Of the twelve months of the Islâmic calendar, four months are regarded as sacred months. These are Muharram, Rajab, Dhû al-Qa’da and Dhû al-Hijjah. Because of their special significance, the rewards for good deeds are increased during these months. At the same time, one should take care to abstain from sins during these months because their consequences are also significantly worse. This is the opinion of Hadhrat Abdullâh bin Abbâs Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu as well. Similar is the case with Makkah Mukarrama, where the rewards of good deeds are increased and the punishment for sins is more severe[1]. Hadhrat Qatâdah Rahmatullâhi Alayhi says, “The sin for an injustice during these months is greater than the same sin during other months. Although injustice always remains a major sin, Allâh Ta’âla is at liberty to add gravity to whatever He pleases.” He states further, “Allâh Ta’âla has accorded special virtue to some of His creation above the rest. He has given special virtue to the messengers from among the angels and to the messengers from mankind. He has given special virtue to His speech over that of others and He has selected the Masâjid to grant His special merit from among all other places. From among the months, He has accorded special virtue to the month of Ramadhân and the four sacred months. From among the days, He has selected the day of Jumu’ah (Friday) and from among the nights, He has selected the night of Qadr for special merit. One should therefore attach value to those things that Allâh Ta’âla has given value. Intelligent people realise that the things that are really important are those things to which Allâh Ta’âla has granted importance.”[2]

It is therefore necessary that Muslims exert themselves to carry out good deeds during the months of Muharram, Rajab, Dhul Qa’da and Dhul Hijjah. Imâm Jasâs Râzi Rahmatullâhi Alayhi writes in his book “Ahkâmul Qur’ân” that the speciality of these months is that whoever engages in Ibâdah then will be inspired to engage in Ibâdah during the remaining months of the year as well. Similarly, the person who makes an effort to abstain from sin during these months will find it easy to abstain from sin during the other months of the year. Therefore, failure to derive benefit from these months is a great loss indeed.[3]

Although the Qur’ân does not specify which months are the sacred months, authentic Ahadeeth specify them. Hadhrat Abu Bakrah Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu narrates that Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “Time has revolved and returned to how it was when Allâh Ta’âla created the heavens and the earth. The year has twelve months, four of them being sacred. Three are consecutive viz. Dhul Qa’da, Dhul Hijjah and Muharram. The fourth one is the Rajab of the Mudhar[4] tribe, which falls between Jumada (i.e. Jumadal Ukhra) and Sha’bân.”[5]

This hadith makes reference to a verse of Surah Taubah[6] in which Allâh Ta’âla says, “Postponing (and preponing) the sacred months is only an excess in disbelief by which the disbelievers go astray. During some years they declare these months lawful while during other years they declare them sacred so as to complete the count of the months that Allâh made sacred.”  The disbelievers of pagan Arabia used to postpone and prepone the sacred months for ulterior motives. For example, when they wanted to fight during the month of Muharram, they would declare Muharram to be Safar, telling people, that for that year Muharram will follow Safar rather than come before it. In this manner, they would alter the sequence of the sacred months. It was since the period of Hadhrat Ibraheem Alayhis-Salâm that waging war was forbidden in these four months.

Although the pagan Arabs revered these months, they altered their sequence merely to fulfil their whims to fight. As a result of this constant alteration, no one could determine with certainty which month they were in. However, it was on the 10^th year after Hijrah that Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam made the above announcement, declaring that the months had returned to the sequence that Allâh Ta’âla ordained when He created the universe. During the year before this declaration, Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam sent Hadhrat Abu Bakr Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu as the Ameer of Hajj. Although the month in which Hadhrat Abu Bakr Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu led the Hajj was accepted as Dhul Hijjah, it was actually Dhul Qa’da because of the calendar alterations during the period of ignorance. Nevertheless, when Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam performed Hajj during the 10^th year after Hijrah, the month that everyone regarded as Dhul Hijjah was really Dhul Hijjah. It was perhaps for this reason that Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam postponed his Hajj for this year. It was on the 10^th of Dhul Hijjah on the plains of Mina that Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam made the above declaration.

When he said, “The year has twelve months, four of them being sacred”, Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam was referring to verse 36 of Surah Taubah (Surah 9) in which Allâh Ta’âla states, “Indeed the number of months according to Allâh is twelve months in the Book of Allâh (the Lowhul Mahfoodh) from the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these four are sacred. This is the straight religion, so do not oppress yourselves in these months.”  The specific names of these months have been mentioned in the Ahadeeth.

Although fighting (in battle) was prohibited during these months, this injunction was later abrogated. While some Ulema state that fighting is completely permissible during these months, others maintain that Muslims should abstain from waging war during these months unless in self-defence or when a battle continues into these months. Therefore, the verses of the Qur’ân that cite the prohibition of fighting during these months applied only to the early days of Islâm. This injunction was later repealed. For further details, one may refer to the commentary of the above verses of Surah Taubah in “Ma’âriful Qur’ân” of Mufti Shafi Rahmatullâhi Alayhi.