On the first day of the holy month, Muharram is New Year in Hijra. 1 Muharram is not included in the number of holidays of Islam and, accordingly, in most Muslim countries, the New Year is not celebrated as a holiday in the secular sense. On this day, mosques read a sermon on the relocation of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 — the starting point of the Muslim lunar calendar.
The Mukharram month is the first month of the Muslim calendar. It is believed that as a person spends the first month of the year, all the other twelve months will pass.
Muharram — is one of four months during which Allah especially banned conflicts, blood feud, wars and similar strife. The high esteem of this month is much discussed in the Qur'an. Muharram — a month of repentance and worship. Every Muslim should try to spend this month in serving God. One of Muhammad’s sayings says: « Muharram is the best to maintain fasting after the month of Ramadan ». Another saying says: « One who fasted one day in the month of Muharram is rewarded as in 30 posts ».
A few words about a post in Islam. As-saum ( from Arabic. — fast itself; pers. — ruse; Turk. — hurricane ) — post, one of the main mandatory requirements of Islam. Assaum consists in complete abstinence in the daytime from eating, water and any drinks, smoking tobacco, swimming, inhalation of incense, entertainment, sexual intimacy, that is, from everything, which distracts from piety.
With the onset of darkness, prohibitions are lifted, but it is recommended not to indulge excesses, including gluttony. The post begins from the moment when « the white thread can be distinguished from the black ». But this expression cannot be understood literally, it means a time when the white strip on the horizon can be distinguished from black, that is, some time before sunrise.
Only those who cannot observe it for any temporary circumstances ( long trip, war, captivity, disease ) who cannot be responsible for their actions ( are freed out of fasting, psycho-sick ), as well as elderly people, at their request, small children, pregnant and breastfeeding women and all those to whom fasting can be harmful. Thus, al-saum also takes into account medical indications for absolute starvation.
Those who are in a state of ritual impurity — criminals who have not served their sentences, defiled, have not passed the purification are not allowed to fasting. We can say that the possibility of observing the post — is an honor for a Muslim.
Violators of the post accidentally must compensate for the lost days, and intentionally violating must, in addition to reimbursing these days, bring repentance and perform atonement.
It is forbidden to fast on the days of two great holidays, the post on Friday ( the Muslim day off ), Saturday ( the day of the Jews ) and Sunday ( the day of Christians ) is condemned.