The Islamic Calendar and the Virtue of Muḥarram

This note was given in response to an audience question about the 10th of Muḥarram at the end of the lecture. It is a Fiqh and Islamic history note, not strictly part of the Meccan Seerah narrative.

Shahrullāh al-Muḥarram:

The Prophet (SAW) called Muḥarram "Shahrullāhi al-Muḥarram (شَهْرُ اللهِ الْمُحَرَّم), the month of Allāh." It is the only month in the Islamic year that has been specifically ascribed to Allāh. The Prophet (SAW) said fasting in Muḥarram is the best voluntary fast after Ramaḍān. ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها) said she never saw the Prophet fast as frequently in any month other than Ramaḍān as he did in Muḥarram.

The virtue of the 10th (ʿĀshūrāʾ):

Fasting on the 10th of Muḥarram (ʿĀshūrāʾ) expiates the minor sins of the year before. The basis: on this day, Mūsā (Moses, عليه السلام) was saved from Firʿawn (Pharaoh) when Allāh parted the sea. Another narration adds that Nūḥ's (Noah's, عليه السلام) ark came to rest on Mount Jūdī on this day. The Prophet (SAW), upon arriving in Medina and finding the Jews fasting on this day, asked why. They said it commemorated Mūsā's salvation. He said: "We are more entitled to Mūsā than you," and fasted on that day and commanded the Muslims to do so. He also intended to fast on the 9th as well to distinguish from Jewish practice.

The Karbala connection:

The tragic events of Karbala (the killing of Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī and his family in 61 AH) occurred on the 10th of Muḥarram. The speaker states: "It is a time of sadness and our heart bleeds for the evil that happened. But it has nothing to do with the sacredness of the 10th of Muḥarram. The sanctity was established before Karbala. Karbala happened to coincide with it."

Establishment of the Hijrī calendar:

The Islamic calendar was established in Year 16 AH by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه). The occasion: Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī (رضي الله عنه) wrote to ʿUmar saying: "Your letters reach us but have no dates. We do not know when you sent them or when deadlines fall." ʿUmar called a gathering of companions to decide on a calendar.

Question 1, Which year begins?

Opinions included: the birth of the Prophet (SAW), the death of the Prophet (SAW), or the Hijrah. ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (رضي الله عنه) suggested the Hijrah, because it marked the transformation of Islām from persecution to protection, from humiliation to ʿizzah. This opinion prevailed.

Question 2, Which month is the first?

Various opinions:

- Ramaḍān, the holiest month

- Rajab, the only one of the four sacred months that stands alone

- Dhu al-Qaʿdah, the first of the three consecutive sacred months (Dhu al-Qaʿdah, Dhu al-Ḥijjah, Muḥarram)

- Dhu al-Ḥijjah, when Ḥajj takes place

- Muḥarram

ʿUmar chose Muḥarram. His stated reason: the pilgrims (ḥujjāj) return home in Muḥarram. After completing Ḥajj, the greatest act of worship, a complete spiritual renewal, they come back to begin a new life. Muḥarram is therefore the month of new beginnings. In those days, most companions would perform Ḥajj every year, so this was personally meaningful to them. (Later scholars also cited the saving of Nūḥ and Mūsā on the 10th of Muḥarram as reasons, though ʿUmar's own stated reason was the return of the pilgrims.)

Connection to this session's Seerah content: The Hijra as the calendar's epoch zero (Year 1, Month 1) shows how deeply the emigration, both to Abyssinia and eventually to Medina, shaped Islamic civilization. The Hijra was not just a physical journey; it became the anchor point of Muslim time itself.