Ashura fasting: 10 Muharram, the ninth day and its merit
Four accounts distinguishing the history of the fast, its merit and the days to prepare.
Ashura is the tenth of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Fasting that day is voluntary. The same questions return each year: why fast, should the preceding day also be prepared, and what does the stated expiation mean?
These four hadiths answer without reducing Ashura to a calendar entry. The account about Moses explains an exchange in Madinah; ‘Aishah’s account describes the changing status of the fast; the two Muslim reports distinguish the merit of the tenth from the intention to fast the ninth.
- 9The preceding day
Stated intention to fast the ninth in the following year.
- 10Ashura
Voluntary fasting; expiation for the past year is mentioned.
The Prophet ﷺ died before the following year: the stated intention must not be retold as a completed action.
Article contents
In Madinah: Moses and the Children of Israel
The context of the narration
Ibn ‘Abbas recounts that the Prophet ﷺ saw Jews fasting Ashura in Madinah. Asked why, they explained that Allah had saved the Children of Israel from their enemy and Moses had fasted that day. The Prophet then replied:“I have more claim to Moses than you.”
Read the Arabic text
فَأَنَا أَحَقُّ بِمُوسَى مِنْكُمْ
Understanding this hadith
The report ends by stating that the Prophet ﷺ fasted that day and instructed others to fast. It connects Ashura with Allah’s deliverance of Moses and his people.
This report does not say that the Prophet first discovered Ashura fasting in Madinah. ‘Aishah reports that he had already fasted it earlier, as the next section explains. Reading both accounts prevents confusing a conversation about the day’s meaning with the beginning of his practice.
After Ramadan became obligatory, Ashura remained optional
The context of the narration
‘Aishah reports that Quraysh fasted Ashura before Islam and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ also fasted it. In Madinah he continued and instructed others to fast. Ramadan was then prescribed. The report ends by explaining the choice that followed:“Whoever wished fasted it, and whoever wished left it.”
Read the Arabic text
فَمَنْ شَاءَ صَامَهُ، وَمَنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَهُ
Understanding this hadith
Ashura fasting therefore does not have the same status as Ramadan fasting. The recommendation and merit described in other hadiths remain, but this day should not be presented as an annual obligation equivalent to Ramadan.
This distinction also shapes how we speak to relatives. Offering to prepare the pre-dawn meal together may help; blaming someone for neglecting an obligation that is not obligatory misrepresents the text. Days of obligatory fasting still owed are not automatically replaced by a voluntary programme.
Also read: organising fasting while respecting family rights.
The stated merit: expiation for the past year
The context of the narration
Abu Qatadah reports that the Prophet ﷺ was asked about fasting Arafah and then Ashura. We quote only his answer concerning Ashura.“It expiates the past year.”
Read the Arabic text
يُكَفِّرُ السَّنَةَ الْمَاضِيَةَ
Understanding this hadith
The wording concerns the past year. The answer about Arafah mentions both the past and coming year. These two fasting occasions are described differently; a poster or shared message should preserve that distinction.
Hoping for forgiveness calls for sincerity. Fasting is not permission to repeat wrongdoing and does not remove the need to repair harm to others. The hadith gives a reason to hope and fast; it does not authorise certifying that a particular person’s responsibilities have all been erased.
Also read: fasting Arafah for non-pilgrims.
Why associate the ninth day with the tenth?
The context of the narration
Ibn ‘Abbas reports that the companions told the Prophet ﷺ that Ashura was a day honoured by Jews and Christians. Having fasted Ashura and instructed others to fast, he stated his intention for the next year:“When next year comes, if Allah wills, we will fast the ninth day.”
Read the Arabic text
فَإِذَا كَانَ الْعَامُ الْمُقْبِلُ - إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - صُمْنَا الْيَوْمَ التَّاسِعَ
Understanding this hadith
Ibn ‘Abbas adds that the Prophet ﷺ died before the following year. This must therefore be described as a stated intention, not as an account of him actually fasting the ninth the next year.
The tenth of Muharram is Ashura; the ninth is the day before it. Planning both takes account of Ashura fasting and the intention reported here. This hadith does not mention an eleventh day; it should not be inserted into this quotation as though it were part of its wording.
Check when Muharram begins before putting these two days in your civil calendar. A date in a post from a previous year will not necessarily match this year’s date.
In practice
- You are preparing the datesIdentify 9 and 10 Muharram in the calendar followed locally.Read the text about the ninth
- You are explaining Ashura to childrenExplain the deliverance mentioned in the account without inventing scenes.Reread the Madinah account
- You are inviting a relative to fastExplain its merit while preserving its voluntary status.Understand the choice given
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari · 2004In Madinah: Moses and the Children of Israel
- Sahih al-Bukhari · 2002After Ramadan became obligatory, Ashura remained optional
- Sahih Muslim · 1162bThe stated merit: expiation for the past year
- Sahih Muslim · 1134aWhy associate the ninth day with the tenth?