Muharram, Ashura, and the Two Forbidden Innovations
🔷 Two Forbidden Innovations (Bid’ahs) That Arose on the Day of Ashura Due to the Martyrdom of Hazrat Husayn (Radiyallahu ‘anhu):
The First – The Bid’ah of the Nasiba.
And that is: “To express happiness and joy on the day of Ashura.”
And the Second – The Bid’ah of the Shia Rafida.
And that is: “Mourning, wailing, chest-beating, and tearing clothes on the day of Ashura.”
So neither be among them, nor be with them, nor imitate them.
I say—
🔻 Two groups have gone astray regarding the matter of the Day of Ashura:
🔸 The First Group:
Those who have made the Day of Ashura a day of happiness and joy, and of lavishness upon themselves and their families through food, wealth, sweets, and clothing.
And they consider it a day of adornment and beautification by bathing, applying perfume, incense, kohl (surma), jewelry, and wearing the finest clothes.
As if it were a day of Eid for them.
Moreover:
They also specifically prepare special food on this day to distribute and give as gifts.
▪️ The origin of this forbidden innovation is taken from:
The Jews and the Nasiba.
The Jews —
The proof for this is what Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih from Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (Radiyallahu ‘anhu) that:
((The people of Khaybar used to fast on Ashura, treating it as an Eid and adorning their women with jewelry. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «You too should fast on this day»)).
And the people of Khaybar at that time were Jews.
The Nasiba —
They were a small group in the region of Sham (Syria):
Who held animosity towards some members of the Prophet’s household (Ahl al-Bayt) ﷺ and disparaged them.
They expressed this happiness and joy in opposition to the Shia Rafida of Iraq and Fars (Iran), who had made Ashura a day of grief, wailing, takfir (declaring others as disbelievers), and cursing and reviling the Sahaba (Companions).
This has been indicated by —
1- Hafiz Ibn Kathir al-Shafi’i al-Dimashqi (rahimahullah) in “Al-Bidayah wa’l-Nihayah” (11/577).
2- Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) in “Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah” (4/554-555).
And by other scholars of knowledge, history, and seerah as well.
Such an act is not proven from the Prophet ﷺ, nor from the Sahaba (Radiyallahu ‘anhum).
The great scholars of Ahl al-Hadith have mentioned that no hadith is authentic regarding lavishness, adornment, perfume, etc., on people, oneself, or family on the Day of Ashura.
Among them:
1- Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
2- Hafiz al-‘Uqayli.
3- Muhaddith Abu Hafs al-Mawsili al-Hanafi.
4- Muhaddith Abu Tahir al-Firuzabadi (rahimahumullah).
🔻 Important Warning:
Through lies and slander, the Shia Rafida label all of Ahl al-Sunnah as Nasiba and accuse them of hating the Ahl al-Bayt.
Whereas the condition of Ahl al-Sunnah and their books of ‘aqidah (creed), fiqh (jurisprudence), hadith, history, and biographies bear witness against this lie and injustice, and also bear witness that Ahl al-Sunnah love and hold allegiance (wilayah) to the believing members of the Ahl al-Bayt.
🔸 The Second Group:
Those who have made Ashura a day of grief, wailing, chest-beating, and striking the head and back.
They shed blood, tore their clothes, and became a spectacle in front of everyone, children and adults alike.
Rather, they committed even greater shirk and kufr:
They made Ashura a day of shirk (polytheism), kufr (disbelief), and exaggeration (ghuluw) regarding the Prophet’s household.
They invoke them alongside Allah, make sacrifices and vows for them, and attribute to them characteristics that are not befitting for anyone besides Allah:
That they know the unseen (ghayb), and can dispose of affairs in the universe as they please.
On that day, they curse, insult, and declare the Sahaba to be disbelievers.
These are the Shia Rafida.
🔸 What is Obligatory:
Is that we adopt the middle path (wasatiyyah) on the Straight Path, and designate the Day of Ashura only for fasting.
In adherence to the Prophet ﷺ, because only fasting is proven from him on this day.
🔻 Muhaddith Abu Hafs al-Mawsili al-Hanafi (rahimahullah) stated in “al-Mughni ‘an al-Hifdh wal-Kitab” (p. 345, no. 49):
«Regarding this chapter, the only thing proven from the Prophet ﷺ is that he fasted and commanded it, and that its fast erases the sins of a year.»
🔻 Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) stated in “Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah” (4/554-556):
«Satan introduced two innovations among the people due to the killing of Hazrat Husayn (Radiyallahu ‘anhu):
1- Grief and wailing on the Day of Ashura:
Chest-beating, screaming, crying, complaining of thirst, reciting elegies, which opened the door to reviling the Sahaba, false stories, and fitna (sedition) in the Ummah.
2- The bid’ah of happiness and joy:
Some people started applying kohl, bathing, being lavish in food and drink, and preparing new dishes on the Day of Ashura.
These innovations came from those who go to extremes in truth and falsehood, and every innovation is a misguidance.
None of the Four Imams or any other Imam has deemed this desirable (mustahabb).
Rather, according to the majority of scholars, only fasting on the Day of Ashura is desirable (mustahabb), and it is better to fast the ninth day along with it.»
✏️ Written by:
Abdul Qadir al-Junayd
