The White Days

The White Days or Ayyām al-Bīḍ ( ar, ایّام البیض) are specific days of each Islamic month; they are holy days according to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. These days are the 13th, 14th and 15th of every month in the Islamic calendar. Shia Muslims believe that ''the white days'' of the lunar months of Rajab, Sha'ban and Ramadan are very virtuous. They are called ''the white days'' because of the colour of the full moon on these days. The moon becomes very white and can be seen by the naked eye.

About the idiom

In the idiom ''Ayyam al-Beed'' ('' ar, ایّام البیض''), ''Ayyam'' ('' ar, ایّام'') is the Arabic plural of "'", meaning "''days''" and ''al-Beed'' is the Arabic plural of "'", meaning "''white''" and "''bright''". "The white days" is its equivalent to English.

Etymology

There are two views on the etymology of this idiom:

# One is that due to the fact that the nights in these three days are bright and white due to the fullness of the moon, the days of these three nights have been called the ''Ayyam al-Beed'' meaning the white days.
# Another is that in a Shiite hadith from Muhammad, when Adam made a mistake that was the "''abandoning the better''", his body turned black. After that, it was inspired in his heart to fast on the days of 13th, 14th and 15th of the month. Every day of these days when he fasted, part of his body turned white, when he finished these three days, his whole body turned white. That is why these days are called the white days.

Acts of the white days

According to the Muslims, the most important practices in these three days are "''Iʿtikāf''" and "''fasting''".

Iʿtikāf

Iʿtikāf ('' ar, اعتکاف'', ''it means to procrastinate and continue, isolation and seclusion, and in the term, cutting off from the people and approaching the truth'') is a voluntary act of worship among Muslims. This worship includes staying in the mosque for a certain period of time (at least three days) with fasting. The pillars of this worship are ''staying in the mosque'' and ''fasting'', and no other special worship or action is prescribed for it. However, the devotees spend most of their time performing acts of worship. How to stay or leave the mosque has rules and conditions that are stated in Islamic jurisprudential books.

Iʿtikāf does not have a specific time, but in the Hadiths the best time for Iʿtikāf is stated the month of Ramadan, especially its third decade. In Iran, since the first years of the 2000s, the tendency to Iʿtikāf has become common in the month of Rajab and nowaday during ''the white days'' of this month (the days of 13th, 14th and 15th), Iʿtikāf ceremonies are held in most cities and major mosques of this country.

Fasting

Fasting on the white days is Mustahabb (duties recommended, but not essential). The reward for fasting is as great as fasting all the days of the year, when the fasting of these days continues, then the reward for fasting three days is equivalent to fasting a month, which is a good ten times more than without harming or damaging the fast of the whole month. There is a source in Hadith (by) Abu Dharr, may God be pleased with him, who said: The Prophet Muhammad, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, said to him: “If you fast from the month three days, then thirteen, fourteenth, and fifteen”. From the month three days, a good deed is ten times the same, such as fasting an eternity ... and it is narrated that “the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, used to fast for several three days of every month.”

See also

Resources

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Islamic theology
Islamic terminology
Islamic practices
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