The Islamic calendar comprises of twelve months. Among these months the month of Ramadan is popular among the Muslim Ummah because of the fasting that takes place in this month. Then there is the month of Shawal when Eid-ul-Fitr takes place and then there is the month of Dhul-Hijja which is known for the observation of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha. Every Muslim is familiar with the popularity and the virtues of these months, however, there are other months as well that are special like these months. One of the special months of the Islamic lunar calendar is the month of Muharram. It is the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar and it has various hadiths and a verse of Quran associated with it that highlights its sacredness and holiness. Muharram is one of the months that has found its implicit mention in holy Quran as well. Pertaining to the sacred months, Allah the Almighty says in holy Quran: “The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year) – so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are sacred; that is the straight usage. So wrong not yourselves therein and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together. But know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves.” (9:36) There are narrations in hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that tell that out of the four sacred months mentioned in this ayah, one is Muharram. Thus, from ayah the sanctity and greatness of the month of Muharram cannot be denied or ignored.
The month of Muharram in addition ot being the first month of the Islamic calendar year is also a month that is sacred and the jewel in its crown of sacredness is the day of Ashoora on which if a muslim fasts it brings humungous benefits and blessings
Moreover, the other thing to notice in this ayah is the fact that Allah the Almighty clearly states that Muslims should not wrong themselves in these sacred months. It means that one should refrain from all sorts of evils possible as they punishment against them could increase substantially. The blessing of this month in the light of this ayah is the fact that if the month is sacred then the ordinary good deeds or the deeds recommended by AlmightyAllah are committed in this month, then there reward is also to be greater compared to doing those deeds in other months in normal days. Therefore, in no way should a muslim consider leaving a small good deed in this month, neither must he or she consider undertaking any minor sin as the rewards and punishments are probable to increase exponentially for the respective deeds. The month of Muharram in addition ot being the first month of the Islamic calendar year is also a month that is sacred and the jewel in its crown of sacredness is the day of Ashoora on which if a muslim fasts it brings humungous benefits and blessings
