full month except Ramadan; therefore the hadith encourages fasting a great deal of Muharram, not the whole month. He added:
“Perhaps the virtue of Muharram was not revealed to him until the end of his life, before he was able to fast during it.”
— Sharh an-Nawawi ala Sahih Muslim
6. It Contains the Great Day of Ashura (10th Muharram)
The Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:
“Fasting the day of Arafah, I hope Allah will expiate thereby for the year before it and the year after it; and fasting the day of Ashura, I hope Allah will expiate thereby for the year that came before it.”
— Sahih Muslim, no. 1162
Ibn Abbas said:
“I never saw the Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) so keen to make sure he fasted any day and preferring it over another except this day, the day of Ashura, and this month — meaning Ramadan.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 1867
The reason for fasting it is given in another hadith:
The Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) came to Madinah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura. He asked, “What is this?” They said, “This is a good day; this is the day when Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy, and Musa fasted on this day.” He said, “We are closer to Musa (Alaihis Salam) than you.” So he fasted on this day and told the people to fast.
— Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 1865
Imam an-Nawawi clarified the scope of this expiation:
“Fasting the day of Arafah is an expiation for two years, and the day of Ashura is an expiation for one year… The expiation refers to minor sins; with regard to major sins, they need separate repentance.”
— al-Majmu Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, part 6
Ibn Taymiyyah concurred:
“The expiation of purification, prayer, and fasting Ramadan, Arafah, and Ashura applies to minor sins only.”
— al-Fatawa al-Kubra, part 5
7. Allah Singles Out Blessed Times for Greater Reward
Al-Izz ibn Abd as-Salam (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Superiority of times and places is of two types… the religious or spiritual, because of what Allah bestows upon His slaves at those times of greater reward for deeds — such as the greater virtue of fasting Ramadan over other months, or the day of Ashura. Its virtue is due to Allah’s generosity and kindness to His slaves during it.”
— Qawaid al-Ahkam, 1/38
(The above virtues are summarized from IslamQA Article 74 and Fatwa 204142, the latter based on Shaykh Abdul-Azeez ibn Baaz, Fatawa Nur ala ad-Darb, 1/334.)
Recommended Practices in Muharram (Sunnah)
1. Fast generously throughout the month, based on Muslim no. 1163 — “The best fast after Ramadan is the month of Allah, Muharram.”
2. Fast the 10th of Muharram (Ashura) — expiates the sins of the past year (Muslim 1162).
3. Fast the 9th together with the 10th, to differ from the Jews. The Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:
“If I live until next year, I will certainly fast the ninth as well.”
— Sahih Muslim, from Ibn Abbas
4. Fasting the 11th is also encouraged, based on the report from Ibn Abbas:
“Fast the day of Ashura, and be different from the Jews with regard to it; fast the day before it or the day after it.”
— Musnad Ahmad (classed hasan by Shaykh Ahmad Shakir; daif by others — tolerated in matters of virtue)
Imam Ahmad said: “Whoever wants to fast Ashura should fast on the ninth and the tenth, unless there is some uncertainty about the months, in which case he should fast for three days.”
— al-Mughni, 4/441
5. Avoid wrongdoing with extra vigilance, as sins in the sacred months are graver (Qur’an 9:36; Ibn Abbas and Qatadah).
6. If reminded of the killing of al-Husayn or any past calamity, say “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun” — and Allah will grant a reward equal to that of the day the calamity occurred (hadith narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Majah, cited by Ibn Kathir in al-Bidayah wa’n-Nihayah, 8/221).
Innovations (Bidah) to Avoid in Muharram and on Ashura
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah explained that Shaytan introduced two opposite innovations through the killing of al-Husayn:
“Because of the killing of al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), Shaytan caused the people to introduce two innovations: the innovation of mourning and wailing on the day of Ashura — by slapping the cheeks, weeping, and reciting eulogies — and the innovation of rejoicing and celebrating… So some introduced mourning and others introduced celebration… And every innovation is misguidance. None of the four imams of the Muslims or any other (scholars) regarded either of these things as mustahabb.”
— Minhaj as-Sunnah, 4/554
A. Innovations of Mourning (those who took it as a day of grief)
– Wailing, beating chests, slapping cheeks
– Striking the shoulders with chains, cutting heads with swords to draw blood (matam, tatbir)
– Rending garments and crying with the cry of Jahiliyyah — explicitly forbidden by the Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam):
“He is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, rends his garment, or cries with the cry of Jahiliyyah.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 1294; Sahih Muslim, no. 103
– Reciting eulogies of grief and fabricated stories about Karbala
– Refusing to drink water in sympathy with al-Husayn
– Taking Ashura as an annual day of mourning — neither the Prophet nor the Sahabah did this even after the deaths of greater figures (Hamzah, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, and the Prophet himself).
— Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa’n-Nihayah, 8/220–221
B. Innovations of Celebration (those who took it as a festive day)
– Cooking special dishes or grains for Ashura
– Wearing new clothes, applying kohl or henna
– Performing a special ghusl for the day
– Shaking hands ceremonially, exchanging visits as on an Eid
– Visiting mosques and shrines (mashahid) specifically on Ashura
– Spending extra money on the family or buying yearly supplies on that day (based on a fabricated narration)
– Performing special prayers or sacrifices unique to that day
Ibn Taymiyyah ruled:
“All of this is reprehensible bidah and is wrong. Nothing to that effect has been reported in any sahih hadith from the Prophet ﷺ or from his Companions. None of the imams of the Muslims encouraged or recommended such things — neither the four imams, nor any others.”
— al-Fatawa al-Kubra, part 5
C. Fabricated Narrations About Ashura — Do Not Believe or Spread
Reports claiming that Ashura is the day Adam’s repentance was accepted, Nuh’s Ark settled on Mount Judi, Yusuf returned to Yaqub, Ibrahim was saved from the fire, and so on — Ibn Taymiyyah classed all such reports as lacking any reliable chain.
Summary
Muharram’s virtue lies in its sanctity (Qur’an 9:36), its honor of being attributed to Allah (Muslim 1163), and the great expiation tied to fasting Ashura (Muslim 1162). The Sunnah is to fast — particularly the 9th and 10th (or 9th, 10th, and 11th) — and to avoid wrongdoing. Anything beyond this in the form of celebration or mourning rituals is innovation, as declared by Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Kathir, and the consensus of the imams.
Sources
– IslamQA Article 74: https://islamqa.info/en/articles/74
– IslamQA Fatwa 204142: https://islamqa.info/en/answers/204142
– IslamQA Fatwa 4033: https://islamqa.info/en/answers/4033
– IslamQA Fatwa 128423: https://islamqa.info/en/answers/128423
– IslamQA Fatwa 21775: https://islamqa.info/en/answers/21775
– IslamQA Fatwa 101268: https://islamqa.info/en/answers/101268
(Compiled by Mohammed bin Thajammul Hussain Manna from islamqa.info)
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