40 Days

[Laila]

What is the significance of 40 days in Afghan culture?

After the death of someone in the family, 40 days of Thursday or Friday fatyaas and hatims are split amongst the sons of the deceased one.

Or the birth of a new born is hugely celebrated after the 40th day.

Why 40? Where does it derive from? What does it mean?

[Talib Jan]

I had the same question but with regards to its significance in Islam. The number 40 recurs in many ahadith which might lend to why Afghans give it significance. That being said, unfortunately many of the practices that specify certain number of days in Afghan culture have no basis in Islam. Here are some of the narrations which give the number 40 its significance:

• The Prophet (saw) revealed his Prophethood at the age of 40 year as instructed by Allah (swt).
• Prophet Musa (as) traveled 40 years in the desert.
• Prophet Musa (as) spent 40 days on Mount Sinai where he received the 10 commandments.
• Prophet Ibrahim (as) spent 40 days in a fire and lived because Allah made the fire like flowers.
• Prophet Yunus (as) was in a whales mouth for 40 days.
• On the 40th ayat of Surah al-Baqarah Allah changes the topic.
• Forty was the number of days that Prophet Ilyas (as) spent in the wilderness before God appeared to him in a cave on Mount Horeb.
• Forty was the number of days that Prophet Isa (as) was tempted in the desert by Satan.
• Prophet Muhammad (saw) was praying and fasting in the cave for 40 days.
• Prophet Muhammad (saw) then had 40 followers to spread the religion of Islam.
• Prophets Dawud and Suleiman (as) each ruled for forty years.
• Regarding the flood that Prophet Noah (as) encountered, it is said that for forty days water continued to pour from the heavens and to stream out over the earth.
  
• Prophet Isa (as) walked the desert and fasted in the wilderness for forty days.
• Sayyiduna Ali (ra) has narrated from Prophet Mohammad (saw) that one who memorizes and preserves forty hadith relating to their religious needs shall be raised by Allah as a learned scholar on the Day of Resurrection.
• 40 consecutive prayers in the Prophet's (saw) masjid saves one from hypocrisy.

[Laila]

^ That is very interesting!

[king-zazai]

islam is here to take away this cultural ignorant things and to bring reasing and justice and to make people think and use there intelect and stop from doing thses usless things that make no sense

unfotuanlty people who are not religions and just do there culture thing why because ''our fathers did it'' or '' thats how it is'' is just straight up back ot jahliyah days....

this 40 days thing is pure bid'ah

[Iqra]

I heard the 40 days and even some ppl who have the yearly khatam for the deceased derives from hinduism..

[Nick]

What is the significance of 40 days in Afghan culture?

After the death of someone in the family, 40 days of Thursday or Friday fatyaas and hatims are split amongst the sons of the deceased one.

Or the birth of a new born is hugely celebrated after the 40th day.

Why 40? Where does it derive from? What does it mean?

Not Islamic in fact native to Afghans perhaps with history of over 4000 years by the Kandahari prince son of Zon ie Mitra. It was adapted by the native Afghan tribe. This 40 days was important to Afghans noticed by the greek historians in the 6th century bce by the tribe of Afghan under command of medians ie the so called sakas who remain to have settled in around Caucasian.