Friday sermon on the Day of Ashura and the virtue of fasting it.
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, and that is sufficient, and peace be upon His chosen servants. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, to Him belongs all praise in the Hereafter and the first life. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger, the chosen one and the intimate friend, the one selected. May Allah send prayers and abundant peace upon him, upon his Companions, and upon those who followed their guidance. As for what follows:
It is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): meaning: the year before it.
But he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said at the end of his life:Sahih Muslim 1134b meaning: along with the tenth.
And he said:Bulugh al-Maram 5:41.
The Day of Ashura in this year is Friday, because the entry of this month was not confirmed on the night of Tuesday. If it is not confirmed, the Shari'ah requires that the previous month be completed to thirty days, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):Sunan an-Nasa'i 2124Sahih (Darussalam), unless news is confirmed after this day that this month entered on Tuesday. In that case, Tuesday would be the eighth, Wednesday the ninth, and Thursday the tenth. But we remain with completing the month of Dhul-Hijjah to thirty, so Wednesday would be the eighth, Thursday the ninth, and Friday the tenth.
Fasting the Day of Ashura is done in four ways:
The first way: to fast the tenth alone. This is a recommended practice (sunnah), but some scholars disliked fasting it alone and said: it is necessary to fast a day before it or a day after it.
The second situation: to fast the ninth, the tenth, and the eleventh. This is the best of the situations.
The third situation: to fast the ninth and the tenth. This is lower in rank than the first.
The fourth way: to fast the tenth and the eleventh. This is lower than the second way. And thus the order in terms of virtue is:
To fast the ninth, the tenth, and the eleventh. By doing so, the person also achieves fasting three days of the month.
Second: to fast the ninth and the tenth.
Third: to fast the tenth and the eleventh.
Fourth: to fast the tenth alone.
But the best, if a person does not wish to fast three days, is to fast the ninth and the tenth.
Know, O Muslims, that fasting expiates sins if a person avoids major sins and seeks reward from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:. If these great obligatory acts and major rituals do not expiate sins except by avoiding major sins, then what is less than them is even more so that it does not expiate sins except by avoiding major sins.
But we hope for the favor of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and that this hadith, meaning: the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that it expiates the past year, meaning: the year before it, we hope that it is general and that Allah the Exalted will encompass us with His mercy and forgiveness.
Know that the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). And the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation in the religion is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. So hold fast to the community, for the hand of Allah is with the community, and whoever separates himself separates himself in the Fire.
The community is: gathering on the religion of Allah, without dividing in it. And increase in sending prayers and peace upon your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), especially on Friday. For whoever sends prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) once on any day or any night, Allah sends prayers upon him ten times.
O Allah, send prayers and peace upon Your slave and Your Messenger Muhammad. O Allah, send prayers and peace upon Your slave and Your Messenger Muhammad. O Allah, send prayers and peace upon Your slave and Your Messenger Muhammad. O Allah, grant us his love and following him outwardly and inwardly. O Allah, cause us to die upon his religion. O Allah, gather us in his group. O Allah, give us to drink from his pool. O Allah, admit us into his intercession. O Allah, gather us with him in the Gardens of Pleasure with those upon whom You have bestowed favor from among the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. O Allah, be pleased with his righteous successors, and with all the Companions, and with those who followed them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. O Allah, make us among those who followed them in excellence until Your pleasure encompasses us, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, rectify the affairs of the Muslims. O Allah, rectify the affairs of the Muslims. O Allah, whoever intends fitnah for the Muslims, make his scheme return to his own neck, and corrupt his affair, and expose him until it becomes clear and he is deterred from his corruption. Indeed, You are capable of all things. O Allah, honor Islam and the Muslims, and humiliate shirk and the mushriks, and destroy the enemies of the religion, and make our country safe and the rest of the lands of the Muslims.
O Allah, make us safe in our homelands, and rectify our imams and rulers, and make our authority with those who fear You, are mindful of You, and follow Your pleasure, O Lord of the worlds.
O Allah, support our brother mujahideen in Your path in every place. O Allah, support our brothers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. O Allah, support our brothers in Chechnya. O Allah, support our brothers in Kashmir. O Allah, support our brothers in every land where they are oppressed by their enemies.
O Allah, we ask You by Your might and power, Your majesty and ability, and Your dominance. We ask You, O Allah, to send down Your wrath which is not averted from the criminal people upon the state of the Russians. O Allah, send down upon them Your wrath which is not averted from the criminal people. O Allah, bring upon them calamity, and cast enmity and hatred between them, until some of them destroy some of them and some of them take some of them captive, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, shake their hearts, and shake the disbelievers from their lands. Indeed, You are capable of all things. O Allah, we ask You to send down Your wrath which is not averted from the criminal people upon the unjust, aggressive, and treacherous Serbs, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, send down upon them Your wrath which is not averted from the criminal people. O Allah, make them a lesson for those who take lessons. O Allah, make them a spoils for our Muslim brothers, O Lord of the worlds.
O Allah, the causes of Your mercy, the determinations of Your forgiveness, the spoils of every righteousness, safety from every sin, success in Paradise, and salvation from the Fire. O Allah, we ask You to unite our word upon the truth, our young and our old, our males and our females, O Lord of the worlds. Indeed, You are capable of all things. O servants of Allah, indeed Allah commands justice and excellence and giving to relatives, and forbids indecency, wrongdoing, and oppression. He admonishes you perhaps that you will remember. And fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have made it, and do not break the oaths after confirming them, while you have made Allah a guarantor over you. Indeed, Allah knows what you do. And remember Allah, the Great, the Majestic, and He will remember you, and thank Him for His blessings and He will increase you. And the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows what you do.
It is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
He was asked about fasting the Day of Ashura, and he said: It expiates the past year.
أنّه سئل عن صوم يوم عاشوراء فقال: إنّه يكفّر السّنة الماضيةBut he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said at the end of his life:
If I live till the next (year), I would definitely observe fast on the 9th
لئن عشت إلى قابل لأصومنّ التّاسعAnd he said:
Abu Hurairah, narrated that The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “None of you should fast on Friday, unless he fasts together with the day before or the day after.” Agreed upon.
صوموا يوما قبله أو يوما بعده، خالفوا اليهودThe Day of Ashura in this year is Friday, because the entry of this month was not confirmed on the night of Tuesday. If it is not confirmed, the Shari'ah requires that the previous month be completed to thirty days, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
and if it is obscured from you (too cloudy), then complete thirty (days).
فإن غمّ عليكم فأكملوا العدّة ثلاثينFasting the Day of Ashura is done in four ways:
The first way: to fast the tenth alone. This is a recommended practice (sunnah), but some scholars disliked fasting it alone and said: it is necessary to fast a day before it or a day after it.
The second situation: to fast the ninth, the tenth, and the eleventh. This is the best of the situations.
The third situation: to fast the ninth and the tenth. This is lower in rank than the first.
The fourth way: to fast the tenth and the eleventh. This is lower than the second way. And thus the order in terms of virtue is:
To fast the ninth, the tenth, and the eleventh. By doing so, the person also achieves fasting three days of the month.
Second: to fast the ninth and the tenth.
Third: to fast the tenth and the eleventh.
Fourth: to fast the tenth alone.
But the best, if a person does not wish to fast three days, is to fast the ninth and the tenth.
Know, O Muslims, that fasting expiates sins if a person avoids major sins and seeks reward from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
The five daily prayers, the Friday prayer to the next Friday prayer, and Ramadan to the next Ramadan are expiations for the sins committed between them, provided that major sins are avoided.
الصّلوات الخمس، والجمعة إلى الجمعة، ورمضان إلى رمضان مكفّرات لما بينهما -أو قال- لما بينهنّ ما اجتنبت الكبائرBut we hope for the favor of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and that this hadith, meaning: the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that it expiates the past year, meaning: the year before it, we hope that it is general and that Allah the Exalted will encompass us with His mercy and forgiveness.
Know that the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). And the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation in the religion is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. So hold fast to the community, for the hand of Allah is with the community, and whoever separates himself separates himself in the Fire.
The community is: gathering on the religion of Allah, without dividing in it. And increase in sending prayers and peace upon your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), especially on Friday. For whoever sends prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) once on any day or any night, Allah sends prayers upon him ten times.
O Allah, send prayers and peace upon Your slave and Your Messenger Muhammad. O Allah, send prayers and peace upon Your slave and Your Messenger Muhammad. O Allah, send prayers and peace upon Your slave and Your Messenger Muhammad. O Allah, grant us his love and following him outwardly and inwardly. O Allah, cause us to die upon his religion. O Allah, gather us in his group. O Allah, give us to drink from his pool. O Allah, admit us into his intercession. O Allah, gather us with him in the Gardens of Pleasure with those upon whom You have bestowed favor from among the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. O Allah, be pleased with his righteous successors, and with all the Companions, and with those who followed them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. O Allah, make us among those who followed them in excellence until Your pleasure encompasses us, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, rectify the affairs of the Muslims. O Allah, rectify the affairs of the Muslims. O Allah, whoever intends fitnah for the Muslims, make his scheme return to his own neck, and corrupt his affair, and expose him until it becomes clear and he is deterred from his corruption. Indeed, You are capable of all things. O Allah, honor Islam and the Muslims, and humiliate shirk and the mushriks, and destroy the enemies of the religion, and make our country safe and the rest of the lands of the Muslims.
O Allah, make us safe in our homelands, and rectify our imams and rulers, and make our authority with those who fear You, are mindful of You, and follow Your pleasure, O Lord of the worlds.
O Allah, support our brother mujahideen in Your path in every place. O Allah, support our brothers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. O Allah, support our brothers in Chechnya. O Allah, support our brothers in Kashmir. O Allah, support our brothers in every land where they are oppressed by their enemies.
O Allah, we ask You by Your might and power, Your majesty and ability, and Your dominance. We ask You, O Allah, to send down Your wrath which is not averted from the criminal people upon the state of the Russians. O Allah, send down upon them Your wrath which is not averted from the criminal people. O Allah, bring upon them calamity, and cast enmity and hatred between them, until some of them destroy some of them and some of them take some of them captive, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, shake their hearts, and shake the disbelievers from their lands. Indeed, You are capable of all things. O Allah, we ask You to send down Your wrath which is not averted from the criminal people upon the unjust, aggressive, and treacherous Serbs, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, send down upon them Your wrath which is not averted from the criminal people. O Allah, make them a lesson for those who take lessons. O Allah, make them a spoils for our Muslim brothers, O Lord of the worlds.
O Allah, the causes of Your mercy, the determinations of Your forgiveness, the spoils of every righteousness, safety from every sin, success in Paradise, and salvation from the Fire. O Allah, we ask You to unite our word upon the truth, our young and our old, our males and our females, O Lord of the worlds. Indeed, You are capable of all things. O servants of Allah, indeed Allah commands justice and excellence and giving to relatives, and forbids indecency, wrongdoing, and oppression. He admonishes you perhaps that you will remember. And fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have made it, and do not break the oaths after confirming them, while you have made Allah a guarantor over you. Indeed, Allah knows what you do. And remember Allah, the Great, the Majestic, and He will remember you, and thank Him for His blessings and He will increase you. And the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows what you do.