In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving
All praise is due to Allah, peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad.
Allah, most High, said in the Quran “Thus whatever the Messenger brings you, then you shall take it. And whatever he has forbidden you, you shall desist from it” [59:7]. This means that we, Muslims, have to follow the guidance and teachings of the prophet just as we follow the teachings of the Quran. Both the Quran and the prophetic traditions constitute the religion and the shari`ah. So, if there is a prophetic injunction concerning a matter and we cannot find it in the Quran, we still have to follow and abide by it.
There is actually an indication in the Quran concerning the virtue of Muharram being one of the sacred month mentioned in the Quranic verse that reads, “Indeed, the [ordained] number of the months with God is twelve [lunar] months, [as was decreed] in the [Preserved Heavenly] Book of God on the day He created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred- [and] that is the upright religion. ” [9:36] Muharram is one of these four months. There are also a number prophetic narrations that tell of the virtue of such a month. In authentic narrations the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called it the Month of Allah and told us that the best month to fast in after Ramadan is the month of Muharram. This month also contains a blessed day that is highly recommended to fast on (you can see the above fatwa about fasting in Muharram).
So, the best way to celebrate this month is to follow the Quranic and prophetic guidance in this regard by considering it a sacred month in which one has to refrain from doing wrong and injustice and by observing fasting as much of it one can; partculalry the 10th of it, known as Ashourah.
The shi`ah way of celebrating the day of Ashourah through sorrow, chest beating, injuring oneself to share the grief, etc., is not Islamic and has no foundation in authentic narrations. It is an innovation they fabricated to emotionally blackmail their followers through commemorating the martyrdom of al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him).
Allah Almighty knows best.
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