Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has prescribed twelve months in a year. The month of Muharram marks the beginning of a new Islamic year. It is one of the four months that Allah gives a higher sanctity. Whoever is mindful of Allah, he does not wrong himself in these months. He gives extra attention to these months.
So, we want to start this new year with a higher conscious of Allah, with a higher veneration of Allah, with extra good deeds for the sake of Allah.
As Muslims we should try at least to begin and end with a good note. Why? Because as humans we make mistakes but if we try to please Allah alone, and when we present our deeds to Allah, the start of it is good and the end of it is good, and we hope He will overlook everything in between because Allah is All Merciful.
Let's enter this new year in the best way, having good intentions and good attitude towards it. Try to fast this month, including the 10th Muharram (day of Ashura).
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam described this month as the month of Allah (shahrullah). There is no month after Ramadhan in which fasting is more virtuous than this month of Muharram. Allah says in a hadith qudsi, "Every single act of the children of Adam, it is for him except for fasting, because indeed it is for Me and I shall personally compensate it (or in another narration, "I shall be the compensation for it)."
Every single deed we do is ultimately for our own benefit but it is possible for people to do a good deed and allow their intentions to be corrupted. For example, you go to the masjid frequently and people will respect and praise you for that and this might corrupt your previous good intentions. But fasting is such a deed, especially optional fasting, if you do it, it is very difficult for people to know that you are doing it unless you disclose to them. It is therefore fasting is a special act, dedicated to Allah and hidden from the eyes of people, and Allah loves it because it embodies taqwa.
Taqwa is a way Allah gauges by which Allah sees our relationship with Him. Fasting is an act to build this relationship with Allah. The noblest among us is the one with the most taqwa. Allah says,
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَٰكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ ﴿١٣﴾
O mankind, indeed We have
created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that
you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of
Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and
Acquainted. (13) [Quran, Al Hujurat 49:13]
Fasting is a quality that we can increase our relationship with Allah. Therefore, when the month of Allah comes, we are asked to do this deed for Allah. So we can build this quality in the beginning of the year so that it will last with us for the rest of year.
All the things we are asked to do and encouraged to do by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and Allah set us up for our own success. We all want to be beloved by Allah. No one wants to be the enemy of Allah. This is the prescription from the beloved of Allah, teaching us how you become beloved to Allah.
May Allah give us the ability to act upon this, allow this month to be a means for us to draw closer to Allah and for us to walk closer to Him this year, step by step, until we are beloved to Him as He are beloved to us. Aameen.
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