Q206 :What is the significance of fasting on the 9th
and 10th of Muharram
A206 : When the Prophet settled in Madinah, there
was a large Jewish netmunity there. He noticed that the Jews fasted on
the 10th of Muharram. He asked them the purpose of their fasting. They
said that that was the date when Allah saved the Prophet Moses from a
great danger. The Prophet said that he (and the Muslims) were closer to
Moses than the Jews. He fasted that day. He continued to fast on the
10th of Muharram as a voluntary worship until the year when he passed
away. That year he said : “If I live till next year, I will fast on the
9th of Muharram”. This meant that he would be fasting on the 9th and
10th of that month. Most probably the reason for this was that he
wanted to distinguish his fasting in Muharram from that of the Jews,
although the reason for fasting is the same. Perhaps I should add that
fasting in Muharram has nothing to do with the events that led to the
martyrdom of Al-Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet. That was an event
that took place at a time when nothing could be added to our religion
or our practices.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )