Friday Talks
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Moses and the 10th of Muharram - Ashouraa
Written in Arabic by: Sk. Younis Ali.
Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa.
In the name of Allah most Gracious most Merciful.
All thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Peace and prayers be upon the most honorable of all messengers, Muhammad, upon all his family, folks and companions.
Dear Muslims,
Allah says: {There was a lesson In their stories for those with reason and intellect. It was not a tale that was fabricated, but believing into what is between his hands.}
Allah also says: {and broke the edge of those who transgressed, and thanks be to Allah the God of the worlds}.
Indeed, destruction of transgressors is one of Allah’s mercies, (May HE be exulted). His Believing slaves ought to be thankful for this mercy. We are in one of the days of a sanctified or Haram months. This month is in which Allah did save a group of believers from a group of transgressors. Believers started giving thanks to Allah from that time onward because of that mercy. That is because when Faro who committed tyranny and wrong, and oppressed the children of Israel; Who are the descendants of Jacob son of Isaac, son of Abraham may peace be upon him. Faro made those people into factions and oppressed them. And one day he had a dream or a vision. He dreamt that someone from the children of Israel will inherit his position and land. He started killing all their male babies and took advantage of their women; for he was an oppressor and a transgressor.
Allah sent Moses. As a baby; his mother feared for his life being a baby boy born into the children of Israel. She was inspired by Allah to have him placed into a box and have him thrown into the sea. The sea carried the box with the baby to Faro’s palace. Allah dropped the love of this baby into the heart of Faro’s wife. She loved the baby madly. She said: {may he be contentment to our eyes, and may he be of some use for us, or may we adopt him as a son}.
Allah has exploited the transgressor to take care of him in his own home. Wearing the best and riding the best. When Moses matured Allah came to him. While he was on a trip from Midian (ãÏíä) to Egypt, and bestowed him with the prophecy, and gave him the message, and ordered him to go to Faro in order to remind him so he may remember or fear, and so he may avoid the punishment of Allah.
Moses and his brother Aaron (åÇÑæä) came to Faro, and talked gently to him. He refused and he was taken by vainglory; and he accused Moses of being a magician. He ordered all magicians in the country to be assembled and to challenge Mosas on the festival day. Allah made Moses victorious, and all the magicians that came to challenge him went on to their knees for the God of Mosa and Aaron. Allah sent his miracles down through Mosa. Faro and his people were warned of their wrong doings. Allah sent on to them the flood, the grasshopper insects, the head lice, the frog, the blood but still they were taken be vanity and pride and they were criminals.
Allah commanded Mosa to take the children of Israel out of Egypt and start their exodus at night time, telling him they will be followed. Allah says: {We Inspired Mosa to take my slaves by night and We told him they will be followed}. Mosa found out about the secret migration of the Jews. He announced to assemble an army of as many men as possible to chase and track down the Jews. And headed off at dawn. Mosa reached the sea and he was able to see the sea in front of him and able to see Faro on the distance following them. Mosa’s people said “We are going to be caught”. Mosa said with confidence: “No we are not caught, My God is with me and HE will guide me”. Allah says: {We inspired Mosa to hit the sea with his stick, and the sea ripped or cracked into two parts like two great mountains}. Where there was sea water, now there is dry land to walk upon. Faro and his soldiers followed Mosa and his people through that dry land passage between the two great mountains of water. When Mosa cleared the passage and Faro was right in the middle of it Allah clamped down the sea back on to them and drowned them all and saved Moses and his people.
Mosa’s response to this mercy and this miracle was that he fasted on that day to show his thanks and gratitude to Allah. It was the tenth day of the month of Al-Moharrum. And when our messenger Muhammad (PPBU) migrated to Al-Madina; he found the Jews fast the day of Ashouraa. When he asked them for the reason, they said: “this is the day that God saved their prophet Mosa and the children of Israel and drowned Faro and his people”. The Messenger (PPBU) said: “We are more deserving; or we are more entitled to Mosas than they are”. He fasted that day and ordered Muslims to fast it too. That was before Ramadan became compulsory. When fasting Ramadan was commanded; he said about fasting the day of Ashouraa: “whoever wishes to fast it let them do, and whoever wishes to leave all alone let them do so”.
Mosa has another virtue for Muslims. On the night journey to the heavens or the night of Israa and Miraj, the messenger (PPBU) said: {Allah commanded upon my nation to do fifty prayers a day. On the way back I stopped at Mosa who said to me: Go back to your God and ask him to lighten off the burden, for your people will never tolerate or endure this. The messenger (PPBU) said: I went back to my God and asked HIM. HE took half of it off. When I went back to Mosa and told him. Mosa said: Go back to your God and ask him to lighten off the burden, for your people will never put up with this. This is because he cared for the people of Muhammad and he had the experience of the people of Israel who did not tolerate and did not keep up what Allah commanded them. He said: go back. This was repeated a few times. At the last time Allah said: Five and it is the same as fifty. Meaning, five prayers carrying the same reward of fifty prayers. Mosa said go back again and ask to reduce the load. The messenger (PPBU) said: I was embarrassed to go back and ask for more cuts.} Allah lightened the number of prayers for the followers of Muhammad and made it happen through Musa.
Fasting this day is a way of thanking Allah and showing our gratitude and fidelity to Mosa may peace be upon him. And we share with him the happiness the day he was happy when he was saved.
All thanks be to Allah.
Notes:
- The inhabitants of the city of Almadina that received and supported the messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of Islam.
Ansar (or Al-Ansar):
- is a verse of the Koran.
Aya (or Ayah):
- is a mountain that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing Hajj must stay at this location on the same day.
Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat):
- talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.
Duaa: a prayer in the form of
Ferdose: is the highest level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.
Hadeeth: is something reported that the messenger said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave. It is usually narrated or told by one of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are reported and checked to be genuine. No more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.
Hajj: is the worship of pilgrimage.
Hijra: the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12 months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a name for the Islamic dating system.
Iman: belief or faith
Jihad: is striving in the line of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection of Allah's word.
Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".
Madinah: A city in the Arabian peninsula (in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to.
Mekka: is the holiest city or Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous black cubical shape. Some say it was first built by Adam, and some say by Abraham. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers.
- Nafilah: a voluntary prayer other than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.
Ommah: is the Arabic word for a nation. It usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.
- PPBU: Peace and Prayers Be Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the messenger or make a reference to him.
- Qadr (night of Qadr): The night when the first revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan.
Sunni: is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.
Sunna (Sunnah): Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought. Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered an important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes. It is also a title used to call the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all Muslims.
Tawaf: part of the pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual. It involves walking round the Kaaba Mosque in anti-clock wise direction a number of seven circles.
Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.
Faheem Bukhatwa, my email address is :
faheemfb@gmail.com