The month of God, Muharram, is the first month of the Hijri month, as was agreed upon during the reign of the Rightly Guided Caliph Omar bin Al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him in the year 16 AH, and it is one of the four sacred months that God mentioned in His Book {Indeed, the number of months with God is twelve months in the Book of God on the day He created the heavens and the earth, of which four are sacred, that valuable religion, so do not wrong yourselves in them}.
The noble Prophetic Sunnah has clarified the names of these four. On the authority of Abu Bakra, may God be pleased with him, on the authority of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, he said: “The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred, three consecutively: Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar, which is between Jumada and Sha’ban.” Narrated by the two sheikhs.
Among the virtues of this holy month is the addition of our Master, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, this month to God Almighty, which is an addition of honor and specification, and the reason for the specification is that its prohibition goes to God Almighty.
Fasting during it, on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “The best fasting after the month of Ramadan is God’s month of Muharram.” Narrated by Muslim and Al-Nasa’i.
Fasting on the day of Ashura, as this is a great day on which God saved Moses and drowned the family of Pharaoh, so the Jews fasted it in gratitude to God, so the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “We have more right to Moses than them.” So he fasted it and ordered his fasting.
God Almighty swore by his days. God Almighty said: {and ten nights} said by some people of interpretation.
Muharram is the best of the months of the Sacred Mosque, due to its special addition to God Almighty, and the virtue of fasting during it, and its being singled out for remembrance over the rest of the four months. It is the best of the four months, and the best of the days in it is the first ten, and the best of the ten: the tenth day, “the day of Ashura.”
Prohibiting fighting and injustice during them. God Almighty forbade starting fighting during these months out of reverence and honor for them. Qatada said in his saying {So do not wrong yourselves during them} that injustice in the sacred months is a greater sin and a greater sin than injustice in any other month.
The Hijri calendar began with it. The Companions of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, consulted on which month the year would begin, so Omar, Uthman, and Ali, may God be pleased with them, chose that the beginning of the year should be from Muharram, because it is a sacred month that follows the month of Dhul-Hijjah in which Muslims perform their Hajj, in which the pillars of their religion are completed, and because the beginning of the determination to migrate was in it, as the pledge of allegiance was in Dhul-Hijjah, which is a prelude to migration, and the first crescent moon crescents after it. Muharram, the beginning of the Islamic Hijri year was from the month of Muharram.
