Fasting on Ashura - apparently not a right Hadith

Muslimah999

New Member
Asalaamualaikum brothers and sisters. I will be posting something very long now which I got from my friend's facebook wall. I wnat to know how many of you agree to this.

By all standards, the day Imam Hussain, the grandson of the beloved Prophet Muhammad (s), was killed was a great tragedy. Indeed, it was the greatest tragedy. He was martyred, along with his family members, simply because he stood against injustice. The family of Yazeed (the Banu Umayyah) and the family of Ziyad rejoiced the day he was killed. Not only did they celebrate the day of Ashura, but they turned it into a tradition for subsequent years. They would gather their family and friends and rejoice at the martyrdom of Imam Hussain.
While fasting is a great form of worship, we the Shia have valid reservations regarding the fast of Ashura. It is always recommended to fast, anytime throughout the year (except Eid), but the problem is that there is a history of politics behind the fast of Ashura.


Killing the very grandson of the Prophet (s) was a major crime, so Banu Umayya attempted to shift the focus of the people for the day of Ashura. Possessing power and money, they spread to the Muslims that Ashura is a blessed day. They did so by indoctrinating their people that on Ashura God saved Prophet Musa and his people from the pharaoh. He saved Prophet Ibrahim from the fire of Namrud, and so on. To thank God for that blessed day, they encouraged the people to fast on Ashura.


Here are several points that demonstrate how the hadeeths which speak of the fast of Ashura are fabricated. The Prophet (s) probably never said them, but they were forged after him.


First: There are several hadeeths in Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and Tirmidhi which tell us when the Prophet(s) arrived Medina, he saw the Jews fasting, Upon knowing the reason why they were fasting, he said we the Muslims are closer to Musa, so we should also fast. If you analyze these hadeeths, you will realize that they all go back to these four narrators who supposedly narrated them directly from the Prophet:


1- Ibn Abbas


2- Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari


3- Abu Huraira

4- Mu’awiya


The Prophet (s) came to Medina the first year of the Hijra. As for Ibn Abbas, he was born three years before Hijra, which makes him four years old when the Prophet (s) supposedly said this Hadith. In the Science of Hadith, the narration of a four-year-old boy is generally not accepted
.


As for Abu Musa, he came from the tribe of Banu Ash’ar in Yemen. He became Muslim before the Hijra, but he was not seen in Medina till the battle of Khaybar in the seventh year after Hijra. The Prophet had sent him to Yemen to preach to his tribe. Hence, Abu Musa was not in Medina in the first year of Hijra, so how could he possibly narrate this hadith?


As for Abu Huraira, he also was not seen in Medina until after the battle of Khaybar in the seventh year of Hijra. He also came from Yemen.


As for Muawiya, the son of Abu Sufyan, he became Muslim in the eighth year of Hijra, so how could he narrate a hadith from the Prophet seven or eight years before he became Muslim?


Some of the hadeeth go back to Ibn Zubayr, who was also a young boy when the Prophet entered Medina.


Therefore, it is quite clear that all the narrators of this hadith were either not in Medina at the time, or they were young boys, so how can we possibly accept such a hadith? It is pretty convincing that the hadith was forged later on by Bani Umayya.


Second: Let’s look at the word “Ashura” which is mentioned in the hadith. According to Ibn Al-Atheer, there are two meanings to Ashura: an old meaning and a new meaning. The old meaning, which was during the Arab’s time and the Prophet’s time, meant the tenth day of any month. The new meaning surfaced after Imam Hussain was killed on the tenth of Muharram. After that, Ashura came to be known as the tenth of Muharram, but before that it was simply the tenth day of any month. So when the Prophet supposedly said this hadith, he just said Ashura, and he didn’t say the tenth day of which month. This demonstrates that the hadith was forged after the day of Ashura, and it slipped from the mind of the ones who forged it that before Ashura, the word had a different, more general meaning.


Third: Today, go to any Jew, even their scholars, and ask them: Do you have a fast on the day which God saved Moses, or a day which corresponds to the tenth of Muharram? They don’t, and they will tell you that even in the past they didn’t have such a fast. They fast on Yum Kippur, the day when Moses returned from Mt. Sinai and realized that his people were worshipping the calf. To expiate for their sin, they fasted, but they have no fast they day God saved them from the pharaoh. But the hadith in the books of Saheeh tells us that it was a tradition of the Jews, and they would all fast that day.


If you even look at the day the Jews fast, it never corresponded with the tenth of Muharram when the Prophet (s) came to Medina. It corresponded with Muharram on the 28th year after Hijra.


Fourth: It seems the one who forged the hadith was not aware of how the Islamic Calendar originated. During the time of Umar, since Muslims wanted a set date to refer to, he created the Hijri calendar by seeking the advice of Imam Ali. So they decided to make the starting point the migration of the Prophet, and they made the first month Muharram. However, the Prophet entered Medina in Rabi-ul-Awwal, not in Muharram, and so the one who probably forged the hadith assumed that the Prophet entered Medina in Muharram because that is when the calendar starts. So the hadith tells us the Prophet when he first entered Medina he saw the Jews fasting on Ashura, but the Prophet didn’t enter Medina in Muharram, he did so in Rabu-ul-Awwal, ten months before Muharram! There’s a clear discrepancy here.


Fifth: The prophet (s) knows more about the Shariah of previous Prophets such as Prophet Musa, and he doesn’t need the Jews to teach him that. The Prophet (s) is also higher than copying what the Jews would do.


Sixth: How come there is so much emphasis on the fast of Ashura around the world? Thousands of speeches are dedicated to it, millions of pamphlets are distributed encouraging people to fast on Ashura, and so on. There are many other days throughout the year which are highly recommended to fast, such as the 27th of Rajab, but how come you don’t see a single pamphlet or speech encouraging it? This shows that this is a political thing, originally designed to focus the attention away from the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain, and to consider it a blessed day. I don’t know how anyone can stand on the Day of Judgment before Prophet Muhammad and consider the very day his grandson was slaughtered a blessed day.


Banu Umayya were behind it, and considering it a blessed day is not an offence to us the Shia, but an offence to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family.


I got this all off a website..pretty interesting though!


All this is a shia viewpoint..bt authenticity of ahadith needs to be validated since a lot of em were fabricated after the Prophet's death


The propaganda and media machinery indoctrinate the population by emphasizing that the prophet entered Medina in the month of Muharram and thus he met the Jews on the 10th of Muharram. Let’s assume that this is valid as we analyze the Jewish and Islamic calendar.


Hence, for an assumption: Ashura= 10th of Muharram in 1st year of Hijra.

The Hadith relating to the fast of Ashura claims that the Jews fast on the day of the savior of prophet Moses and the children of Israel on the 10th of Tishri (Jewish calendar) and this corresponds to the 10th of Muharram (Islamic calendar). The hadith also claims that when the prophet (pbuh) acknowledged that the Jews were fasting on Ashura, he commanded the Muslims to fast on the 9th and 10th of Muharram.
Consequently, the existence of Judaism today further assists the recovery of truth. Ask the Jews whether they fast on the day that prophet Moses (pbuh) and the children of Israel were saved by the Almighty Allah. Ask them whether the day in which they fast corresponds to the 10th of Muharram. The answer is simply NO. The Jews have no such fast and it NEVER corresponded to the 10th of Muharram in the first year of Hijra. The only time the 10th of Tishri corresponded to the 10th of Muharram was in the 29th year after Hijra. Yet, the hadith claims that the prophet met the Jews in the first year of Hijra!

Moreover, the 10th of Tishri is not related to the savior of Moses and the children of Israel but rather the 10th of Tishri is the day the children of Israel paid atonement for worshipping the calf when Prophet Moses and some companions went to Mount Sinai. As a result of this incident, the Jews fast on the 10t of Tishri. However, the hadith relating to the fast of Ashura claims that the Jews were fasting on the 10th of Tishri due to the savior of Moses and the children of Israel! Rather, the savior of the children of Israel occurred on the 15th of Nissan in the Jewish calendar and the 15th of Nissan in the 1st year of Hijra correspponded to the 23rd of Ramadan. Hence, if there should be a fast which is recommended then it should have nothing to do with the 10th of Muharram but rather the 23rd of Ramadan.


When narrating the hadith relating to the fast of Ashura, were did this massive mistakes come from?

The mistake was as a result of the naivety of the hadith writer. Since the Islamic calendar begins with Muharram, the hadith writer wrote the hadith on the basis that the prophet entered Medina in Muharram. It is well known that the prophet reached Medina in Rabi al awal. This big mistake is due to a hadith writer that didn’t understand how the Islamic, Jewish and Arabic calendars work. The prophet entered Medina in Rabi al awal but the Islamic calendar began with Muharram due to the suggestion of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (pbuh):


“The Islamic calendar will start just like the lunar calendar begins. It will start from the year of Hijra but the month of Muharram.”


When the prophet entered Medina, the hadith claims that he exclaimed: “I have a greater right on Moses than what they do. Therefore, my people will fast on Ashura in the same way they are fasting on Ashura”. But we now ask, O messenger of Allah! You entered Medina in Rabi Al Awal and not in Muharram. So, how were the Jews fasting? Instead Faq'aa is recommended.


I don't want to take much of your time dear Muslims, but atleast one answer from any of you will be very MUCH appreciated. JazakAllah khayrun
 

Janaan

ربنا اغفر لنا ذنوبنا
Staff member
Asalaamualaikum brothers and sisters. I will be posting something very long now which I got from my friend's facebook wall. I wnat to know how many of you agree to this.

By all standards, the day Imam Hussain, the grandson of the beloved Prophet Muhammad (s), was killed was a great tragedy. Indeed, it was the greatest tragedy. He was martyred, along with his family members, simply because he stood against injustice. The family of Yazeed (the Banu Umayyah) and the family of Ziyad rejoiced the day he was killed. Not only did they celebrate the day of Ashura, but they turned it into a tradition for subsequent years. They would gather their family and friends and rejoice at the martyrdom of Imam Hussain.
While fasting is a great form of worship, we the Shia have valid reservations regarding the fast of Ashura. It is always recommended to fast, anytime throughout the year (except Eid), but the problem is that there is a history of politics behind the fast of Ashura.

Sorry sister, I couldn't get past that part..!! May Allaah store the correct Islamic knowledge into these shi`ahs' hearts!
 

AbuIbrahiim

New Member
Asalaamu ALaikum,
First of all I like to make clear about what you have mentioned in your post.
First, Hussain(ra) we love him so much and respect him but as Muslim we can celebrated to his death or nor be happy to his death. Yes he is the grandson of the prophet Muhammad(s.a.w) but we can't give him any ibadah(worship) whatsoever to him because all the ibadah is for Allah almighty and for ever. Secondly, the day of ashura is the day Allah almighty safe and protected his slave(prophet Musa) from the corruption of the pharoah(firaown) and its highly recommended to fast every Muslim that day which is Monday Dec 05,11 if they able to and there no doubt about it and its a great reward. Thirdly, some of the compinions were a life at that time. You said as Shia we don't fast or believe, if I am not mistaken. If u don't believe the true hadeeth about the day of ashura that's your own problem but dont mislead the ummah about the falsehood Inshaa Allah
the day of ashura is highly recommended to fast and our beloved prophet may peace and bless of Allah be upon him told us to so. So there is no doubt for that.
Note: please before you said something learned first Inshaa Allah then said after that.
 

AbuIbrahiim

New Member
Also I like to add more about the previous post:
Our prophet didn't know anything about the history of other prophets that were before him unless Allah order Gabriel to tell our prophet. Also Jews people don't know anything about their religion because they have changed a lot and did a lot of corruption to their religion.that was not a good back up by the way and its not the Quran or the sunnah so that mean I am rejecting what you have said.that was some of the mistakes you have mentioned in your thread about ashura.
 

Muslimah999

New Member
Oh dear brother, I'm a Sunni only Alhamdulillah! I just wanted to know the opinion of my Sunni brothers and sisters. I got this post from a Shia's wall so I posted it here. I was very hurt that they wrote something like that and I do not support it. Even it looks like I'm supporting this then I'm sorry, that's not the truth, Astaghfirullah!
JazakAllah for your answer.
 

Muslimah999

New Member
Also I like to add more about the previous post:
Our prophet didn't know anything about the history of other prophets that were before him unless Allah order Gabriel to tell our prophet. Also Jews people don't know anything about their religion because they have changed a lot and did a lot of corruption to their religion.that was not a good back up by the way and its not the Quran or the sunnah so that mean I am rejecting what you have said.that was some of the mistakes you have mentioned in your thread about ashura.

EXACTLY CORRECT! This is exactly what I wanted to tell them Shias but I wanted some support from this forum. All Thanks and Praises to Allah for sending you to help me!
 

AbuIbrahiim

New Member
Dear sister Muslimah999,

I am very Sorry for been harsh on to you, I didn't mean to disrespect you but to the thread.What they r saying is completely false and this people are calming they love Allah and his messanger which totally different what they believe Subhannah. sister please be careful this people they think they r better than everyone but to be honest with u they are totally in the wrong direction like our beloved prophet have said before for some group they do a lot of prayers,a lot of charity and a lot of fasting and when as Sunni we compare to them we do nothing like what they do but the prophet said they do nothing but lost the ummah or the prophet said some similar like that. They r totally in the wrong path. May Allah almighty protect and safe us from those people. Allahuma ameen
 

AbuIbrahiim

New Member
Dear sister Muslimah999,

I am very Sorry for been harsh on to you, I didn't mean to disrespect you but to the thread.What they r saying is completely false and this people are calming they love Allah and his messanger which totally different what they believe Subhannah. sister please be careful this people they think they r better than everyone but to be honest with u they are totally in the wrong direction like our beloved prophet have said before for some group they do a lot of prayers,a lot of charity and a lot of fasting and when as Sunni we compare to them we do nothing like what they do but the prophet said they do nothing but lost the ummah or the prophet said some similar like that. They r totally in the wrong path. May Allah almighty protect and safe us from those people. Allahuma ameen
 

karbala

Junior Member
Dear sister Muslimah999,

I am very Sorry for been harsh on to you, I didn't mean to disrespect you but to the thread.What they r saying is completely false and this people are calming they love Allah and his messanger which totally different what they believe Subhannah. sister please be careful this people they think they r better than everyone but to be honest with u they are totally in the wrong direction like our beloved prophet have said before for some group they do a lot of prayers,a lot of charity and a lot of fasting and when as Sunni we compare to them we do nothing like what they do but the prophet said they do nothing but lost the ummah or the prophet said some similar like that. They r totally in the wrong path. May Allah almighty protect and safe us from those people. Allahuma ameen
Asalaamu alaikum brother. Have you any logical reason that Shi'a are totally in the wrong path?
 

karbala

Junior Member
aSalamu Alaykum. This is my opinion:
First: Do you think that it's possible; our prophet (with all his heavenly science) doesn't know something and asks it from Jewish people?
Second: Jewish people basically don't know Ashura and there's not something like this among them.
Allah bless you.
 
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MehmetHilmi

Junior Member
In Turkey we eat ashure pudding on the dinner of Ashura. I don't know why we do it or the historical significance behind it but we commemorate this day not only by fasting but by eating and distributing pudding (it's really tasty). I think that Egyptians do it as well.
 

a_stranger

Junior Member
As salamu alaikim brothers and sisters, since the start of Islam when the pure monotheism purified hearts of people , and absolute justice equality, brotherhood ..modesty ....all heavenly noble values was set among people Shaytan and his followers are trying their best to deviate hearts of people from Allah subhanahu wa taaala and make people turn to other people who are just people whatever high status Allah has given then .....this make us understand why their are so many sects claiming to be Muslims but at the end of the day you find their emotions and hopes are directed to creatures not the creator violating all the pure sincere clear teachings of our prophet salla Allah alaihi wa sallam , if you make people doubt Hadith then half of Islam is destroyed we will not be able to understand some verses of Quran.......What a noble good job? But AlhamduliAllah Islam is the noor (light)of Allah the one true God no one can touch it with harm ......it is in the hearts of millions ......
With regards
 

a_stranger

Junior Member
If we read the hadiths :
The Prophet (s) came to Medina the first year of the Hijra. As for Ibn Abbas, he was born three years before Hijra, which makes him four years old when the Prophet (s) supposedly said this Hadith. In the Science of Hadith, the narration of a four-year-old boy is generally not accepted.


As for Abu Musa, he came from the tribe of Banu Ash’ar in Yemen. He became Muslim before the Hijra, but he was not seen in Medina till the battle of Khaybar in the seventh year after Hijra. The Prophet had sent him to Yemen to preach to his tribe. Hence, Abu Musa was not in Medina in the first year of Hijra, so how could he possibly narrate this hadith?


As for Abu Huraira, he also was not seen in Medina until after the battle of Khaybar in the seventh year of Hijra. He also came from Yemen.


As for Muawiya, the son of Abu Sufyan, he became Muslim in the eighth year of Hijra, so how could he narrate a hadith from the Prophet seven or eight years before he became Muslim?


Some of the hadeeth go back to Ibn Zubayr, who was also a young boy when the Prophet entered Medina.


It is very clear that they are telling about something they know that the prophet salla Allah alaihi wa sallam has done since the first year of Hijra , Wa Allah aalam .
 

iconoclast

Member
As a Sunni I believe its not possible that the grandson of Prophet would fight for water for his family and himself on the day when Prophet advised to fast ! So how come Hussain and his family were asking for water and food supplies when it was a day to fast

I will not fast. As Hussain cannot be on the wrong path! The two are mutually exclusive.

May Allah guide us all.

If we read the hadiths :
The Prophet (s) came to Medina the first year of the Hijra. As for Ibn Abbas, he was born three years before Hijra, which makes him four years old when the Prophet (s) supposedly said this Hadith. In the Science of Hadith, the narration of a four-year-old boy is generally not accepted.


As for Abu Musa, he came from the tribe of Banu Ash’ar in Yemen. He became Muslim before the Hijra, but he was not seen in Medina till the battle of Khaybar in the seventh year after Hijra. The Prophet had sent him to Yemen to preach to his tribe. Hence, Abu Musa was not in Medina in the first year of Hijra, so how could he possibly narrate this hadith?

As for Abu Huraira, he also was not seen in Medina until after the battle of Khaybar in the seventh year of Hijra. He also came from Yemen.

As for Muawiya, the son of Abu Sufyan, he became Muslim in the eighth year of Hijra, so how could he narrate a hadith from the Prophet seven or eight years before he became Muslim?

Some of the hadeeth go back to Ibn Zubayr, who was also a young boy when the Prophet entered Medina.
It is very clear that they are telling about something they know that the prophet salla Allah alaihi wa sallam has done since the first year of Hijra , Wa Allah aalam .
 
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