by Asma bint Shameem
Alhamdulillaah the month of Dhul Qa’dah is upon us.
Dhul Qa’dah is one of the four sacred months in the Islaamic calendar.
🍃Allaah says:
“Indeed, the number of months with Allaah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allaah [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.” (Al-Tawba 9:36).
🍃 The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
“The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumaada and Sha’baan.”
(al-Bukhaari)
These months were deemed to be sacred in Jahiliyyah as well.
🔺 So what does “SACRED” mean?
‘Sacred’ means that:
1. Fighting in these months is forbidden unless initiated by the enemy.
2. Sinning and doing bad deeds is WORSE in these months than at other times.
That’s because Allaah uses the words:
“wrong not yourselves therein”
[al-Tawbah 9:36]
As it is, being involved in sin and disobedience is a very GRAVE issue.
But doing bad deeds and committing sins in these sacred months is especially WORSE in the sight of Allaah, than in other months because these months are sacred.
And the month of Dhul Qa’dah is one of them.
So be CAREFUL not to sin or transgress the limits set by Allaah in any way or form.
🍃 Ibn Abbas radhi Allaahu anhu said:
“Allaah has chosen four out of the twelve months and made them sacred, emphasizing their sanctity, making sinning in them greater, in addition to, multiplying rewards of righteous deeds during them.''
🍃 Qatadah explains this further. He said:
“The reward is greater in the sacred months, and injustice during those months is graver than injustice done during a non sacred months.
Verily, injustice is always wrong.
Don’t wrong yourself during them, the pronoun refers to the four sacred months as Ibn Katheer stated.
There is another opinion which says the pronoun refers to the twelve months.”
🔺Why were these four months chosen?
🍃 Al-Waahidi said:
“What is meant by sacred is that it is a very serious matter to transgress the sacred limits in these months, in a manner that is more serious than doing so at other times. The Arabs used to venerate [the sacred months] to the extent that if a man met his father’s killer, he would not disturb him.
The scholars said: There are some benefits in making some months more sacred than others, such as the fact that there is an interest to be served when people refrain from committing transgressions and evil deeds in the sacred months, because Allaah gave them a high status, for perhaps that might lead to giving up wrongdoing completely, as the motive for such actions may diminish during that period.”
(al-Baseet 10/409)
Another reason why these months were chosen was to protect pilgrims traveling to perform Hajj and Umrah:
Dhul Qa’dah is a sacred month because pilgrams began their journey to perform Hajj.
Remember in those days it took weeks to travel to other countries, so many people departed in Dhul Qa’dah.
(Dhul Hijjah is the month of Hajj, in Muharram the pilgrims travel to return home, and Rajab fell in the middle of the year in which many people went to perform Umrah.)
🍃Ibn Rajab said:
“This month was given the name of Dhul-Qa’dah ذو القعدة because of bandits sitting (قعود) on the roadways waiting to attack and kill pilgrims heading towards Makkah.
As a result killings, fighting, wars and expeditions became prohibited during these months.
And punishments for performing sins in these months were magnified.”
(Lataa’if al-Ma’aarif)
🍃And ibn Katheer said:
“The sacred months were four, three consecutive and one on its own, for the purpose of performing the rituals of Hajj and ‘umrah.
So the month before the month of Hajj was made sacred, namely Dhu’l-Qa‘dah, because they refrained (yaq‘udoona) from fighting during that month.
The month of Dhu’l-Hijjah was made sacred, because in that month they would do Hajj and focus on performing the rituals.
And another month after that was made sacred, namely Muharram, so that they could return to their distant lands safely.
Rajab, in the middle of the year, was made sacred so that people could go and visit the Ka‘bah and do ‘umrah, for those who came to it from the furthest parts of the Arabian peninsula to visit the Ka‘bah then return safely to their homelands.”
(at-Tafseer 4/148)
🔺Any “special” ibaadaat in the sacred months Dhul Qa’dah?
Keep in mind that generally speaking, the rewards of good deeds are multiplied in the sacred months.
But there are no authentic ahaadeeth that talk about specific acts of ibaadah during these months except for the ahaadeeth about fasting in Muharram and doing good deeds in the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah.
And Allaah knows best.
Kommentare