Fasting ʿĀshūrāʾ and the Month of Muharram

Each new Hijri year begins with a month whose very name means sacred. Al-Muharram is not simply the first page of a new calendar; it is one of the four months Allah ('azza wa jall) has singled out for honour since He created the heavens and the earth. Yet many Muslims pass through it without realising that the Prophet ﷺ described voluntary fasting in this month as the best after the fasts of Ramadan — or that fasting the tenth day, ʿĀshūrāʾ, carries a specific hope of expiation for the entire preceding year.

This article gathers the authentic evidence — from Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī — explains what the scholars have said about what that evidence actually means, and suggests how you can pair the ibādah of this month with a concrete intention to grow in your knowledge of the Qurʾān and Arabic.

Muharram: One of the Four Sacred Months

The sanctity of Muharram is not a matter of tradition or custom — it is established in the Qurʾān itself.

The Prophet ﷺ named these four months explicitly in his Farewell Sermon, recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī.

The word Muharram itself is derived from the Arabic root meaning to make sacred or forbidden. Scholars of the language note that calling it 'the month of Allah' (شَهْرُ اللَّهِ) — directly attributing it to Allah — is an indication of its particular honour, in the same way the Kaʿbah is called 'the House of Allah'.

The Best Fasting After Ramadan

The Prophet ﷺ placed voluntary fasting in Muharram at the very top of the hierarchy of nafl fasts — above Shaʿbān, above Mondays and Thursdays, above everything except the obligatory fasts of Ramadan.

ʿĀshūrāʾ: The Tenth of Muharram

Within this blessed month, the tenth day — ʿĀshūrāʾ — carries its own distinct virtue. The name comes directly from the Arabic word ʿasharah (عَشَرَة), meaning ten.

The Historical Reason for the Fast

When the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madīnah, he found the Jews fasting on this day. He asked them why, and their answer connected the fast to one of the greatest moments of divine deliverance in all of history.

This fast was initially ordered upon the Muslims. When the obligatory fasting of Ramadan was later prescribed, fasting ʿĀshūrāʾ reverted to being a strongly recommended voluntary act — one the Prophet ﷺ maintained with visible keenness. Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: 'I never saw the Prophet ﷺ so keen to make sure he fasted any day and preferring it over another except this day, the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, and this month — meaning Ramaḍān.' (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 2000)

The Expiation of ʿĀshūrāʾ

Which Days to Fast: The 9th, 10th, and the Question of the 11th

The Prophet ﷺ fasted the 10th of Muharram throughout his life in Madīnah. In the final year before his passing, he expressed a desire to also fast the 9th — known as Tāsūʿāʾ — in order to distinguish the Muslim practice from that of the Jews and Christians.

It is important to understand this narration correctly. The Prophet ﷺ fasted ʿĀshūrāʾ every year throughout his life in Madīnah — that practice was consistent and well-established. What he did not live to implement was the addition of the 9th day alongside the 10th. The fast of the 10th itself was never in doubt.

Ibn Ḥajar explained the Prophet's intention: 'His concern to fast the ninth may be understood as meaning that he would not limit himself to that, rather that he would add it to the tenth, either to be on the safe side, or to be different from the Jews and Christians, which is more likely to be correct.' (Fatḥ al-Bārī, 4/245)

What Muharram Is Not: Correcting Common Mistakes

Starting the Year with a Learning Intention

The Prophet ﷺ paired ibādah with instruction: he fasted ʿĀshūrāʾ and he taught the people around him its significance. The start of Muharram — like the start of Ramadan, or the return after Ḥajj — is one of those natural moments where a sincere Muslim looks ahead and asks: what am I going to do differently this year?

If you have been putting off beginning to memorise the Qurʾān, or returning to tajweed, or finally learning to read Arabic properly — Muharram is as good a starting point as any. A realistic daily hifz routine does not require a dramatic overhaul of your life; it begins with a decision and a schedule. Starting with even a single lesson this month changes the intention from a feeling into a plan. As the Prophet ﷺ reminded us, the best of this Ummah are those who learn the Qurʾān and teach it — and that journey has to begin somewhere.