Author: Sayyed Musleh Uddin
Fasting and Its Position in Islam (Part 9)
The Fast of Ashura
The second hypothesis is that Allama Biruni (MABH) understood it this way: the Day of Ashura mentioned in the hadith is the tenth day of the Jewish month of “Tishrei,” known as the “Yom Kippur” fast; that is, the famous atonement fast among the Jews—a day they celebrate more than any other. In Jewish texts and rituals, it is referred to as “Yom Kippur” in Hebrew and the [1] “Day of Atonement” in English. This hypothesis is inconsistent with the wording of the hadith and phrases in the Torah, because the aforementioned fast is an atonement for a great sin and a national and historical crime [2], as well as a day of grief, mourning, and expression of pain and suffering.
In the book of “Leviticus,” or “Sefer Vayikra,” regarding the atonement fast that occurs on the tenth day of the seventh month (Tishrei), it states:
“And this shall be a statute forever unto you: that on the tenth day of the seventh month you shall afflict your souls and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country or a stranger that sojourned among you; for on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” [3]
Elsewhere in this book, it is written: “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying: ‘But on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement; it shall be a holy convocation unto you, and you shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And you shall do no work on that same day; for it is a Day of Atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.'” [4]
In the Book of Numbers, it is stated: “And on the tenth of the seventh month, you shall have a holy gathering, and you shall humble yourselves and do no work.” [5]
Contrary to the Fast of Atonement (Kifara), authentic hadiths clarify that the Day of Ashura, which has been made obligatory for Muslims to fast, was a day of joy and festivity for the Jews.
Imam Bukhari (MABH) narrated from Abu Musa al-Ashari, (MABH), who said: “The Jews considered the Day of Ashura a day of celebration, and the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Therefore, you should fast on that day.” [6]
Imam Muslim (MABH) narrated from Qais bin Muslim (MABH) that he said: “The people of Khaybar used to fast on the Day of Ashura and regarded it as a festival, adorning their women and dressing them in jewelry. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Therefore, you should fast on that day.” [7]
Karib bin Sa’d (MABH) narrated from Umar bin al-Khattab, (MABH), who said: “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not ask you about anything except regarding the fast of Ramadan and the fast of the Day of Zinat, referring to the fast of the Day of Ashura.” [8]
Therefore, it is not appropriate to consider this day as a day of atonement; the Day of Atonement is a day of sorrow, punishment, humiliation, and disgrace, while the Ashura mentioned in the hadith is a day of recreation, joy, happiness, festivity, and adornment.
Figures from both the West and the East, apart from al-Biruni, have also fallen into this mistake and delusion, and some scholars of hadith in this century have adhered to this theory.
In the book “Judaism in Islam,” it is mentioned regarding the atonement fast: “And Muhammad, peace be upon him, initially designated it as a fast for Muslims.” [9]
In this matter, we should consider the words of the Jews regarding Ashura, where they said: “That day was a good day in which Allah, the Exalted, saved the Children of Israel from their enemies” as a criterion. Thus, the aforementioned characteristic must fully correspond to the day we are discussing. This day, on which Allah, the Exalted, saved the Children of Israel from Pharaoh and his army, is explicitly mentioned in several places in the Torah by the name “Abib,” and it is the same day that was later named “Nisan.”
In the Bustani Encyclopedia, it states regarding “Abib”: “Abib is a Hebrew word meaning ‘green,’ and this is the name of the first month of the Hebrew year, as designated by Prophet Moses, peace be upon him. It approximately coincides with the month of Nisan (April). After the Children of Israel were taken captive in Babylon, they changed the name of this month to ‘Nisan,’ meaning ‘the month of flowers,’ and in Jewish tradition, the festival of ‘Matzot’ occurs in the middle of this month.” [10]
Furthermore, in the statement we quoted from al-Biruni, he himself admits to this when he says: “And as for their claim that Allah, the Exalted, drowned Pharaoh on this day, the Torah has proven the contrary; the drowning of Pharaoh occurred on the twenty-first day of the month of ‘Nisan,’ which is the seventh day of the festival of ‘Matzot.'”
In the Torah, it is stated [Exodus 12:18]: “On the fourteenth day of the first month, at twilight, you shall eat unleavened bread until the evening of the twenty-first day of the month.” After examining these texts and reviewing Jewish rites, history, and customs, researchers have proposed that the day most similar to Ashura, for which fasting is permitted in Islam and which was observed before Ramadan, is the day that falls in the middle of the month of “Abib” (the ancient month) or “Nisan” (the new month), a name adopted by the Jews after their exile and captivity in Babylon. This day is one of the Jewish festivals when they celebrate and express joy. [11]
It is also the day when the Children of Israel left Egypt and Pharaoh was drowned in the sea. In “Chapter 34,” it states: “Observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread! For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. I commanded you in the month of ‘Abib’ because you came out of Egypt in the month of ‘Abib.'”
This chapter also notes: “For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a mighty hand; therefore, you shall keep this ordinance in its season, year by year.” [12]
The preferred theory is that this day corresponds with the 10th of Muharram in the second year after Hijra. After that, the fast of Ramadan was introduced in that same year. Additionally, aligning the lunar calendar and the Arabic calendar with the solar and Jewish calendars is an estimated and hypothetical calculation. This is due to the fact that among the Arabs before Islam, there was a practice of postponing months, which was invalidated by Allah with the verse: «إِنَّمَا النَّسِيءُ زِيَادَةٌ فِي الْكُفْرِ يُضَلُّ بِهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا» “Indeed, the postponement (of the sanctity of one month to another) is an increase in disbelief; by it, those who have disbelieved are led astray.” [13]
Moreover, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, announced during the Farewell Pilgrimage: “Time has reverted to the same form that Allah, the Exalted, created the heavens and the earth.” [14]
The declaration of this matter was through revelation from Allah, the Exalted; the Arabic calendar before Islam was so chaotic that accurate calculation could not be attained, and it was impossible to revert to its original form merely through estimation and comparison. Therefore, based on a rough calculation, despite the confusion of the day counters and their multiplicity and discrepancies during the time of ignorance and Islam, it cannot be doubted that the authentic and well-known hadiths are accurate.
It is also possible that only the Jews of Medina observed fasting on the Day of Ashura and made it obligatory for themselves, attaching significance to it, and in this regard, they agreed with the Arabs, who fasted on this day in honor of its commemoration of significant events.
It has been narrated from Lady Aisha, (MABH), that she said: “Quraysh used to fast on the Day of Ashura during the time of ignorance, and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, also fasted on This Day…” [15]
Jews around the world and in different periods have had specific practices and days for fasting, with some fasting while others did not. Previously, content from the “Encyclopedia of Judaism” regarding fasting in Jewish tradition has been mentioned.
The encyclopedia states: “There are also national and regional fasts that differ significantly from one another, and this difference in fasts stems from the differences in regions and lands where Jews have lived since ancient times.” It also states: “And fasts that only some classes of Jews, without other classes, observe in memory of bitter events and incidents in Jewish history.” [16] Therefore, it is not unlikely that the Day of Ashura and its obligatory fast on the tenth of Muharram were characteristics of the Arab Jews. For this reason, Jewish sources have not mentioned anything about it, and most Jewish scholars have considered it as the Day of Atonement, which is a well-known and general fast in Judaism. Consequently, they have criticized the hadiths and doubted their validity. However, this is a hasty judgment stemming from a lack of complete knowledge of the customs and religions of Jews in different eras and regions, as well as a lack of resources and information about the Jews of Hejaz, who lived on the Arabian Peninsula for a long time and for centuries as a regime and nation. Furthermore, this understanding results from a lack of awareness of the ethics, customs, and beliefs of the Jews, who, like all nations, human societies, civilizations, cultures, languages, and dialects, were influenced by the environment in which they lived. [17]
Continues…
References
[1]. Refer to “The Encyclopedia of Judaism.”
[2]. It is not unlikely that the mentioned fast is the expiation fast for the sin of idolatry concerning the golden calf, which the Jews committed after Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) went to meet his Lord; a meeting about which the Quran states: “And We appointed for Moses thirty nights, then completed them with ten, so the appointment of his Lord was forty nights.” Because of this idolatry, they were punished by being commanded to kill the innocent among them, as well as the criminals and sinful ones, and it is mentioned in the Quran: “And when Moses said to his people, ‘O my people, you have surely wronged yourselves by taking the calf, so repent to your Creator…’” And this punishment has resulted in a prescribed fast for all generations of Jews forever. This matter is confirmed by what is stated in the book “Judaism in Islam”: Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai, and the expiation fast was enacted.”
[3]. Leviticus, Chapter 16 (29-30-31), The Bible (Old and New Testaments), translated by the representatives of the American delegation, published in New York.
[4]. Leviticus, Chapter 23 (26-27-28).
[5]. Book of Numbers, Chapter 29 (7).
[6]. Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Fasting, Chapter on the Fast of Ashura, Vol. 4, p. 535.
[7]. Sahih Muslim, Book of Fasting.
[8]. Kanz al-Ummal, Vol. 4, p. 34.
[9]. Judaism in Islam by Abraham I. Katish, New York.
[10]. Torah, Book of Exodus, Vol. 12, p. 18. Bustani states: “The first month among the common months of the Jews is the month of ‘Tishrei.’” From this statement, it is evident that the month of “Abib” is the seventh month for them.
[11]. Some may find the combination of fasting and a festival on the same day difficult; however, this issue arises from comparing the fasts among Jews and Christians with the Islamic fast. The Jewish Encyclopedia states regarding the beginning of the seventh month: “This day is both a day of fasting and a festival.”
[12]. Chapter 13.
[13]. Surah At-Tawbah, Verse: 37.
[14]. Bukhari and Muslim.
[15]. Sahih Muslim, Book of Fasting, Chapter on the Fast of Ashura.
[16]. Surah At-Tawbah, Verse: 37.
[17]. “Encyclopedia of Judaism,” Vol. 5, p. 673, published in 1916, United States of America (Jewish Encyclopedia).
