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Bismillah: In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful
This Monday, Muslims will observe the fast of
Ashura. A day of abstention from all food, drink and marital relations from sunrise until sunset, it is observed as
an expression of gratitude for the deliverance of the Children of Israel and Prophet Musa (Moses) – peace be upon him
- from the tyranny of the Pharoah.
According to the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), when
the Muslims migrated from persecution by the Quraish in Makkah to seek sanctuary in Madinah, they found the Jewish community
there fasting on the tenth of the lunar month Muharram. The Jews related that it was on that day which Mūsa (peace be
upon him) and his followers crossed the miraculously parted Red Sea and Pharoah was drowned in pursuit. Upon hearing
this, Muhammad (peace be upon him) directed his followers also to fast.
The life of Mūsa (peace be upon him)
holds innumerable lessons for all of us. The Children of Israel were subjugated by Pharoah and the Egyptians and lived in
bondage, in fear of their lives and faith. Moses and his brother Harun (Aaron) – peace be upon them - were sent
with the dual purpose to invite Pharoah to the worship of Allah or God, and to liberate their people from slavery. “So
go to him and say: “We are Messengers sent by your Lord, so let the Children of Israel go with us and punish them not...”
(Qur’aan 20:47)
Pharoah refused to set free the Israelites until a series of divine punishments left him
with no other choice. Moses (peace be upon him) then led them across the Sinai and headed for the Red Sea. However Pharoah,
like all tyrants, soon recanted and led his army in hot pursuit. As the Israelites saw their enemy advancing from behind
and the sea in front of them preventing any escape, they cried out in despair: ‘We are sure to be overtaken.’
Moses’s faith and steadfast hope in the help of God is an example for us all. He (Mūsa) said: ‘Never! My
Lord is with me! He will guide me...’”
Then followed the command “Strike the sea with your
staff.” Miraculously, the sea divided, leaving a dry path in the middle for the Children of Israel to escape. Pharoah
and his horde followed, but the huge mass of water engulfed them and they were drowned.
As far as Muslim religious
days are concerned, Ashura is unique. Despite the persecution that Muslims have suffered at various times of our history,
Muslims have no museum to commemorate those that suffered, no day of remembrance dedicated to those who were persecuted for
their faith. We have no day to commemorate even the conquest of Makkah, when the Muslims were finally saved from the persecution
of the Quraish. That Ashura would be held as a sacred day is a tribute to the shared history of prophethood that weaves through
the fabric of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
In Modern times, Ashura is a reminder that even when
a nation is oppressed, caught between their proverbial Pharoah and “sea of helplessness”, it can prevail with
firm conviction that God, who is Just, will in the end, rescue His servants from oppression. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) warned “Beware of the prayers of the oppressed, for there is no veil between it and God.” The oppression
of tyrants like Pharoah continues today every time one nation seeks dominance over another under whatever banner (such as
Apartheid in recent times) by transgressing the right we all have to dignity, freedom and conscience. Yet, as Allah came to
the rescue of the Children of Israel, He has promised that no such tyranny will last forever and in that, there is hope.
Umm Zakariya Gardee
(Courtesy
of the Standard-Freeholder, January 27, 2007)
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