Muharram, the sacred first month in the Islamic calendar, holds great significance to Muslims. It is in this month that the Day of Ashura falls in, and many special events have occurred on this day in the past, including the miracle of Allah splitting the Red Sea to save Prophet Musa and his followers, Prophet Yunus escaping the belly of the whale, Prophet Yusuf getting out of the well he was thrown into, and the birth of Prophet Isa.
‘Muharram’ derives from the Arabic root word ‘haram’, meaning forbidden. This reinforces that as Muslims, we should strive to avoid sinning in this month, and stay away from forbidden things, and instead, increase our good deeds. This year, Muharram will begin in the evening of Friday 29th of July 2022, and end on Sunday 28th August 2022.
The 10th day of Muharram is especially important, known as the Day of Ashura, which translates to ‘the tenth’. This day will fall on August 7th or 8th 2022, depending on the sighting of the moon. It is recommended to fast on the Day of Ashura, but it is not obligatory to do so. If fasting on this day, it is best to fast the day before it or the day after it too, to differentiate from the traditional Jewish practice of fasting on the 10th alone. However, it is also acceptable to fast just on the 10th.
The reward for fasting on this day is evident in the hadith, “On the authority of Abu Qatadah (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (SAW), was asked about fasting on the day of ‘Ashura’, and he said, it expiates [wipes out the minor sins of] the past year” (Muslim).
Sunni Muslims observe the Day of Ashura by reflecting on the miracles that occurred in the month, while Shia Muslims mourn the martyrdom of Hussain (RA) and some re-enact his death, which was caused by Yazid.
Giving charity and helping others in this month holds a lot of reward, and here at ILM, we support the communities we work with to ensure their voices are amplified.
Our H20ath water appeal campaign aims to provide clean drinking water to those who need it, including orphaned children, who are among the most vulnerable groups that need our support. Over 650 million people across the world do not have access to safe drinking water, and this has led to up to 443 million school days being lost every year due to illnesses and deaths caused by lack of water, or from the intake of dirty, contaminated water.
This appeal works to support communities in Asia and Africa, by providing clean water in the form of hand pumps, wells and solar pumps, all of which have great impacts on the communities we work with. We want to actively support the development of countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Malawi, as well as other countries, and this is why we work closely with the communities in them.
So far, through the installation of our water wells, we have provided 38,000 people with clean drinking water, and we aim to support many more people in this way.
You can support us and reap the rewards yourself during Muharram by donating to our H20ath Water Appeal today.
Give the gift of water and save a life today.
