Muharram

Last night, the new moon heralded the beginning of the New Year of the Islamic or Hijri calendar.

Today is the 1st of Muharram, 1433.

A lot of laypersons associate Muharram with activities that would take place 10 days later. Known as Ashuraa’ (from Ashra’ or ten in Arabic), that is the 10th of Muharram, and marks the day of one of the most heart-rending events that occurred in Islam – the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Ashuraa’ is also associated with a number of events of earlier eras. According to various traditions, it was on the 10th of Muharram that Adam’s prayer was accepted, Noah landed his Ark on Mount Judi, Abraham was saved from the fire in which Nimrod had thrown him, Jonah emerged from the belly of the fish, Joseph was re-united with his parents, Moses led his people across the sea and the Pharaoh was destroyed; apart from many others.

Due to all the above, in the era when Prophet Muhammad (SAW) lived, Jews used to fast on the 10^th of Muharram. Even today, quite a few Muslims fast for the entire 10 days of Muharram, and many others on the 9th and 10th.

However, the events that took place on 10 Muharram 0061 (approx Oct 680 AD) overshadowed all other events.

Yazeed, a despot, tyrant and the total antitheses of Islam, proclaimed himself the Caliph or leader of Muslims. He asked Imam Hussain to pledge allegiance to him, which was naturally refused.

In a nutshell, this refusal of Imam Hussain to pledge allegiance to the despot Yazeed led to various events, leading to Imam Hussain leaving Madinah with his family and a few companions numbering 72 men, and about 51 women and children towards a place called Kufah (in modern-day Iraq). This small group of people was surrounded by an approximately 30,000-strong army sent by Yazeed at a place called Karbala, near the Euphrates river.

After denying water for 3 days (from 7 Muharram onwards) to this small group of people comprising women and children, including a six month-old infant, Yazeed’s mercenaries mercilessly killed the men and captured the women and children. From then onwards, the 10th of Muharram is marked as a day of mourning, remembrance and prayers by Muslims across the world.

Is it just a coincidence that the Islamic calendar begins with one sacrifice and ends with another? Or is it a message for us Muslims to be ready and willing to sacrifice their all for the will of Allah?

Eid-al-Adha

I had started writing this post last Sunday, to time it with Eid on Monday. But exigencies of work made me keep it aside without completing it as the relevant time had passed.

A chance remark by a colleague a couple of days after Eid about not liking this 'festival of slaughter' prompts me to complete it.

Let me narrate a story.

Many years ago, when Prophets walked on this earth, there lived a man called Ibraheem. He was in his 80s when he and his wife Hajara became parents for the first time.

The baby was still nursing when the Lord commanded Ibraheem to leave his wife and child – Ismail- among the barren plains of a desert and move on alone to spread His word. Placing his entire trust in the Lord, Ibraheem did as asked. He left them in an uncultivated valley which did not have even water for a vast distance. His wife, who was herself a staunch believer in the Lord, accepted her husband’s decision, since she believed that the Lord would take care of her and her child.

Within a couple of days, the food and water that she had was finished, and both mother and child started feeling hungry and thirsty. Hajara left her child in the valley and started walking briskly between two nearby mountains trying to look for someone from whom she could get some food or water. After she had moved between the two mountains seven times, she saw water coming near her child’s feet, where he had kept hitting the ground with his heel. (Another tradition also has it that an angel dug the earth near her child, and water came out).

Hajara had her fill of water and fed her child, but the water kept coming out, and vegetation grew around it. Soon, sensing water, birds started circling the area, caravans noticed them and came to the oasis, creating a settlement in the process.

A few years passed, and Ismail was old enough to walk and play. Then, Ibraheem had a dream, in which he was told to sacrifice that which is closest to his heart. He sacrificed forty camels each over two days, but the dream persisted. Ibraheem realised that the closest to his heart was his only child, Ismail!

He went to Ismail and told the little boy about his dream. The child replied, “O father, do as you are commanded, you will find me patient”.

Ibraheem took his wife and son and moved towards a nearby place where he planned to sacrifice his son. As he neared the place, the devil appeared to Ismail and whispered in his ear that his father was taking him to be killed. Ismail responded by throwing some stones at the devil.

A few steps later, the devil appeared to Hajara and tried to appeal to her maternal instincts. Hajara responded the same way that her son had.

Not one to give up, the devil then tried to talk Ibraheem out of sacrificing his son, but Ibraheem also hit the devil with a few stones.

Upon reaching the spot where Ibraheem had decided to offer his son as sacrifice, he made Ismail lay down and moved his knife on his son’s neck. However, even after trying to cut his son’s neck thrice, he could not succeed. Ibraheem threw away the knife in frustration at not being able to offer the ultimate sacrifice to his Lord. At this moment, he heard a divine voice saying, “Ibraheem, your Lord has accepted your sacrifice”, and a sheep was sent down from the heavens to be sacrificed in Ismail’s place.

Eid-ul-Adha - or Eid-ul-Zuha - (Adha - meaning sacrifice) is a commemoration and remembrance of this willingness to sacrifice by Prophet Ibraheem (AS) – also referred to as Abraham - and his family; possibly the greatest sacrifice made by man submitting to the will of his Lord.

The Lord loved the devotion of his servants, Ibraheem, Hajara and Ismail so much, that he decreed walking between the mountains of Safa and Marwa as well as stoning three pillars (Jamaraat) at Mina at the places where the devil had appeared to Ibraheem and his family an integral part of the Hajj, or pilgrimage, that is incumbent upon every Muslim who has the means to perform it. And Muslims across the world are ordered to sacrifice (not slaughter) an animal to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by their Prophet, and as an indicator that they would be ready to make whatever sacrifice required for the pleasure of their Lord.

May Allah grant us all the patience and understanding to submit to His will, so that all our words and actions in future are for the pleasure of Him, and Him alone. Aameen.