The Middle Path Regarding The Day of Aashooraa – [Neither The Bidah of The Raafidah Nor The Deeds Innovated By Other People of Bidah] [PDF]
In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy
Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [rahimahullaah] was asked about what some people do on the day of Aashooraa, such as:
Applying kohl and Hena, shaking hands, taking a bath, preparing food such barley and other grains, and manifesting happiness; are there any authentic hadeeth from the Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam] regarding this or not? If there are none, then would this be considered bidah or not? As for what is done by the other group, such as mourning, manifesting grief, deliberately making oneself thirsty and scarring oneself, wailing, reciting [poems] and fainting as a result of that and slapping the cheeks, do these actions have a basis in the religion or not?
Answer: All the praises and thanks be to Allaah, Lord of the Aalameen. No authentic hadeeth from the Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi sallam] has been reported in this regard nor from his companions; neither any of the Imaams of [ahlus sunnah] have declared this to be recommended nor the four Imaams [Abu Haneefah, Maalik, Ahmad and Shaafi’ee]; neither have the scholars- those who authored and compiled the books that are relied upon due to their authenticity- reported anything authentic or weak regarding this from the Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam], nor from the Sahaabah and the Taabi’een; neither in the authentic books of hadeeth nor in the Sunan, nor in the [compilations such as Musnad Ahmad and other compilations similar to it]. The virtuous first three generations of Islaam knew nothing about these narrations.
However, some of those who came after the first three virtuous generations of Islaam have narrated reports related to this, such as: ‘’Whoever applies kohl on the day of Aashooraa, he will not be sore-eyed in that year’’; ‘’Whoever bathes on the day of Aashooraa, he will not become sick in that year.’’ They also transmitted reports regarding the virtue of prayer on the day of Aashooraa; and that Aadam’s [alayhis salaam] repentance [i.e. after eating from the tree he was forbidden] took place on the day of Aashooraa; and that it was the day Nuh’s [alayhis salaam] ark settled on mount Judi; and that it was the day Ya’qoob [alayhis salaam] reunited with Yoosuf [alayhis salaam]; and that it was the day Ibraaheem [alayhis salaam] was saved from the fire etc They also narrated fabricated reports and lies attributed to the Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam] that he said, “Whoever gives [generously] to his family on the day of Aashooraa, Allaah will give him [generously] throughout the year.” All these reports are lies attributed to Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam]. [1]
There emerged an ignorant and transgressing group [i.e. the Shia Rawaafid]-they are either disbelieving hypocrites or misguided straying ones. They manifested a (so called) allegiance to the Prophet’s household and took Ashoorah as a day of mourning, sadness and wailing (i.e. due to the murder of Husayn-radiyallaahu-anahu). They manifest the acts of the days of pre-Islamic ignorance (on this day of Ashoorah) by slapping the cheeks, tearing their clothes and calling to the slogans of the pre-Islamic period of ignorance and disbelief. However, that which Allaah and His Messenger commanded when new calamities occur is that (one) exercises patience, hoping for the reward of Allaah, recalling one’s faults and repenting, as Allaah (The Most High) said:
وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ
But give glad tidings to As-Saabireen (the patient ones, etc.). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” They are those on whom are the Salaam (i.e. blessings, etc.) (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones. [Soori Al-Baqarah: Ayaan: 55-57]
And it has been reported in the Saheehayn (Bukhaari and Muslim) from the Prophet (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) that he said: ‘’He is not from us, he who slaps his cheeks, tears his cloths and calls to the slogans of the pre-Islamic period of ignorance.’’ [2]
They also recite poems that convey sadness and narrate reports that contain a lot of lies. As for the truth in them, it only renews their [exaggerated and misguided manner of grieving], bigoted allegience, incitement to hatred and war, initiating trials between the people of Islaam by way of that and as a means of reviling those who were foremost to enter into the fold of Islaam [i.e. the Sahaabah of Badr]. The evil of these people [i.e. the raafidah] and their harm on the people of Islaam cannot even be expressed by an eloquent man.
However, they [i.e. Raafidah] are opposed by another people – a people who are either Nawaasib [i.e. those who hate the family of the Prophet] or ignoramuses; so, they oppose the corruption of the [Shia Raafidah] with another type of corruption, lies with other lies, evil with another type of evil, and bidah with another type of bidah. They fabricate poems that convey rejoice and happiness on the day of Aashooraa, apply kohl, dye their clothes with a different colour, spend more on their families and cook food they do not normally cook. So, these people take the day of Aashooraa as an occasion similar to the occasions of celebrations and happiness [i.e. such as the two eeds]. On the other hand, the Raafidah take it as a day of mourning, grief and pain [i.e. inflicting injuries on themselves]. Both groups are mistaken and have exited the authentic sunnah in this affair.
As for all the other deeds [i.e. the deeds innovated and specified on the day of Aashoraa], such as making food that is not normally made based on the customs of the people – be it grains or other than them, renewing one’s clothing, spending more on [families etc], performing a specific act of worship, such a prayer specified on the day of [Aashooraa], making an intention to offer a sacrifice, preserving the meat of the slaughtered animals to cook it with grains, applying kohl, dying one’s clothing, taking a bath, shaking hands, visiting one another, visiting mosques, [so called] sacred places and other than that, all these deeds are evil and innovations in the religion. Allaah’s Messenger [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam] never legislated these deeds [on the day of Aashooraa] nor the rightly guided Khulafaa, nor did any of the Imaams of the Muslims, such as Maalik, Ath-Thawree, Al-Layth Bin Sa’d, Abu Haneefah, Al-Awzaa’ee, Ash-Shaafi’ee, Ahmad Bin Hanbal, Ishaaq Bin Raahawayh. [3]
[1] Majmoo al-Fataawaa 25/299-312]. Slightly paraphrased
[2] Al-Fataawaa Al-Kubraa page Vol:1 page: 200]. Slightly paraphrased
[3] Majmoo al-Fataawaa 25/299-312]. Slightly paraphrased
