Ashura

Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram,  is marked on our calendar as a day that holds a great deal of significance. 

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I did not see the Prophet ﷺ as eager to fast a day and preferring it over others except for this day of Ashura and this month of Ramadan.”

It is known that before the fast of Ramadan was made  mandatory on the Muslims, the Messenger of God ﷺ and His noble companions fasted Ashura as a mandatory fast. The Hadith that is related post migration to Medina states the following:

Ibn Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ came to Medina and he found the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura. The Prophet said, “What is this day you are fasting?” They said, “This is a great day in which Allah saved Moses and his people, and he drowned Pharaoh and his people. Moses fasted on it due to gratitude, so we also fast on it.” The Prophet said, “We are more worthy and closer to Moses than you.” The Prophet fasted the day of Ashura and he commanded fasting on it.

Imam Ahmad relates,” it was on this day that the Ark of Nuh (Peace be Upon Him) came to rest on Mount Judiyy’.

Ashura is a day of freedom. It celebrates the Quranic theme of savior through God and communal liberation. 

This day indicates three major events in human history; Noah being saved from the flood, Moses and his people being delivered from Pharoah, and the martyrdom of Imam al Husayn, May God shower His peace and blessings upon him. 

Through these narrations, we reflect on three points as they relate to da’wah (calling to God): patience, speaking truth to power, and communal sacrifice.

As for the first, patience, it is exemplified through the story of Noah. God mentions that Noah called unto Him saying “My Lord, indeed I invited my people (to truth) night and day. But my invitation increased them not, except in flight. And indeed, every time I invited them that You may forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their garments, persisted, and were arrogant with (great) arrogance.” (Quran, 71:5)

Later on in the verse, it is mentioned that Noah said, “Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send rain from the sky upon you in (continuing) showers, and give you increase in wealth and children, and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers.” (Quran, 71:11-12)

This was the invitation of Noah. His invitation was one of God’s bounty, and not His wrath. It called to beauty and the Garden of God. Interestingly, even the mention of rain is one of provision and not punishment. Qatadah, May God be pleased with Him, says that this call was made by Noah for 950 years!

Daw’ah does not happen overnight, nor does it happen on our terms. We learn from the fortitude of Noah that our job is to call to God as long as we can. This takes patience and grit. In the age of Amazon prime delivery, Uber Eats, and instant streaming, we seek instant community. This project of calling to God and community building takes time and only comes fully into fruition when God makes it so.

A part of community is remembering that this blessing is directly from God. God says, “And We certainly sent Moses with Our signs saying, ‘Bring out your people from darknesses into the light and remind them of the days of Allāh. Indeed, there are signs for everyone patient and grateful.’” (Quran: 14:5)

We are to be reminded that the blessing of community is from God, and part of our responsibility is to protect that from the pharaohs and pharoah-like tendencies that threaten our community. We have a communal obligation to speak truth to power, both domestically and abroad. What’s fascinating about the story of Moses and Pharaoh is that, even though Pharaoh is mentioned as a self proclaimed demigod and the epitome of oppression, God commands Moses and Aaron to present His signs to Pharaoh due to his transgression. God says to them, “Speak to him gently, so perhaps he may be mindful of Me or fearful of My punishment.”(Quran 20:44).

Why does God command that Pharoah must be spoken to gently, let alone called to the truth as well?

As we speak truth to power and fight oppression, we should remember to do so with the methodology that is presented to us in revelation. Al-Razi, the great exegete, mentions three reasons why this is the case:

1. Speaking to a tyrant roughly will only have him ignore any call to good

2. Speaking to a tyrant roughly will lead to grave consequences to those you are trying to protect

3. We maintain prophetic principles in our approach as not to becoming Pharaohs ourselves though the process.  

This is God’s method. Moses responds quickly, “Our Lord! We fear that he may be quick to harm us or act tyrannically.” (Quran 20:45) However, God reaffirms His majesty and presence saying, ”Have no fear! I am with you, hearing and seeing.” (Qur’an 20:46)

There is a collective duty to fight the Pharaohs in the world and most importantly within ourselves. Part of our ethos is to take a prophetic stand against the Pharaohs that are in our homes, ruling our nations, and everything in between. And all the while, knowing that God sees everything. Everything is accounted for. There is nothing to fear except our own indiscretions at that point. 

For that to happen, it necessitates communal support and sacrifice. This is beautifully exemplified through the courage of Imam Husayn and his companions, may God be pleased with them all. 

Imam Husayn, the grandson of the Messenger of God ﷺ was the stalwart of justice and righteousness. The Messenger of God ﷺ said, “Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn. Allah loves anyone who loves al-Hasan and al-Husayn. They are two of my distinguished descendants.” Our faith is not complete without having an unrelenting love for the distinguished pillar that is Imam Husayn. When we reflect on the events of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Husayn and his family, which included al-Abbas the son of Ali, Ja’far the son of Ali, and Imam Husayn's sons, Abu Bakr, Abdullah, and al-Qasim, we are inspired by the selfless courage of Imam al-Hussayn. He never sought power or prestige, rather he sought justice and the protection of the family of the Messenger of God ﷺ  and those who were under their protection.

It has been said that when Imam al-Husayn left Kufa with the certainty of his imminent demise, he ordered the tribe of Bani Aqeel, “Enough killing of Muslims! You are all free to go! I have given you permission!” And they responded, “What will our people say?! That we left our shaykh, our master, the tribe of our uncle, Ali, the best of uncles, and we did not even pick up a spear with him, nor did we fight with him, or pick up a sword for him?! Nay! But we give our life, our soul, and wealth, and our families in ransom to you until we return to you what is yours! May God make life unpleasant without fighting for you!” Sa’eed bin Abdullah al-Hanafi added, “By God! We will never leave you. For abandoning you is abandoning the Messenger of God!”

This is a communal spirit of upliftment and support that is learned through Imam Husayn and his companions–an unrelenting love for our community and the disenfranchised to rally behind them when they are oppressed or hurt. This is the spirit of community. If this is deeply rooted in our communal DNA, then we have already won. 

Imam Husayn did not lose; he and his community won. They lived together and died for each other. They strove in the way of God. Through Imam Husayn we get the likes of the great sacrifices of those that died to protect their community like Omar Mukhtar and Malcom X. 

We ask God that he accept our fast on Ashura, and make us a voice for the oppressed and the disenfranchised. May we fight the Prophetic fight, and hope in God’s deliverance.