Muharrem

The following is the text of Sherif Baba's comments about the holy month of Muharrem that appeared in the April 1998 edition of The Flashlight (Vol. 1. No. 3).
___________________________________________________________________________________

In the world of Islam, Muharrem is the month that begins the new year. As this month has many peculiarities, it has great value as a time of the start of transitions. It is for this reason that this month was chosen as the first month. Here I am going to tell you briefly some of its peculiarities. This knowledge has been given by Hazreti Muhammad through the Hadisi Sherif, teaching which open up verses of the Qur'an. 

According to chronological order, in this month Hz Adem (Adam) announced for the first time that he is the halife, representative, and prophet. Hazreti Nuh (Noah) was saved from the flood; he and his people disembarked from the boat onto land and made the sweet soup called ashure, said prayers and began a new life. Third, the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was saved from Nimrud's fire. Fourth, the prophet Ismail (Ishmael) received the ram sent by Allah to be sacrificed in his stead. Fifth, the Prophet Eyyub (Job) found healing after his period of illness. Sixth, the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) was taken out of the dungeons and made ruler of Egypt. Seventh, the Prophet Yunus (Jonah) was taken out of the stomach of the fish. Eighth, the Prophet Musa, Moses, achieved freedom from the Pharoah's oppression.  Ninth, the Prophet Isa (Jesus) stepped on the sirra kadem, the living and eternal endless state, and retired to the fourth level of the heavens. 

In the world of Islam, Hz. Muhammad's hijret, migration, from Mecca to Medina was also in this month.  The coming together of so many holy events caused Resulu Ekrem, the Prophet of Perfection, because of the value that he gave it, to count this month as the beginning of the new year. For this reason, Hz. Muhammad fasted in the month of Muharrem and did not shave or cut his hair. 

Also in the month of Muharrem, Jenabi Resulu Ekrem's grandson Hz. Imam Huseyin, at the place called Kerbela, from the first of Muharrem through the tenth, was under siege by the armies of the damned Yezid who did not even allow them water. On the tenth of Muharrem, after Imam Huseyin and his family and friends who were with him were tortured, they were martyred and their blessed heads were chopped off.  This is a day of mourning.  These events that are known to have happened in this way in the month of Muharrem are being told because those who are the friends of the Ehli Beyt, the family of the Prophet Muhammad, and those who follow the road of the Prophet need to know. 

As you know, those who follow this road, because they are working to save humanity from the darkness of oppression and bring them into Divine Nur, Light, take their share and caution from such events and reflect like a light from the living of Hak, of Truth, and the allowing of Hak to live as a system for humanity.  If warning can be taken and lived frmo the examples of history and past events, then mistakes and defiance won't bring on darkness.  Maybe there will be a warning for future days.  Because they are viewed from this perspective, these histories have been established and made known to people through the Divine Books.  
--Sherif Baba