Tenth, eleventh of Muharram

27/12/2009| IslamWeb

Question:

Every 10th and 11th of Muharram there is a celebration in my country where people will dance in the street holding swords and act as if they are fighting.[NOTE.As if they are reviving the tragedies at KARBALA]. Your comment please.
 
Fatwa:
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) is His Slave and Messenger.
 
The tenth of the month of Muharam was the day on which Allah saved Moses, may Allah exalt his mention,  and Bani Israel (sons of Israel) from Pharaoh and his followers.
 
The Prophet Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) fasted it and ordered Muslims to fast it. His companions, may Allah be pleased with them, also fasted it. But it was not reported from the Prophet Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) or any of his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, or those who followed them in righteousness to have done any kind of celebrations on this day or to have observed it by any kind of worship except fasting.
The religion of Islam is what the Prophet Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) had legislated, anything other than that is innovation which one should completely avoid as the Prophet Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: "If somebody tries to introduce into this faith of ours (Islam) something, which is not a part of it, it is to be rejected (and that person is condemned)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
It has not been reported from any of those who came after the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) or from any of the Prophet's family or others to have celebrated this day or the day of the death of Al-Hussain, may Allah be pleased with him .
The best is to follow the Muslim predecessors and the worst is to follow the innovations of the successors.
In addition to that such acts contribute to deform the face of Islam and Muslims in the eyes of many people. Slapping ones' face, tearing out ones' clothes, not to mention using swords to cause a bloodshed and to terrorize children, have nothing to do with the true religion.
May Allah protect us all from the innovation's bad impact.
Allah Knows best.

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