Khutbah on Muharram and Fasting in Muharram

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. We praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our own souls and our bad deeds. Whomever Allah guides, no one can misguide; and whomever He allows to go astray, no one can guide.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and Messenger.

O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims. (Surah Aal-Imran: 102)

We are now in the sacred month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is a blessed and noble month, one of the four sacred months that Allah has chosen.

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred.”
— (Surah At-Tawbah: 36)

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months – Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram – and Rajab.”
— [Bukhari & Muslim]

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“The best fast after Ramadan is in the month of Allah: Muharram.”
— [Sahih Muslim]

Notice how the Prophet ﷺ referred to it as “the month of Allah” — a special honor given to no other month besides Muharram.

Among the days of Muharram, the 10th day – known as Ashura – holds special significance.

The Prophet ﷺ used to fast on this day even before Hijrah (migration to Madinah), and when he arrived in Madinah, he saw the Jews fasting on this day.

He ﷺ said:

“What is this day you are fasting?”
They said: “This is a righteous day. It is the day when Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy, and so Musa fasted on this day.”

So the Prophet ﷺ said:

“We are closer to Musa than you.”
And he fasted that day and commanded the Muslims to fast it.
— [Bukhari and Muslim]

Later, the Prophet ﷺ said:

“If I live until the next year, I will fast the 9th also.”
— [Sahih Muslim]

This is to differ from the Jews, so it is recommended to fast on the 9th and 10th, or the 10th and 11th.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Fasting the day of Ashura, I hope Allah will expiate (the sins of) the year before it.”
— [Sahih Muslim]

SubhanAllah! A single day of fasting can bring forgiveness for the sins of an entire past year.

Alhamdulillah, all praise is due to Allah. We thank Him for allowing us to witness this sacred month.

Let us not allow these blessed days to pass by without gaining rewards.

1. Increase your fasting, especially on Ashura (10th Muharram).
2. Do extra prayers, dhikr, charity, and reading Qur’an.
3. Reflect on the lessons of patience, sacrifice, and trust in Allah from the story of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) and the believers.
4. And always remember that true Hijrah (migration) today is to leave what Allah has forbidden, and move closer to Him.

Let’s teach our families and children the true significance of Muharram, especially Ashura, so they grow up loving the Sunnah and following the path of the righteous.

Let us avoid cultural innovations and baseless practices that have no foundation in Islam.

May Allah allow us to fast on Ashura, accept our deeds, forgive our sins, and guide us always to the straight path.

Ameen.

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْـحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ