Prayer Times“Muharram” means “the sacred one.” This month was described by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as “the month of Allah.” (Muslim, Siyam, 202-203 [1163]) This designation points to the virtue of the month of Muharram and the abundance of its divine grace and blessings.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said in a hadith: “The best fast after Ramadan is the fast in Allah’s month of Muharram. And the best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer.” (Muslim, Siyam, 202-203 [1163])
The tenth day of Muharram is the day of Ashura. According to some scholars, fasting on this day is considered Sunnah. (Serahsî, al-Mabsut, 3/92) The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) fasted on the day of Ashura and recommended it to the Muslims. (Bukhari, Sawm, 69 [2004]) When the Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived in Medina, he saw that the Jews were fasting on the day of Ashura and asked, “Why are you fasting on this day?” They replied, “This is a good day. On this day Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy, and Moses fasted on this day (in gratitude).” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “I am closer to Moses than you.” He then fasted on that day and recommended the Muslims to do so as well. (Bukhari, Sawm, 69 [2004]; Muslim, Siyam, 127-128 [1130]) There are also other hadiths in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged fasting on this day. In one hadith, he said, “I hope that fasting on the day of Ashura will atone for the sins of the previous year.” (Muslim, Siyam, 196-197 [1162])
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also stated that, to differ from the Jews, he intended to fast on the ninth day of Muharram as well the following year (Muslim, Siyam, 133-134 [1134]); this indicates that it is preferable to fast on the ninth and tenth, or the tenth and eleventh days of Muharram. (see Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-Musnad, 1/241 [2154])
It should also be noted that after fasting in Ramadan was made obligatory, the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that those who wished could fast on Ashura and those who did not wish could leave it. (Bukhari, Sawm, 69 [2001]; Muslim, Siyam, 113-126 [1125-1129])
Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu
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