Safar al-Muzaffar is the second month the Hijri (Lunar) calendar succeeding Muharram and preceding Rabi I. Muslims should perform their worships as usual like they do in any other months, because no specific type of prayer, whether obligatory or supererogatory, has been specifically prescribed in this month. It is just like other months. Accordingly, to believe that disasters and calamities befall in this month is erroneous. During the time of ignorance, people believed it to be an ill-fated month. They would not set out on a journey in this month. It is a matter of grief that the erroneous and unsound belief of the time of ignorance has been into the social media which is widely shared by our own brethren. Besides many merits of social media, it has numerous demerits as well. One such demerit is that a considerable number of people without reading or ascertaining the truthfulness of the messages forward them to others. These messages contain matters believed to have been said by Allah’s messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) which he actually never said in his life. This is despite the fact that severe warnings have been reported in ahadith for such act. Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said: “Whoever tells lies about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.” (Bukhari). This saying of Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) has been narrated in various books of hadith. This means Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) has prohibited from this act many times. Therefore, one should never forward anything reported to have been said by Allah’s messenger (PBUH) without ascertaining its trustworthiness. Likewise, Allah’s Messenger (PBUH)said: “It is enough for a man to prove himself a liar when he goes on narrating whatever he hears.” (Muslim). In another Hadith, Allah’s messenger (PBUH) said: “Whoever narrates a Hadith from me and it is false, then he is one of the liars.” (Muslim)
Allah’s messenger ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) refuted such false belief before 1400 years. The most authentic book of hadith has narrated a saying of Allah’s messenger (PBUH) in these words: Translation of Meaning: “Nor is there any bad omen in the month of Safar”. In fact, the omen is in the deed of a human being that he disobeys the Creator of the universe, despite the fact that he needs the order of Allah, the almighty for his very existence. There will surely come a day when he will taste the death following which he shall have to give the account of each and every moment to Allah, the Almighty. Accordingly, whatever time spent in a way contrary to the commandments of Allah, the Almighty is, in fact, ominous, and not a specific month or day. Therefore, anybody doing good deeds in the month of Safar it will be the reason behind this Safar’s being the month of bliss and blessing. Likewise, the times and months in which he does bad deeds will be ominous for him. For example, some people perform prayer of Fajr at the time prescribed for it while some people remain sleeping without any justifiable reason skipping the prayer, then the same moment is a source of success and bliss for some while it is ominous for some others. This means there is no bad omen that lies in a specific moment or month, rather it depends upon our deeds. In a Qudsi hadith Allah, the Almighty says: “The offspring of Adam abuse the Dahr (Time), and I am the Dahr; in My Hands are the night and the day.” (Bukhari) Some people influenced by the events of time, prompt to curse the time, while the time does nothing, but it is by the order and consent of Allah, the Almighty that the events of the time occur.
No single verse of the Holy Quran or a hadith of Allah’s messenger (PBUH) says there is bad omen in the month of Safar or disasters or misfortunes befall in this month. Therefore, the whole Muslim nation is unanimous that the month of Safar is similar to other months having no bad omen. A number of events in the Prophet’s biography in addition to marriages of a number of the Prophet’s companions as well as entry into the fold of Islam have been reported to have occurred in this month. We should also apply our mind and think how can a month or time be ominous? Rather the month of Safar has been named as “Safar Al-Muzaffar” means the month of success. Then how a month having the meaning of goodness and success can be ominous? Some people, thinking that Allah’s messenger (PBUH) fell sick in the first thirteen days of Safar, do not arrange a marriage party during this month. This is erroneous, for there is no such teaching in the Quran and hadith. In addition, research proves that Allah’s messenger (PBUH) did not fall sick in the starting days of Safar rather at the end of Safar and in the early days of the Month of Rabi I he had fallen sick and subsequently died on 12th of Rabi I.
Some ignorant people celebrate joyfully on the last Wednesday of Safar and distribute sweets. Such celebration has no place in the Islamic Shariah. This has got currency among the people erroneously believing Allah’s messenger (PBUH) was cured that day, which is totally wrong. On the contrary, some narrations mention the worsening health condition of Allah’s messenger (PBUH). Therefore, the last Wednesday cannot be a day of joyful celebration for the Muslims. This may be the case with the Jews and Christians and it may likely have been rumoured by them. Like the Muslims of the whole world, the stand of the Muslims of all schools of thought in the subcontinent is that there is no bad omen in the month of Safar. One can contract marriage etc in this month, and celebrating joyfully on the last Wednesday of Safar is not a religious act rather it is contrary to the teachings of Allah’s messenger (PBUH).
These days, the trend of forwarding messages on social media has become a trend which is becoming more prevalent at a very fast pace, seldom taking care to go through them or ascertain as to the contents of these message are sound or based on bundle of lies, prompting many of us to hasten to forward them to others. This is despite the fact that messages are not meant for forwarding rather they are sent for reading. We are not allowed to forward a message containing erroneous information, especially when it is related to religious information. This is because in this way we would have forwarded erroneous information to others. For example, sometimes we receive a message advising us to forward five names of Allah, the Almighty to any eleven Muslims in order to have our greatest problems resolved. Likewise, if such and such message is forwarded to such and such number of people we will be awarded paradise. Sometimes the message says that only that person will not forward this message who does not love Allah, the Almighty and His Messenger, etc. Such messages have no significance or relevance in Islam, rather these are in general based on falsehood and fabrication.
Nowadays, we use social media for the cause of education and learning. This is a blessing of Allah, the Almighty provided that we use it in a sound manner. However, some people seeing the colourful look of a message hasten to forward it to others without ascertaining its soundness. As such, if a message containing erroneous information is forwarded, and it gets currency among the people, all those facilitating it will earn a sin. Therefore, we should not forward any religious material without ascertaining its soundness, as mentioned above in the light of the ahadith of Allah’s Messenger (PBUH). Beware, whatever a person speaks or writes is being continuously written in his record of deeds, as Allah, the Almighty says: “Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it). (Surah Qaf: 18)
The Islamic history is witness to the fact that Islam and Muslims have incurred heavy losses due to the dissemination of false news. For example, at the occasion of the battle of Uhud, the news of the martyrdom of Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) was rumoured, sending a wave of shock among the ranks of Muslims, leading to the repercussions detailed in history books. Likewise, at the occasion of the battle of Banu Mustaliq, the hypocrites made a slander against Ayesha (May Allah be pleased with her), that had an adverse effect even on Allah’s Messenger (PBUH). At the beginning, it was rumoured by the hypocrites which subsequently took a toll on some righteous persons among the Muslims due to their ignorance. At last Allah, the Almighty sent down a verse in the Holy Quran acquitting her of the accusation levelled on her. In this verse Allah, the Almighty dispraised those who spread the rumour trying to tarnish the respectful image of Ayesha (May Allah be pleased with her). Allah, the Almighty says: “Verily! those who brought forth the slander (against 'Aishah radhiallahu'anhu the wife of the Prophet SAW) are a group among you. Consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you. Unto every man among them will be paid that which he had earned of the sin, and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be a great torment. (Surah An-Noor: 11)
Likewise, some websites conduct referendum polls (opinion survey) on some topics relating to Islam. Some brothers get obsessed by their religious zeal and take part exerting a handsome amount of their abilities in it. In general, almost all such websites are used to propagate against Islam. We should not pay any attention to such websites. Allah, the Almighty says: “O you who believe! If a Fasiq (liar — evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done. (6). (Surah Al-Hujraat: 6). Likewise, Allah says: “Verily, those who like that audacious (leading to illegal sexual activities) should be propagated among those who believe, they will have a painful torment in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allah knows, and you know not. (19) (Surah Al-Noor: 19).
In brief: Besides using the social media for the purpose of personal, educational, social and commercial correspondence, we should use it excessively for the purpose of propagation and dissemination of the message of Islam and Prophetic sciences. This is because, at present, this is a media through which we can deliver our message to others easily, otherwise the electronic, as well as the print media, is in general in the hands of Anti-Muslim forces. If you receive a message containing religious information from a reliable source, you should go through it and forward it to others as much as you can so that the message of Islam and its sciences are spread at a large scale. However, if you receive any message from an unreliable source, you should not forward it without ascertaining its soundness. No singlehadith has been reported on the topic of bad omen in the month of Safar, nor has a reliable Islamic scholar accepted it. Therefore, do not forward such types of messages to others, rather delete them promptly.
Author : Dr. Mohammad Najeeb Qasmi Sambhali
