AL-Serat > >The Fast of 'Ashura >Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi >Vol VIII No. 3 & 4 >Some traditions are found in Sunni books to the effect that the Prophet >(s.a.w.) on migrating to Medina found the Jews fasting on the 10th of >Muharram. He asked them why, and was told: "It is an auspicious day; it is the >day when God delivered the children of Israel from their enemy (i.e. Pharaoh); >and, therefore, Moses fasted on that day." The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "I am >worthier of Moses than you are." Thereupon, he fasted on that day and ordered >(the Muslims) to fast. > >1. al-Sahih of al-Bukhari, Vol.3; Egypt ed.; p.54 > >2. Mishkatul-Masabih; Delhi ed.; 1307 A.H.; p.l72 > >It is noted by the commentator of Mishkatul-Masabih that "it was in the second >year, because in the first year the > Prophet had arrived at Medina after 'Ashura, in Rabi'ul-awwal. " > >How much importance was this fast supposed to have may be judged from another >tradition narrated in al-Sahih of. al-Bukhari: "The Prophet (s.a.w.) ordered a >man from the (tribe of) Aslam: Announce to the people that whoever has eaten >should fast the rest of the day, and whoever has not eaten should fast (the >whole day), because today is the 'Ashura (10th day of Muharram)." > >That very year the fast of Ramadan was ordained and the obligation to fast on >'Ashura was abrogated, as has been claimed in other traditions narrated in > the same book. Still, reportedly, it carries much importance as a voluntary > fast. > >Now let us look closely at these traditions: > >First: The Jews had their own calendar and months. There is no logic in saying >that they fasted on the 10th of Muharram - unless it could be proved that this >date always coincided with a Jewish day of fast. > >It was mentioned in my article, "Martyrdom of Imam Husayn and the Muslim and >the Jewish Calendars" (Alserat, Vol.VI, No's 3 & 4; Muharram 1401 Nov..1980) >that the first month of the Jews (Abib, later named Nisan) coincided with >Rajab of the Arabs. W.O.E.Oesterley and Theodore H.Robinson have written that >in Arabia "the most important of all the new-moon festivals was that which >fell in the month of Ragab (sic), equivalent to the Hebrew month 'Abib, for >this was the time when the ancient Arabs celebrated the Spring festival." >(Hebrew Religion; S.P.C.K., London; 1955; > p.128) > >Probably, in ancient times the two branches of Abraham's house followed the >same system of intercalating an additional month 7 times in a cycle of 19 >years.. And in this way the 7th Jewish month, Tishri I, coincided with >Muharram. And the 'Ashura of Muharram synchronized with 10th of Tishri I, the >Jewish Day of Atonement - a day of fast. In that article, it was observed that >the two calendars lost their synchronization when Islam, in the 9th year of >hijra, disallowed intercalation. But on deeper consideration it transpired >that that parity was lost long before the advent of Islam, because the Arabs >did not follow any mathematical calculation in their intercalation. That was >why the Muharram of the 2nd year of Hijra began on 5th July, 623 C.E. >(Al-Munjid, 21st ed.), months before Tishri I (which always coincides with >September-October) . > >Clearly, 'Ashura of Muharram in that year (or, for that matter, during the >Prophet's whole life > at Medina ) had no significance whatsoever for the Jews. > >The question is: Why did they fast on that day? > >Second: The Jewish Midrashic literature relates the 10th day of the 7th month >(Yom Hakippurim - Day of Atonement) to the event of bringing the tablets of >the Covenant from Mount Sinai , as Dr. Mishael Maswari-Caspi has written in >his letter, quoted in my previous article, mentioned above. > >The question is: If the Jews had wanted to keep the long-lost synchronization >of Tishri I and Muharram in view, how was it that they forgot to narrate this >tradition to the Prophet? > >Third: The month in which God delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh was Abib >(i.e. Rajab), as the Bible clearly says: "Observe the month of Abib, and keep >the passover unto the Lord thy God: for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God > brought thee forth out of Egypt by night." (Deut., 16:1) > >The question is: How could the Jews transfer an event of Abib (originally >coinciding with Rajab) to Muharram, in open defiance of their Torah? > >And lastly here is a point to ponder for the Muslims: The Prophet (s.a.w.) was >sent with a religion to abrogate all previous religions and shari'ah. How was >it that he deigned to imitate the custom of the Jews? > >It is clear from above-mentioned facts that the Jews had no reason at all to >fast on 'Ashura of Muharram at that period; and this story, built on that >premise, is just that - a fiction. Obviously, it was invented by a narrator >who only knew that once upon a time Muharram coincided with the Jews' Tishri >I; but was totally unaware of contemporary Jewish religion and culture. > >One feels constrained to mention here that > this and other such traditions were forged by camp-followers of the Umayyads, > after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, as a part of their campaign to turn the > 10th of Muharram into a day of rejoicing. These traditions are of the same > genre as those which say that it was on the 10th of Muharram that Noah's ark > rested on Mount Arafat , the fire became cool and safe for Abraham, and Jesus > ascended to the heaven. In the same category came the traditions exhorting > the Muslims to treat 'Ashura as a festival of joy, and to store one's > food-grain on this very day as it would increase one's sustenance and bring > the blessings of Allah to the household. > > > >__._,_.___ > > > >__,_._,___ -- YA ALLAH (ONE N ONLY) !!! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2377143370 http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5988860745 To Receive free Islamic Articles send a blank mail to [email protected] Kindly don't mark mails as "SPAM", to unsubscribe, email with subject as "Unsubscribe". Kindly remember us in your duas. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "shiagroup" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/shiagroup?hl=en.
