Akheri Chahar Sombha is an Arabic-Persian expression meaning “the last Wednesday.” In Persian, “chahar” means four and “sombha” means Wednesday; the expression refers to the last Wednesday of the month of Safar.
Today, Wednesday (August 12), is Akheri Chahar Sombha.
It is said that when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) felt recovered from a serious illness on the last Wednesday of Safar, his companions became happy, donated to charity and gave thanks. In some countries, devout Muslims perform voluntary worship and give charity on the day. Bangladesh’s annual government holiday list includes an optional holiday for it, although scholars in Bangladesh differ over observing the day.
Some scholars say history does not clearly record on which day or after which illness the Prophet recovered. They discourage observing the day because no companion observed it after the Prophet’s death.
Those who observe it cite two periods of illness. Some say the Prophet became seriously ill after being affected by magic in the seventh Hijri year and recovered on the last Wednesday of Safar. Others say he felt better on the last Wednesday of Safar during the illness before his death and came to the mosque to pray, appointing Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the prayer, before becoming ill again.
According to these accounts, the companions were happy when the Prophet came to the mosque after recovering and gave charity in thanks. Some people commemorate that event on the last Wednesday of Safar. However, no companion or follower ever celebrated the day after the Prophet’s death.
It is reported that Abu Bakr gave 7,000 dinars, Umar ibn al-Khattab 5,000 dinars, Uthman 10,000 dinars, Ali 3,000 dinars, and Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf 100 camels and 100 horses in Allah’s cause. These accounts appear in books such as Baro Chander Fazilat and Rahatul Qulub. Renowned Islamic scholars and researchers have called the widely circulated account of the last Wednesday of Safar baseless.
They say that because accounts differ greatly about the date of the Prophet’s illness, no specific day can be identified. Numerous hadith describe his illness but do not specify a date. The renowned follower Ibn Ishaq said the illness from which the Prophet died began during the last few nights of Safar or from the start of Rabi al-Awwal. (Ibn Hisham, Sirah al-Nabawiyyah: 4/289)
Ibn Hisham, drawing on different reports, dated the illness from 18 Safar for 13 consecutive days. (Ibn Hisham: 999) The same view is found in volume 13 of the Encyclopaedia of Islam.
There is also disagreement about the day the illness began: some say Saturday, some Wednesday and some Monday. Accounts differ over how long he was ill before his death—10, 12, 13 or 14 days. (Zarqani, Sharh al-Mawahib: 12/83; Qastallani, al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah: 3/373)
Many prominent scholars have noted that the Prophet’s exposure to magic by a Jewish man occurred after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, at the beginning of Muharram in the seventh Hijri year. Reports put its duration at six months or 40 days. Therefore, they say, the date of recovery could not have been the last Wednesday of Safar in the 11th Hijri year. (Fath al-Bari: 7/748; Kitab al-Maghazi: 4442; al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya: 4/193; Sirat-un-Nabi, Shibli Nomani: 2/113)
It is also incorrect to say that his condition did not improve after Wednesday. He felt better again on another day and performed the noon prayer. (Bukhari: 664, 680, 681; Muslim: 418) He even felt better on Monday morning and Abu Bakr sought permission to return home. (Sirat Ibn Ishaq: 711-712; al-Rawdah al-Uluf: 7/547-548)
If the day were important for worship, it would be clearly mentioned in hadith or the companions’ accounts. Religious practices without reliable chains of transmission are not binding on the community; in Shariah, creating and following such a practice is considered bid’ah and prohibited.
The Prophet said that anyone who performs an act for which there is no instruction from us will have it rejected. (Bukhari: 2697; Muslim: 1718)
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report