Fast On Ashura

[Nima]

As everyone knows so fast Sunnis on this day, because that's in their hadith that the Prophet also fixed that day. But with us Shias as there are different opinions about this. We must decide whether this is mandatory or not? Khamenei said that one should not fast, that it almost is haram. But what did our Imams (as), and what made himself the prophet of our Hazrat Muhammad (saw). If we believe that it should not be fixed, what did Hazrat Muhamemd the 10.ashura then?

[Jondab_Azdi]

It is true that the obligation to Fast on the day of Ashura was abrogated but the narrations which states that it's haram or makruh to fast on the day of Ashura are all weak in isnad.

For detailed study of its isnad see: http://www.al-khoei.us/books/index.php?id=3258

Some sahih ahadith from shi'a books: http://www.*******.org/hadiths/fasting/fast-of-ashura

w/s

Edited December 27, 2009 by Jondab_Azdi

[khuram]

As everyone knows so fast Sunnis on this day, because that's in their hadith that the Prophet also fixed that day. But with us Shias as there are different opinions about this. We must decide whether this is mandatory or not? Khamenei said that one should not fast, that it almost is haram. But what did our Imams (as), and what made himself the prophet of our Hazrat Muhammad (saw). If we believe that it should not be fixed, what did Hazrat Muhamemd the 10.ashura then?

i heard k yazid fasted on ashura (as he got rid of the problem on this day)

[Kubra_shah786]

i heard k yazid fasted on ashura (as he got rid of the problem on this day)

I heard sumtin similar to dat to that Yazeeds mother was fastin on da 10th day of Ashoora so dat he wins da battle....

[Rohani]

It is true that the obligation to Fast on the day of Ashura was abrogated but the narrations which states that it's haram or makruh to fast on the day of Ashura are all weak in isnad.

For detailed study of its isnad see: http://www.al-khoei....dex.php?id=3258

Some sahih ahadith from shi'a books: http://www.tashayyu..../fast-of-ashura

w/s

(salam)

so what did our imams do brother jondab according to sahih hadith? if they fasted ashura did they fast half of it it the whole of it?

(wasalam)

[Nima]

Do not know when. Why Khamenei says that it is haram to fast? There are many Marja who oppose this? Do they not have seen these hadtihene suggesting that it is mustahab fasting? I do not think one should get a fatwa to the Shiites. It is not so good that there are so many that are unsafe.

I wonder one thing: Did Prophet Muhammad (SAW) something about the people Grieve for Imam Hussain, or fixed due to something else ..?

[Jondab_Azdi]

(salam)

so what did our imams do brother jondab according to sahih hadith? if they fasted ashura did they fast half of it it the whole of it?

(wasalam)

The narrations about half fast are weak.

w/s

[Nima]

Why do Khamenei say that :

Fasting on the Day of ‘Ashūrā’

Q: Is it allowed to fast on the day of ‘Ashūrā’?

A: It is disliked.

[Shabbar-E-Shabbir]

We keep what is called a Fako, this is like a fast, but a shortened version, it is opened 1 hour after Asr Namaaz, this time period correlates to something related in Asr-Ashura. Thats as much as i know.

[Bonafide Hustler]

Who gives a flying freckle about what Yazeed or his mother did on this day? So what if he fasted, that hardly could be the reason as to why we do not fast. That idea is as absurd as the people who assert chess is haram simply because Yazeed used to play it.

[Rohani]

The narrations about half fast are weak.

w/s

(salam)

may Allah bless you brother jondab, by chance to you know what ayatollah fadlallah says about fasting the full day of ashura? this is very interesting. jazaka Allah

(wasalam)

[Jondab_Azdi]

(salam)

may Allah bless you brother jondab, by chance to you know what ayatollah fadlallah says about fasting the full day of ashura? this is very interesting. jazaka Allah

(wasalam)

AFAIK, he doesn't consider it makruh or haram to fast (i.e. full day fasting) on the day of Ashura. You can confirm this from his office: http://english.bayynat.org.lb/QA/sendq.htm

Also see:

w/s

Edited December 28, 2009 by Jondab_Azdi

[Maaha]

AFAIK, he doesn't consider it makruh or haram to fast (i.e. full day fasting) on the day of Ashura. You can confirm this from his office: http://english.bayynat.org.lb/QA/sendq.htm

Also see:

w/s

So, the fasting on the day of Ashura is neither makruh nor haram?

One can fast on this day? the whole day fasting?

[Nima]

It depends on which Marja referring to. If you ask Ayatollah Khamenei, it is haram.

Fasting on the Day of ‘Ashūrā’

Q: Is it allowed to fast on the day of ‘Ashūrā’?

A: It is disliked.

[Qa'im]

(salam)

In the opinion of Sheikh as-Tusi, fasting on 'Ashura atoned for the sins of a year. Sheikh as-Saduq said that this used to be so, but was later abrogated and replaced by Ramadhan fasting. So fasting this one day to atone for the year's sins was a practice in one part of the life of the Prophet (pbuh), but it was abrogated by the end of his life.

If Khoei is right, and the ahadith about the prohibition of fasting on 'Ashura are incorrect, this would mean fasting on 'Ashura would be treated as an ordinary fast on any other plausible day of the year. So no atonement of the year's sins, but still a grand deed.

Edited December 28, 2009 by Qa'im

[Rohani]

AFAIK, he doesn't consider it makruh or haram to fast (i.e. full day fasting) on the day of Ashura. You can confirm this from his office: http://english.bayyn...lb/QA/sendq.htm

Also see: http://www.shiachat....3entry1809563

w/s

(salam)

Jazaka Allah and i will take your word for it brother. thank you.

(wasalam)

So, the fasting on the day of Ashura is neither makruh nor haram?

One can fast on this day? the whole day fasting?

(salam)

seems to be this way, from what brother jondab said and even his words from Grand ayatollah fadlallah's side

it is allowed to fast the full day.

(wasalam)

[fatima.19]

(salam)

Sayed Ammar Naskshawani explains in detail about fasting during Ashura:

(wasalam)

[IzTeraB]

These hadiths are fake.Jews always had their own calender , today it is 13th of Tevet, 5770 in their calender,This calender is there from 5770 years and it has NOT got muharram or safar.They have their own months.There is no way a jewish festival celebrated on an Islamic date.

http://www.hebcal. com/converter/ . .

Arabs used to have months of Muharram,safar BUT The Islamic calendar was first introduced after the Wisal of Prophet Mohammad(PBUH) which would obviously be after the Hijrat.

In Sahih Muslim , Mu’awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan relates: I heard the Messenger of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) say: "It is the day of ‘Ashura. Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) has not made fasting obligatory for you. But I am fasting. He who likes to observe fast among you should do so, and he who likes not to observe it (does not have to) observe it." [sahih Muslim]

Muawiyah Laeen was not even a muslim at the time of hijrat as per sunnis also.Ibne-e-Abbas was 4 year old ,Abu Hurrara and Abu Musa Ashari were in Yemen at the time of Hijrat.

So how come Jews fasted on 10th of Muharam of Islamic Calender before Islamic calender even started ??????

[Agha-Shabbir-Abbas]

Salaamalaikum,

Fasting is a way to thank Allah Subhanawattalla sue to joyful reasons. Ashura is the epitome of all sadness so it is preferred to not fast. You should however fast on the Wiladat days of our Masumeen and the other happy days.

[BULB]

Salaams

I was listening to a lecture from Brother Ammar on Ahlulbayt TV the other day and the topic was about fasting on Ashura. The speech explains why we do not fast and why the hadith is not true. I recommend everyone to listen to the 3 parts from the link below and be clarified as to why we do not fast on Ashura. There is another speech in 6 parts below the 3 parts which I have not listened to yet but may be useful.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ammar+fasting+on+ashura&search_type=&aq=f

Thank you

Wassalaam

[Jondab_Azdi]

Salaamalaikum,

Fasting is a way to thank Allah Subhanawattalla sue to joyful reasons. Ashura is the epitome of all sadness so it is preferred to not fast.

^With this logic you should not fast on 21^th of Ramadan too.

All the ahadith about Ashura fast being makruh or haraam are weak and therefore scholars such as Ayatullah Shaykh al-Maiad consider it mustahab to fast on the day of Ashura as mentioned in the sahih akhbar of Imams of Ahlul bayt (as).

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w/s

[Haji 2003]

For muqallids of Ayatollah Sistani:

1756. It is Makrooh to fast on 'Ashura (10th of Muharram). It is also Makrooh to fast on the day about which one is not sure whether it is the day of 'Arafa or Eid-ul-Azha.

http://www.sistani.org/local.php?modules=nav&nid=2&bid=59&pid=3014

The link is to his official website.

[Yasoob Al Deen]

Assalam alaykum.

Just my random thoughts on this matter,

It is worth noting that what the Prophet did on this day is possibly irrelevant, since the events of Karbala and Arbaeen had not yet occured, and this is the reason for the worry of the status of the fast on Ashura. Yes, he knew these events would take place, but since they had not yet taken place, it's arguable that anything that he did on that day could be irrelevant. So, there is more importance on what Imam Zain al-Abideen and later Imams did on the 10th of Muharram. An absence of a fast is unlikely to be noted, unless it's contrasted against the Sunni compulsion to fast on that day (out of a cultural tradition to de-emphasise the murder of Imam al-Hussein). Hence the only way to prove the mustahab status of fasting on Ashura is to find it practiced by Imam Ali (ibn al-Hussein) and later Imams.

The idea that the Prophet may have fasted on Ashura because he saw the Jews fasting on that Day is ridiculous. From that perspective, the Prophet copied the Jews for a practice and he was the one who invented it (not Allah), whereas belief in the Prophet behaving in such a manner is impossible.

Furthermore, there are quite a few articles on the internet explaining that Jewish fasting never corresponded with the date that the Prophet was supposed to observe this fast. This alone is a devastating weakness in any hadith which claims the Jews fasted on that day when the Prophet learnt of their fasting on Ashura (were they even using the same calender as the Muslims? Wasn't the Muslim calender invented later?).

It is possible that the Prophet did indeed fast on Ashura for a period, out of possible reasons often stated such as the drowning of Pharoah. However other hadiths from Sunni sources (I don't have a clue about Shia sources...gee, if only the major Shia sources were publically available for an english speaker) state that the Prophet annulled this practice when the fasting of Ramadhaan began. This would aborogate all authentic hadiths about the benefits of fasting in Muharram or similar, because otherwise the Prophet would have continued this practice:

Volume 3, Book 31, Number 116:

Narrated Ibn 'Umar:

The Prophet observed the fast on the 10th of Muharram ('Ashura), and ordered (Muslims) to fast on that day, but when the fasting of the month of Ramadan was prescribed, the fasting of the 'Ashura' was abandoned. 'Abdullah did not use to fast on that day

unless it coincided with his routine fasting by chance

.

Volume 3, Book 31, Number 117:

Narrated 'Aisha: (The tribe of) Quraish used to fast on the day of Ashura' in the Pre-lslamic period, and then

Allah

's Apostle ordered (Muslims) to fast on it till the fasting in the month of Ramadan was prescribed; whereupon the Prophet said, "He who wants to fast (on 'Ashura') may fast, and he who does not want to fast may not fast."

It is necessary to note that the Prophet did not originate this practice. For the Arabs and Jews used to fast on that day before Ashura

There is this idea from a hadith that a Sunni should also fast on the 9th of Muharram because the Prophet intended to fast on that day. Not only does this hadith contradict other hadiths clearly stating the tradition of fasting on Muharram had ended, but also it is quite laughable due to the implication the Prophet did not get complete his instructions on this issue and hence Islam was left incomplete, since the status of whether one should fast on the nineth is unknown (the Prophet never did do it, even if he made an intention supposedly; intentions change).

Volume 3, Book 31, Number 219:

Narrated 'Aisha:

Allah

's Apostle ordered (the Muslims) to fast on the day of 'Ashura', and when fasting in the month of Ramadan was prescribed, it became optional for one to fast on that day ('Ashura') or not.

Volume 3, Book 31, Number 220:

Narrated Aisha: Quraish used to fast on the day of 'Ashura' in the Pre-lslamic period, and

Allah

's Apostle too, used to fast on that day. When he came to Medina, he fasted on that day and ordered others to fast, too. Later when the fasting of the month of Ramadan was prescribed, he gave up fasting on the day of 'Ashura' and it became optional for one to fast on it or not.

It seems obvious that the status of fasting on Ashura after [fasting the month of] Ramadhaan was prescribed was that it was optional/permissible and not mustahab.

So 1) the Prophet's actions may be irrelevant. It is the later Imams' actions which need to be noted. 2) Only (muttawattur/many) hadiths quoting the Imams speaking of the benefit of fasting on Ashura and fasting on it can established the mustahab status of fasting on Ashura 3) Narrations which claim the Prophet fasted because he saw the Jews do it and copied the practice from them is ridiculous, no explanation needed, and also suffer historical contextual problems 4) If indeed the Prophet did use to fast on Ashura, he did not originate the practice; the tradition however was ended because of Ramadhan 5) Fasting after the command to fast the month of Ramadhaan became, at best, optional/permissible and not mustahab.

Whether it is mukrooh or haram, cannot be determined from Sunni major books of hadith thanks to lack of information with connection to the events of Karbala. It's almost as if a censorship took place...

[mosvi]

Verdict of Ayatullah Syed Ali Hussani Sistani ÇÚáی ÇááÀ ãÞÇãÀ

1756. It is Makrooh to fast on 'Ashura (10th of Muharram). It is also Makrooh to fast on the day about which one is not sure whether it is the day of 'Arafa or Eid-ul-Azha

http://www.sistani.org/local.php?modules=nav&nid=2&bid=59&pid=3014