Muharram begins the Hijri year and is one of Islam’s four sacred months. The Hijri calendar takes the Prophet’s migration as its epoch, although the migration itself did not occur on 1 Muharram. The date is not established as a religious festival.
Recommended actions
- Study the lessons of the Hijrah and renew beneficial intentions.
- Make tawbah and review personal religious commitments.
- Increase voluntary fasting during Muharram.
- Avoid presenting New Year rituals or celebrations as an established Sunnah.
References
Qur’an 9:36 and Sahih Muslim 1163. The Hijri dating system was formally adopted during the caliphate of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, Allah be pleased with him.