There are certain days in the year which are more virtuous than others. One such day is the 10th of Muharram which is known as the day of ‘Ashura. Following are 10 virtues of this day found in the Qur’an and Sunnah:
Donation on Ashura
1. It is in a sacred month
Allah mentions in the Qur’an that there are 4 sacred months:
“Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred.” (Surah At-Tawbah, Verse 36)
And in a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “The year is twelve months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumadah and Sha’ban.” (Sahih Al Bukhari)
The 4 sacred months are: Dhul Qa’dah, Dhul Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab.
2. Prophet Musa and his people were saved on this day
On this day, Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) and the Children of Israeel were saved from Pharoah and his pursuing army.
“Then We inspired to Moses, “Strike with your staff the sea,” and it parted, and each portion was like a great towering mountain. And We advanced thereto the pursuers. And We saved Moses and those with him, all together. Then We drowned the others. Indeed, in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers. And indeed, your Lord – He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.” (Surah Ash Shu’arah, Verses 63-68)
3. Fasting on this day used to be obligatory
The significance of the 10th of Muharram was such, that it was obligatory to fast on this day. The prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the companions would fast on this day before the obligation was abrogated by the fasts of Ramadan.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates in a hadith: “Allah’s messenger ordered (the Muslims) to fast on the day of ‘Ashura, and when fasting in the month of Ramadan was prescribed, it became optional for one to fast on that day (Ashura) or not. (Sahih Al Bukhari)
4. The Prophet recommended the believers to fast on this day
Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said, “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to Madinah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Ashura’. He said, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is a righteous day, it is the day when Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemies, so Musa fasted on this day.’ He said, ‘We have more right to Musa than you,’ so he fasted on that day and commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that day.” Sahih Al Bukhari
5. Spending on one’s family on this day brings blessings
It has been reported from the Companion Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “Whoever fasts on the 10th of Muharram (Ashura), it is as though he has fasted the entire year. And whoever gives charity on this day, it is like the charity of an entire year.” (Recorded by Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali in his Lata’if al-Ma’arif from Abu Musa al-Madini)
Courtesy of Ilmfeed https://ilmfeed.com/10-virtues-of-the-10th-of-muharram-day-of-ashura/
https://daruliftaa.com/miscellaneous/charity-and-spending-on-ones-family-on-ashura/