Friday Sermon: Muharram as the Islamic New Year and a Month for Self-Reflection
All praise is due to Allah, the Knower of what has been and what will be, who has favoured certain days over others and made Muharram a glorified and blessed month. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, sent as a mercy to the worlds. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad, his family, his companions, and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement.
O servants of Allah, I enjoin you and myself to have taqwa of Allah, for the successful are indeed the pious. Allah the Almighty says in His Noble Book: ‘O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.’ (Ali ’Imran: 102)
Dear Friday congregation, may Allah have mercy upon you, let us on this noble occasion renew and enhance the quality of our taqwa towards Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. True taqwa means carrying out all His commands and avoiding all His prohibitions, whether in public or in private, in times of joy or sorrow.
In this Friday sermon, the khatib will deliver a theme that is highly relevant to the moment we are currently experiencing, namely the special status and virtues of the month of Muharram, particularly the 1st of Muharram, which marks the beginning of the year in the Hijri calendar.
O congregation of Muslims, may Allah have mercy upon you, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala has favoured certain times over others. Among the months honoured by Allah are the four sacred months (al-asyhur al-hurum), as stated in His decree in Surah At-Taubah, verse 36: ‘Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve months in the register of Allah from the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the upright religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them.’
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, explained these four months in a hadith narrated by Imam al-Bukhari from Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him: ‘The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three are consecutive — Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, and Muharram — and Rajab of Mudhar…’ (Narrated by al-Bukhari no. 3197 and Muslim no. 1679).
Thus, Muharram is one of the months honoured by Allah, in which the reward for good deeds is multiplied, and the weight of sins committed is greater than in other months.