Ashura: Why the Prophet ﷺ Fasted It, and the 9th Too

Contents

Ashura is the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic year. Most of us know it as “a day to fast”, but fewer of us know why the Prophet ﷺ fasted it, what the fast earns, or why the 9th is mentioned alongside it. Below are five authentic hadith on the day of Ashura from Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, with what each one teaches.

At a glance

Hadith: 5 (3 from Sahih al-Bukhari, 2 from Sahih Muslim)
Grade: All Sahih
Date: 10 Muharram, expected around 15 June 2027 (moon sighting decides)
Topic: Fasting the day of Ashura
Do today: Mark 9 and 10 Muharram in your calendar and plan to fast both

1. Why the Prophet ﷺ fasted Ashura

Ibn ʿAbbas (may Allah be pleased with him) describes what the Prophet ﷺ found when he arrived in Madinah.

قَدِمَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْمَدِينَةَ، فَرَأَى الْيَهُودَ تَصُومُ يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ، فَقَالَ مَا هَذَا. قَالُوا هَذَا يَوْمٌ صَالِحٌ، هَذَا يَوْمٌ نَجَّى اللَّهُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مِنْ عَدُوِّهِمْ، فَصَامَهُ مُوسَى. قَالَ فَأَنَا أَحَقُّ بِمُوسَى مِنْكُمْ. فَصَامَهُ وَأَمَرَ بِصِيَامِهِ

The Prophet ﷺ came to Medina and saw the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura. He asked them about that. They replied, “This is a good day, the day on which Allah rescued Bani Israel from their enemy. So, Moses fasted this day.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “We have more claim over Moses than you.” So, the Prophet fasted on that day and ordered (the Muslims) to fast (on that day).

Sahih al-Bukhari 2004 · Narrated by Ibn ʿAbbas · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com

So the day of Ashura is first of all a day of rescue: Allah saved Musa (peace be upon him) and the Children of Israel from Pharaoh. In another narration in Sahih Muslim, they add that Musa fasted it out of gratitude to Allah (Sahih Muslim 1130a). The Prophet ﷺ said we have more claim over Musa because Muslims believe in every prophet Allah sent, and follow the same message of tawhid.

Try this: when you fast Ashura, make it a fast of thanks. Remember one time Allah rescued you or opened a way out for you, and thank Him for it.

2. Ashura was fasted before Ramadan was prescribed

ʿAishah (may Allah be pleased with her) explains that the fast of Ashura is older than the fast of Ramadan.

كَانَ يَوْمُ عَاشُورَاءَ تَصُومُهُ قُرَيْشٌ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَصُومُهُ، فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ الْمَدِينَةَ صَامَهُ، وَأَمَرَ بِصِيَامِهِ، فَلَمَّا فُرِضَ رَمَضَانُ تَرَكَ يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ، فَمَنْ شَاءَ صَامَهُ، وَمَنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَهُ

Quraish used to fast on the day of ‘Ashura’ in the Pre-Islamic period, and Allah’s Messenger ﷺ too, used to fast on that day. When he came to Medina, he fasted on that day and ordered others to fast, too. Later when the fasting of the month of Ramadan was prescribed, he gave up fasting on the day of ‘Ashura’ and it became optional for one to fast on it or not.

Sahih al-Bukhari 2002 · Narrated by ʿAishah · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com

In the early Madinah years, Ashura was a fast the Prophet ﷺ ordered. He even sent a man to announce that whoever had already eaten that day should fast the rest of it (Sahih al-Bukhari 2007). Once Ramadan was made obligatory, Ashura became a choice: “whoever wished fasted it, and whoever wished left it.” The next hadith shows it stayed a fast he loved.

Try this: if you have never fasted Ashura, let this coming Muharram be the first time. It is a voluntary fast, so start small: one day, with a sincere intention.

3. The day he was keenest to fast

Ibn ʿAbbas (may Allah be pleased with him) watched the Prophet ﷺ closely, and he tells us which voluntary fast stood out.

مَا رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَتَحَرَّى صِيَامَ يَوْمٍ فَضَّلَهُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ، إِلاَّ هَذَا الْيَوْمَ يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ وَهَذَا الشَّهْرَ. يَعْنِي شَهْرَ رَمَضَانَ

I never saw the Prophet ﷺ seeking to fast on a day that he favored more than another except this day, the day of ‘Ashura’, and this month, meaning the month of Ramadan.

Sahih al-Bukhari 2006 · Narrated by Ibn ʿAbbas · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com

Ibn ʿAbbas puts the day of Ashura next to Ramadan itself. Among the days that were not obligatory, this was the one the Prophet ﷺ made a point of fasting.

Try this: set a reminder for the start of Muharram now, so Ashura does not slip past you while you are busy.

4. Fasting Ashura expiates the past year

Abu Qatadah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) reports a long hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ was asked about different fasts. This is the part about Ashura.

وَسُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ يَوْمِ عَاشُورَاءَ فَقَالَ يُكَفِّرُ السَّنَةَ الْمَاضِيَةَ

He was asked about fasting on the day of ‘Ashura (10th of Muharram), whereupon he said: “It expiates the sins of the preceding year.”

Sahih Muslim 1162b · Narrated by Abu Qatadah al-Ansari · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com

One day of fasting for the sins of a whole year is a great gift from Allah. The same hadith says the fast of the Day of Arafah expiates two years. Imam al-Nawawi explained that this expiation covers minor sins; major sins need their own repentance (quoted in IslamQA 21775).

Try this: on the day of Ashura, pair your fast with sincere tawbah. Name the sins you want Allah to wipe away, and ask Him for help to leave them.

5. Fasting the 9th with Ashura

Ibn ʿAbbas (may Allah be pleased with him) also reports what the Prophet ﷺ planned for the following year.

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَئِنْ بَقِيتُ إِلَى قَابِلٍ لأَصُومَنَّ التَّاسِعَ

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If I live till the next (year), I would definitely observe fast on the 9th.”

Sahih Muslim 1134b · Narrated by Ibn ʿAbbas · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com

In a fuller narration, the Companions told him that Jews and Christians held this day in high esteem; he replied that the next year they would fast the 9th, but he passed away before it came (Sahih Muslim 1134a). HadeethEnc explains that he resolved to fast the 9th along with the 10th to differ from the Jews, who fasted only the 10th, and that what he resolved to do counts as Sunnah even though he did not live to do it (HadeethEnc 6217).

Try this: plan two days, not one. Fast the 9th and the 10th of Muharram together.

Bringing it together: what Ashura is about

The rescue the Jews of Madinah remembered on this day is the one Allah describes in the Quran:

وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُمُ ٱلْبَحْرَ فَأَنجَيْنَـٰكُمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَآ ءَالَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ

And [recall] when We parted the sea for you and saved you and drowned the people of Pharaoh while you were looking on.

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:50 · Translation: Saheeh International, from Quran.com

Reflection: Put the five hadith side by side and Ashura becomes simple. It is a day of thanks for a rescue, kept by Musa and by the Prophet ﷺ, with one act attached to it in the authentic Sunnah: fasting. There are no special prayers, foods, or rituals in these hadith, and we do not need any. A day of fasting, a heart full of thanks, and the hope of a year wiped clean is already a lot to carry home.

Questions people ask

When is Ashura in 2027?

Ashura is 10 Muharram 1449. It is expected around 15 June 2027, with the 9th the day before, but the moon sighting decides the exact date. Our Islamic calendar lists the key dates of the year.

Can I fast the day of Ashura alone?

The Prophet ﷺ fasted the 10th on its own in the years he lived, and resolved to add the 9th. Many scholars say fasting Ashura alone is allowed, and adding a day is better (IslamQA 21776). For a ruling on your situation, ask a qualified local scholar.

Is the hadith “fast a day before it or a day after it” authentic?

It is in Musnad Ahmad 2154: “Fast the day of Ashura and differ from the Jews: fast a day before it or a day after it.” Graders differ: Shaykh Ahmad Shakir graded it Hasan, while the editors of the Musnad graded it Da’if (IslamQA 128423), so we do not use it as a main hadith. The authentic text on the 9th is Sahih Muslim 1134.

Are the hadith about spending on family, kohl or bathing on Ashura authentic?

No. “Whoever is generous to his family on Ashura, Allah will be generous to him all year” is graded Da’if (al-Albani), and al-Bayhaqi himself called it weak (Mishkat al-Masabih 1927). Reports about kohl, bathing, henna, special prayers, or lists of past events on Ashura were called fabricated by Ibn Taymiyyah (IslamQA 4033). The authentic Sunnah for Ashura is fasting.

Is Ashura about al-Husayn?

Al-Husayn ibn ʿAli (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet’s grandson, was killed at Karbala on the day of Ashura in 61 AH, and many Shia Muslims mark the day in his memory. The fast in the hadith above is older: the Prophet ﷺ fasted Ashura for the reasons these hadith give.

Key lessons

Ashura is the 10th of Muharram, the day Allah saved Musa (peace be upon him) from Pharaoh.
The Prophet ﷺ fasted it, ordered it, and was keenest on it after Ramadan.
Its fast expiates the sins of the past year, by the mercy of Allah.
He resolved to fast the 9th too, so fasting the 9th and 10th follows his intention.
Fasting is the only act for Ashura in the authentic hadith; the popular extras are weak or fabricated.

One small step for today: open your calendar, find 9 and 10 Muharram, and write “fast” on both. May Allah let us reach Ashura, accept our fast, and wipe away our sins of the year before it.

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