Question: Many people say that shopping on the day of Ashura increases abundance. Is that true?
Answer:
There are some beliefs in public like “Shopping on Ashura day will increase abundance”, “those who bath on Ashura day won’t be sick all year long”, etc. There is no verse or any narration about these issues, neither any practice in the time of the Sahabah. These beliefs that are widespread in public have no religious value at all.
A narration is reported in Bayhaqi and Tabarani; “Allah will be generous against those, who are generous to his family on Ashura day, throughout the year.” This statement is narrated by poor evidence. Imam Suyuti says that “all of these poor evidences support each other and strengthen the hadith”. However, Imam Zarkashi said that “This is not a hadith. It is actually told by Muhammad ibn al-Muntesheer (Al-Qari, al-Asraru’l-Marfu’a, p.345-346, hadith: 532; Sahawi, Maqasidu’l-Hasanah, p.504-505, hadith: 1193; Ajluni, Kashfu’l-Khafa, v.2, p.283-284, hadith: 2642).
One cannot come to a conclusion that shopping on Ashura day will increases abundance throughout these weak narrations.
A similar narration is like this:
“Allah ordered the Israelites to fast one day a year. That day is Ashura which is the 10th of Muharram. Fast that day and be generous to your family. Because Allah accepted Adam’s repentance that day.”
This narration is fake. (Shawqani, Fawaed al-Majmu’a, p.96, hadith: 283)
Below is a part of the “Ashura” article from the Encyclopedia of Islam:
“Although there are some hadiths for fasting on Ashura day, there is no accurate information for having bath, applying kohl to eyes, prinking, applying henna, cooking Ashura (dessert), giving charity, visiting mosques, sacrificing an animal, etc. It is stongly suggested that the statements narrated like hadiths are actually traditions from Jahiliyya or customs from the Jewish. Because there is no sign of evidence that it has been practiced by the Prophet or the Sahabah.
According to Ibn Taymiyye, narrations like “Those who apply kohl to eyes on Ashura won’t be perished”, “Those who have bath on Ashura won’t be sick throughout the year” are fabricated by the Nasebees who disfavor Ahl al-Bayt.
(“Âşûrâ”, Yusuf Şevki Yavuz, Encyclopedia of Islam, v.4, p.25)
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