Ashura: The Other Time Muslims Fast

Today marks the 10^th day of the Islamic year; the first month on the lunar calendar is Muharram.  There is great significance behind this day, and Muslims fast to commemorate this day.  During Prophet Muhammad (SAW)’s time, the Jews were observed to have fasted the ninth, tenth and eleventh of this month.  In honor of Prophet Moses (SAW) and his people being saved from Pharoah, people of the Jewish faith fast every year out of gratitude. 

This act humbled Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and he felt that Muslims should also do something in commemoration of this momentous event.  Prophet Musa (Moses) along with many other prophets share historical and religious significance in the three Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

“We have more right, and we have closer connection with Prophet Musa (SAW) than you have.” –Sahih Bukhari and Muslim

While it was not made an obligation, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) did encourage Muslims to fast and observe this day as one of great significance because of how important Prophet Musa (SAW) is to our religion. After Ramadan, Ashura is the best occasion to observe the fast.

Parables such as the parting of the Red Sea are shared between the three Abrahamic faiths.

Muslims also choose to fast other times of the year that do not include Ramadan or Ashura in order to follow practices of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).  The Prophet (SAW) was known for fasting every Monday and Thursday, in addition to the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th of every month.  These days are not obligatory for Muslims to fast, but it is recommended if you want to follow the Prophet (SAW)’s practices.

Shia'a Significance –while the Shia’a Muslims also see this day as significant, there is a completely different connotation and reason for observing Ashura.  Historically, it is the day that the Shia’a Muslims lost their ruler, Hussein, in 680 AD.  They observe this day to mourn the loss of their ruler by reenacting the battle, wearing clothes of mourning and express grief in light of the tragedy.  These practices are not held by the Muslim population at large; only a small percentage of Muslims worldwide observe Ashura in this way.

Being A Receptive Community

 So last weekend I happened to find myself in Dallas and decided to go shopping at one of the malls (Dallas shopping is the best!). I was browsing the shoe section at Macys and asked an employee for help. This employee was an African American woman wearing a russet red head covering. Assuming she was a fellow Muslim, I greeted her with “Asalam-o-alaykum,” the Arabic expression meaning “peace be upon you” that Muslims greet each other with.  She was overjoyed to meet another Muslim! This women told me of her amazing story of how she found Islam and converted to this beautiful religion. I could see that she had a difficult life and I truly was happy that she had found inner peace. She took the shahadah not too long ago, and was brave enough to start wearing the hijab (headcovering) to work.

 One aspect of her story really troubled me. She told me of a dilemma she was facing; she converted to Islam but had no Muslim friends. This woman was so eager to learn more about Islam, and she had visited the mosque multiple times hoping to meet people that could help, but no one ever approached her or made her feel welcome. She felt neglected and uncomfortable. And it wasn’t just one mosque where she experienced this; she had visited multiple mosques hoping to find one where she felt like she belonged, but had no luck.

Dallas is a metro hub and has a HUGE Muslim community mashallah. You can literally find a Muslim at every corner. So what confused me was the fact that no one reached out to this woman. It is such a tragedy that she felt this way. Are we, as a Muslim community, not open enough to newcomers? This is an issue that pertains to Muslim communities everywhere.

As a community, I strongly believe that we Muslims need to be more welcoming to the “strangers” at our mosques. If a stranger is sitting in our midst at jummaa prayer, we are very likely to pay no attention to them. When a newcomer shows up, no one really wants to put in the effort to start a relationship from scratch. It is so easy to hang out with the family and friends we have already established relationships with and stay within our comfort zone. But we have to make an effort to reach out to the newcomers that come into our communities. I choose the term “newcomer” because it is very flexible and could mean a lot of things. A newcomer could be someone who has recently reverted to Islam. A newcomer could be a Muslim brother or sister that has moved from elsewhere. A newcomer at the mosque could be someone who comes from a Muslim background but does not practice the religion and has never really been to the masjid before. A newcomer could simply be someone that is not Muslim but is interested in learning about Islam!

So how can we go about fixing this problem? Start by reevaluating your own actions.  

 1)     If you see someone new at the masjid, start a conversation with them!

Honestly, a two minute conversation can make all the difference in making the other person feel welcome. Get out of your comfort zone and reach out to others. Be warm and genuine. A person will only return to the masjid if they feel welcome.  

See how easy it is to greet another?

 2)     Don’t expect anyone else to do the job of “welcoming the newcomer”. You do it, even if you don’t consider yourself a regular at the masjid or qualified enough. The mosque is a place of worship, a house of Allah, and it is our job to beautify it with actions that God loves. It is a shared responsibility for all of us. Did you know is our duty as Muslims to do dawah? Simply being nice to a stranger an the masjid IS a form of dawah. (On a side note, I want to point out that dawah is not only for non-Muslism, but also for our fellow Muslims!) Our Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) taught us to be gentle and kind in all matters; we should feel privileged and honored that God is giving us the opportunity to welcome others into the community.

So the next time you see someone new at the masjid, don’t ignore them. Greet them. Start up a conversation. And don’t forget to smile, it’s Sunnah:)