The planet earth is created by the Almighty Allah, yet some land, some places are more sacred than others. Offering prayers at Haram Sharif in Makka-e-Muazzamaa and Madina Munawara carry more virtues than offering prayers at other places.
In the same manner some months are more sacred than others. One such sacred month is the month of Rajab.
The first night of Rajab (when moon is sighted) is among the sacred nights in which the supplications are accepted. Hazrat Ibna Soolki (Allah’s Mercy be on him) pleaded to Allah that He may die on the first night of Rajab.
Paradise is the reward for the one who fasts on the Navchandi Thursday (the first Thursday that comes after moon is sighted). This is said by Allah’s Messenger and is recorded in Kitabul Barkaat.

Observe just one fast in the month of Rajab, and guess how much virtue you can get for that one fast. Allah’s Messenger says, “The one who observes one fast in rajab it is as if one has fasted for forty years.”

The entire world is the creation of Allah, however, some places are considered more sacred and divine than others. For instance, prayers offered at Mecca and Madina carry more value and significance than those offered at an ordinary place. This is because some places are more close and sacred because of their origins or their history.

The Month of Rajab
Similarly, some months carry more value and significance than other months. For example, Rajab is considered more sacred. This is because of several reasons. These reasons are elaborated below.
The Significance of Rajab
1. When the moon is sighted on the first night of Rajab, it is among the most sacred nights. During this night Allah accepts the prayers and supplications of His beings. The night is so sacred that Hazrat Ibna Soolki prayed to Allah to bestow him with death on the first night of Rajab.

'Rajabun Shahrullah' - 'Rajab is the month of Allah'
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ
The Prophet's Night Journey
by Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani

17:1: "Praise be to God Who has enraptured His servant by night from the Sacred mosque (Mecca) to the Farthest Mosque (Jerusalem)."
33:56: "Lo! God and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe; ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation."
The Spiritual Significance of the Miraculous Night Journey & Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad (s)

by Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani

Rajab is one of the four months declared sacred by Allah (SWT) in the Glorious Qur'an.

Special prayers and Aamal that can be prayed and carried out on any day or daily for this seventh month of Islamic lunar calendar reached us on the authority of Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), Imam Ali (as), Imam Zainul Abideen (as), Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) and Imam Sahib uz Zaman (as), are given below:

1. The month of Rajab, in its superabundant favors and benefits, reverence and sanctity, is next to none. It is linked to Almighty Allah (SWT) as Sha'ban to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) and Ramadan to his Ummah (Muslim Community).

2. Who so observes fast (even one day) during the month of Rajab gets Allah's pleasure.

3. Ask forgiveness and turn repentant to Allah (SWT) as much as you can because mercy drops from the heaven like a gentle rain in the month of Rajab (also known as "As'abb" - pouring out, full of love and kindness).

The months of Muharram and Safar offer the yearly opportunity to commemorate the martyrdom of al Husayn ibn `Ali (A), the grandson of the Prophet (S) and the third Imam of the Shiite Muslims, at Karbala' on the tenth of Muharram in the year 61. The tragedy and heroism of the event, the resistance and self sacrifice of the martyrs, are remembered during these days by the Shi`ah and the Ahl al Sunnah alike, and by the Shi`ah with a special ardour, fervour and enthusiasm.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the ardour and enthusiasm inspired by the martyrs of Karbala' is something unsurpassed in the history of religions. No individual or group in the history of the world has attracted such sustained admiration and love in the hearts of their followers as the martyrs of Karbala' and in particular the figure of al Husayn ibn `Ali (A), an admiration which has not dwindled in the course of more than thirteen and a half centuries that have elapsed since that event.

Allah has chosen and given preference to certain days and times that are special and sacred in our religion. As many of you may know by now, the sacred month of Muharram (which begins the new Islamic year) has started today.
The Prophet of Allah said, “The division of time has turned to its original form which was current the day Allah created the heavens and earth. The year consists of twelve months of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab which comes between Jumada and Sha’ban.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

VIRTUES OF MUHARRAM
 It is one of the four sacred months. Allah said, “Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein” (9:36)

Tonight, in shaa Allah, we will be ushering in the year 1434 of the Hijri calendar, a calendar that begins from the first year of the Prophet’s migration from Makkah to Madinah. Although the numbering of years was only decided during the Caliphate of Umar al-Khattab between 13H to 23H, the Arabs prior already had a dating system in which the ‘mark’ of the year was decided by any important event that happened during said year. Hence, for example, the year the Prophet (S) was born was aptly named the ‘Year of the Elephant’ based on the events eternally archived in Surah Al-Fil.
To commemorate the coming of the New Year, let us look into the significance of the month of Muharram and the importance of the 10th of Muharram, also known as the day of Ashura.

Muharram – One of Four Sacred Months

Muharram, a sacred Muslim festival is observed for ten days. Know the rituals and significance of this holy celebration.

Shia Muslims celebrate Muharram, a festival observed in the memory of bravery of Prophet Mohammed's grandson, Imam Hussain, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in AD 680. Muharram symbolizes the beginning of the Muslim New Year. Muslims mourn on the first ten days of the Muharram. The act of mourning during this period is also known as mass mourning. Unlike any other festival, Muharram is not a joyful festival or a colourful celebration. It is a sacred festival to remember the death of Imam Hussain.

Rituals Muslims observe

Introduction
With the sighting of the new moon the Islamic new year is ushered in. The first month Muharram, is a month of great reward and virtue. Muharram itself means `sacred' and is from those months which have been mentioned as sacred in the Holy Quraan.
Almighty Allah states in the Holy Quraan:
"Four of them ( Zil-Qadah, Zil-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab) are sacred."
(Surah At-Tawbah:36)
Virtues
From out of the four sacred months, Muharram has been blessed with certain specific virtues:-
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) said:
"The best of fasts besides the month of Ramadhan is the fasting of Allah's month of Muharram."
(Muslim)

In another Hadeeth, Hazrat Ibn Abbas (Radhiyallahu-Anhu) reports: "that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) said: "The one that keeps a fast in the month of Muharram will receive the reward of thirty fasts for each fast (in this sacred month)."
(Tabraani)

The Abu Bakarah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The year is twelve months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dhul-Qa'dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumadah and Sha'ban."
MUHARRAM 1438H (2016CE): According to the Umm ul-Qura calendar and the decision of Saudi Arabia, 1st Muharram will be on 2 October 2016. Ashura (10th Muharram 1438H) will therefore be on Tuesday 11 October 2016 CE.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and Chief of the Messengers, and upon all his family and companions.

Allah's sacred month of Muharram is a blessed and important month. It is the first month of the Hijri calendar and is one of the four sacred months concerning which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

The holy month of Muharram is observed by all Muslims across the globe. The month is the first of the twelve months in the Islamic calendar, thereby marking the Islamic New Year. It is one of the four sanctified months wherein unlawful acts are strictly prohibited, especially the shedding of blood. Even the literal meaning of Muharram is �haram�, which means forbidden. The first ten days of the month are mourned by the Muslims to commemorate the brutal assassination of Prophet Muhammad�s grandson, Imam Husain, his family and supporters. Thus, Muharram has great religious significance behind its observance. Go through the following lines to know more about the historical importance of Muharram.

Historical Importance Of Muharram

The Islamic lunar calendar marks the beginning of New Year by the sighting of the moon of Muharram. It is the first month of Islamic year therefore, besides marking new beginnings it comes with additional reverence amalgamated with numerous blessings from Allah Almighty.
Muslims in general are aware of the importance and virtues of months like Ramadan and Zil-Hajjah, however, very few are aware about Muharram and its bounties besides the fact that it is the first month of the year. This writing describes the importance of Muharram in addition to the significance of fasting on the glorious day of Ashura.

Importance:
The name Muharram itself translates into ‘sacred’, so before anything else, Muharram is a sacred month. In addition to that, Allah Almighty made it more sacred by mentioning it in Quran in the same context. Allah says in Quran:
“Four of them (Zil-Qadah, Zil-ijjah, Muharram and Rajab) are sacred.” (Surah At-Tawbah: 36)

Why is the month Muharram so important?
Answer:
The leader of the months is Muharram
Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) states that:
“The leader of the people is Prophet Adam, of the Arabs is Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), of the Roum is Suhayb (ra), of the Persian is Salman (ra), the leader of the trees is Sidra, of the months is Muharram, of the days is Friday, of the words is Quran, the leader of the Quran is Surah al Baqara and its leader is Ayat-al Kursi.” (Imam Suyuti)

Muharram is the first of the lunar months
In the first years of Islam, the infidels and polytheists used to torture Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and His distinguished companions to hinder Islam, Islamic life and the spread of Islam. Their tyranny arose to such an extent that the Muslims were exposed to starving through brutal embargos. So, upon Allah’s order, Muslims emigrated from Makka to Madina to continue their Islamic life and mission. This is called “Hijra”.

Muḥarram (Arabic: مُحَرَّم‎‎ muḥarram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year.[1]Since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar.

The word "Muharram" means "forbidden". It is held to be the second holiest month, following Ramadan. Some Muslims fast during these days. The tenth day of Muharram is the Day of Ashura, which to Shia Muslims is part of the Mourning of Muharram.
Sunni Muslims fast during this day, because it is recorded in the hadith[2] that Musa (Moses) and his people obtained a victory over the Egyptian Pharaoh on the 10th day of Muharram; accordingly Muhammad asked Muslims to fast on this day that is Ashura and on a day before that is 9th (called Tasu'a).

Many rewards and blessings can be gained throughout the Islamic year, not only in Ramadan.
The blessed month of Muharram (lit. sanctified) is the first month of the Hijri calendar and is one of the four sacred months concerning which Allah Almighty Says what means: {Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them...} [Quran 9:36] Ibn Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said that thisphrase (so do not wrong yourselves during them… ) referred to all the months, then these four were singled out and made sacred, so that sin in these months is more serious and good deeds bring a greater reward.

The virtue of observing supererogatory fasts during Muharram