Putting the spotlight on 10th Muharram Vs wailing over Hussain's assasination

In the Name of Allaah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

"Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in year), so was it ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred, (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein, and fight against the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolators, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah) collectively, as they fight against you collectively. But know that Allaah is with those who are Al-Muttaqun (the pious)." Qur'an 9:36

In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, it was authentically narrated on the strength of Abu Bakrah (RA) who said that the Prophet said in a speech during the time of hajj that: "division of time has turned to its original form which was current when Allaah created the heavens and the earth. The year is of twelve months, out of which four months are sacred: Three are in succession Dhul-Qa'dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and (the fourth is) Rajab of (the tribe of) Mudar which comes between Jumada (Ath-Thaniyah) and Sha'ban."

Man was non-existent then Allaah created him and he is bound by time and space, and with time he will grow through the days of the week and the weeks of the months and the months of the year until he dies. Ours is the lunar calendar and the counting of it began years after the age of Islam (since the inception of the Prophethood of Muhammad pbuh) when the Caliphate of Umar bin al-Khattab (RA) unanimously agreed upon that the historic migration from Makkah to Madinah should mark the beginning of the Hijri Calendar and that occured in the 16th or 17th or 18th A.H.

Ibn Hajar in Fathul Baari said the plan to migrate from Makkah to Madinah started taking shape during the month of Muharram while Shaykh As-Sakhawi in his book entitled, Al-Mashhur fi Asma' Al-Ayam wash-Shuhur, wrote that Muharram is so named because it is a sacred month.

Muharram is one of the four months chosen by Allaah in which sinning in them is greater than sinning in other months while also the rewards of righteous deeds are multiplied in manifolds in them. Herein, we are encouraged by the Prophet (Pbuh) to fast a great deal in the month of Muharram when he said: "The best fasting after Ramadan is the month of Allaah Muharram." Muslim (1163)‎

The hadith that came before 1163 in Sahih Muslim i.e 1162 makes us understand that the Prophet (Pbuh) hopes that Allaah will expiate (the sins) thereby (fasting'Ashoorah) for the year that came before it. The 10th of Muharram became a great day because Allaah saved Musa and drowned Pharaoh and his people according to the narration of ibn Abbas in Bukhari and Muslim.

Meanwhile, there were other event that unfolded on this date particularly after the demised of the prophet(BPUH).‎

As historians would have it, they were of strong opinions that Al-Hussain bin Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) was assassinated on this date at the lands of karbala. Be it as it may, he was brutally assassinated and I ask Allaah to raise his status higher in Jannatul Firdaus.

Undoubtedly, the assassination of Hussain was one of the greatest calamities that befell the Muslims as his killing occurred during an era in which there was no single grandson of the Prophet (Pbuh) on the face of the earth. He has chosen the pleasure of Allaah and the gardens of bliss of the hereafter over this filthy world when Ubaidullah bin Ziyad alongside Shamiru bin Dhi al Jawsh designed a sinister agenda against him.

Well, I don't want to delve into the academics of the historical evidences and hypothesis of what ensued but know that those other than the adherents of the Sunnah of the Prophet (Pbuh) plotted and assassinated the grand child of the Prophet alongside other eighteen (18) members of the Prophet's household. What a dark day this was in the anals of Islamic history!

On that faithful day, six (6) children of Ali bin Abi Talib were assassinated (Al-Hussain, Ja'afar, Abbas, Abu Bakr, Muhammad and Uthman), two (2) children of Al-Hussain were assassinated (Abdullah and Ali Akbar); and three (3) children of Al-Hassan were assassinated (Abdullah, Al'Qasim and Abu Bakr); five (5) children of 'Aqeel were assassinated (Ja'afar, Abdullah, AbdurRahman, Abdullah bin Muslim bin 'Aqeel and Muslim bin 'Aqeel); and two (2) children of Abdullah bin Ja'afar were equally assassinated ('Awn and Muhammad). (Hiqbatu mina-t-Tarikh maa bayna wafaati-n-Nabiy ila maqtali al-Hussain written by Uthman bin Muhammad al-khumays pg 145-146)

Allaah has once again demonstrated to us that this world does not determine absolute justice otherwise the grandchildren of the best of all prophets wouldn't have been assassinated. But this is the Decision of Allaah the Most High which must come to pass even if humans detest it.

However, the assassination of Hussain was no novelty and not worse than the assassination of Prophets, the likes of Prophet Yahya bin Zakariyyah (AS), the assassination of Zakariyyah (AS) and so was 'Umar bin al-Khattab (RA) (the commander of the faithfuls, the companion of the Prophet (Pbuh) and the most senior person in this Ummah after Abubakar bin Abi Quhafah (RA) was brutally stabbed and assassinated  by Abu Lu'Lu' al Majoosi (the fire worshipper that disguised as a Muslim) *agent and mercinery among the Ummah*

Sadly, even the great Uthman bin Affan (RA) whom Abu Hurayrah (RA) (from the narration recorded by Al-Hakim in his mustadrak as captured by Imam adh-Dhahabi in the second volume of Siyar) said bought Jannah twice from the Prophet (Pbuh) once during the day of Ruma (when he bought the well of Ruma from a man from Banu Ghifaar for the Muslims) and twice during the day of Jaysh al-'usra (Tabuk) (when he equipped the entire army of the Muslims with 750 camels and 50 horses) was placed under house arrest for forty (40) days and subsequently assassinated on the 18th of Dhul-Hijjah by a gang of men led by a man from Misra (Egypt) called Jabala alongside Kinana bin Bishr, Sawdan bin Humran and a man nicknamed Maut al-Aswad from Banu Sadus.‎

As if that's not enough, Ameerul Mu'meen Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) had to also face the harsh oppression of being assassinated by the enemies of the Deen led by the notorious AbdurRahman bin Muljim.

Undoubtedly, all these great men from the Prophets to the Khulafau ar-Rashideen that were assassinated were great too and for this it is not permissible for us that when we remember the assassination of Hussain that we SLAP ourselves, TEAR our clothes, CUT through our flesh, bearing in mind a stern warning against these acts by the best of Allaah's creations Muhammad (Pbuh) when he said: "He is not one of us he who slaps his cheek and tears his clothes (for mourning). " Sahih Al-Bukhari (1294) and Sahih Muslim (104).

It is against this backdrop that Shaykh ul Islam ibn Taymiyah said after the assassination of Al-Hussain men innovated two forms of bid'ah...

The bid'a of sadness and the tears of agony on the day of 'Ashoora alongside slapping of oneself, yelling and crying, thirst, the cry of eulogy and what leads to insulting of the Salaf (the pious predecessors foremost of whom are the Sahabah RA) and cursing them and including those innocent people (such as kids) in these deplorable acts. And coming up with stories regarding the place of the assassination of Hussain most of which are lies.

The one that initiated these stories did so to open up the doors of fitnah and causing division among the Ummah if not so why do they have to mourn his assassination every year if they are not keen on causing fitnah and shedding of blood, and venerating what has passed, holding unto it and clinging onto the graves.

And secondly, the bid'a of happiness, merriment, celebration and distribution of candies to families on the day of the assassination of Hussain.

This statement of shaykh ul Islam ibn Taymiyah can be found in Minhaju-s-Sunnah.

Finally, the Aqeedah of the adherents of the Sunnah of the Prophet (Pbuh) is that they love the household of the Prophet (Pbuh) as much as they love and respect all the 124,000 (their total number according to Abu Zurha ar-Raazi in At-Taqrib ma'a Tadrib) companions of the Prophet (Pbuh).

One incidence in the life of Abubakar (RA) and Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) and Hassan bin Abi Talib (RA) would silence anyone that his antagonizing AbuBakr hiding under the pretext of loving Ali bin Abi Talib (RA).

It was narrated on the strength of 'Uqbah bin Al-Harith that he saw AbuBakr (RA) carrying al-Hassan and he was saying: "May my father be ransomed, he (Al-Hassan) resembles the Prophet (Pbuh) and he does not resemble Ali. And Ali (RA) was laughing." Reported by Al-Bukhari (3750).

May Allaah expose us to the reality of the love of the Sahabah (RA) who stood gallantly by the side of the Prophet (Pbuh) as his companions and his soldiers and without them, we wouldn't have heard of Islam.

Know the type of Islam you are practicing.‎‎