WHAT ARE SACRED MONTHS AND WHEN AMONG THEM IS HAJJ?By Zia Mahmood

WHAT ARE SACRED MONTHS AND WHEN AMONG THEM IS HAJJ?By Zia Mahmood

1- The sighting of the crescent moon signals the commencement of Hajj:

The arabic lunar calender is not an invention of Muslims.  Different tribes in different parts of Arabia use to follow different calendar with sequence of 12 months differently.  They also use to add a 13th month and move up or down the month of Hajj to suit harvest / business. Tribes got together and appointed Kaleb to adopt 1 calendar for of Arabia. He did so and since then single calendar is in use. Kaleb is great great maternal grandfather of Prophet Muhammad that is 6 generations before Muhammad.  So, since that time Arabs are following the calender as we know it today.

** if anyone disagree with historical reference (since it is not in Quran) than no issues because per Quran total number of months are 12. If you name them A B C ... than also no issues. But A will be the 1st month every year. Among the 12, two are named in Quran - Ramadan and Hajj. I have no issue following the names and their sequence as is. 

Since it is a lunar calendar the sighting of the first crescent signals the beginning of each month. The first sighting of the crescent in the month of Zhu Al-Hijjah signals the beginning of Hajj. Similarly the sighting of the first crescent in the month of Ramadan signals the beginning of fasting.

[2:189] They ask you about the crescents, say, "They are timing devices for the people and FOR THE HAJJ." Piety is not in entering houses from their backs, but piety is in being reverent. So enter the houses from their doors and reverence Allah so that you may succeed.

2- What is the duration of hajj? The Hajj is during the known months. 

2:197 The Hajj MONTHS well known, then whoever undertakes therein the Hajj then no sexual relations and no wickedness and no quarrelling during the Hajj. And whatever you do of good knows it Allah. And take provision,  indeed, best provision (is) righteousness. And fear Me, O men (of) understanding!

*** Months is plural. Whoever among Mazhabies or Quran Alone try to sell Hajj in particular few days within a month need some explanations to do.

The first question is how many months are decreed for Hajj?

In 9:36 we read that the count of months is 12 and that 4 out of those 12 are called 'Hurum'. The word 'Hurum' does not mean sacred as some have translated, for the word used in the Quran for sacred is 'muqqaddas', see 20:12, 79:16 and 5:21.

The word 'Hurum' (adjective) is the plural of the word 'Haram' which is also associated with the months of Hajj. Both words come from the noun 'Ihram' which means abstention. Abstention is one of the requirements during Hajj, abstention from war, hunting and so on.

As a result, we know that the number of months which Allah designated for Hajj are four (2:197).

Sadly, Mazhabies today allow Hajj only in the month of Zhu Al-Hijjah. Allah allowed the believers 4 months for Hajj and they restricted it to 5 days.

In 2:197 we read the Arabic words 'farada feehinna'. Here we have two Arabic words of great significance:

1- The first word is 'farada'. This verb is from the word 'fard' which means an obligatory duty set by Allah on the believers. The Salat is a 'fard' so is the Zakat and Hajj. Thus the verb 'farada' means to actually execute or consummate the command.

2- The second word is 'feehinna'. This word is in fact two Arabic words joined together. They are 'fee' which means (in), and 'hinna' which means (them) and is used in the feminine gender. Thus the whole word means (in them). The word (them) here refers to the specified months. Now by placing these words inside the verse we get:

Whoever executes the Hajj in them (the specified months) shall refrain from … 2:197

In these two Arabic words executes the Hajj in them Allah endorses the legality of executing Hajj anytime within the specified months.

Those who have corrupted the law of Allah, and reduced the time of Hajj to the first ten days of the 12th month, justify their claims by corrupting the meaning of some Quranic verses such as:

Commemorate Allah's name during the known days. 22:28

Commemorate Allah for a number of days. 2:203

They claim that the words 'known days' and 'a number of days' indicate that Hajj can only be observed in the ten day period and not anytime during the four months.

The reply to that is two folded:

FIRST

Immediately Almighty Allah has given us a clear distinction in the verses that speak about Hajj. When Allah addresses Hajj itself, the words 'specified months' are used as in 2:197. The reason for that being that the duration of Hajj is the full four months. However when God addresses the believers, the words 'a number of days' are used, as in:

'Commemorate Allah for a number of days'. These words address the believers and they speak of 'a number of days' for the simple fact that any believer who goes to observe his Hajj goes for a number of days, he does not stay for the whole four months.

SECOND

Consider the example of the fasting of Ramadan as in the following verses:

Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was brought down providing guidance for the people, as well as clear proofs of the guidance and the Criterion. So those of you who witness the month shall fast it. 2:185

Here we read 'the month' as being the duration of fasting.

Now consider the following verse:

A number of days, but whoever among you is ill or travelling, then an equal number of other days (may be substituted). 2:184

Here fasting is spoken of as 'a number of days'. However, none of the hadith scholars have come up with a claim that we should only fast the first ten days of Ramadan!

A month, or months, can also be spoken of as days, simply because a month is made up of days. The fact that they are spoken of as days does not change the fact that they are still months. This is similar to someone describing the years of his childhood by saying 'they were the best days of my life'.

3- Which months are the 'Hurum Months' and which is the first month for Hajj?

Just as corruption has set in every ritual and practice, the Hadithers have also corrupted the issue of which months are the 4 'Hurum Months'. They claim that the 'Hurum Months' are the months of Rajab (7th month), Zhu Al-Qa'dah (11th), Zhu Al-Hijjah (12) and Muharram (1st). According to this classification, there would be 3 consecutive months for Hajj (11, 12, 1) and one isolated month (7). This classification violates the Quran on two counts.

1- The Quranic 'Hurum Months' are the months of Zhu Al-Hijjah (12th), Muharram (1st), Safar (2nd) and Rabi Al-Awwal (3rd).

2- The Quran also gives us evidence that the 4 'Hurum Months' are consecutive.

- Which months are the 4 'Hurum Months'?

The 12th month of the Islamic calendar is not called Zhu Al-Hijjah for nothing other than it ushers in the beginning of Hajj. The literal meaning of the name Zhu Al-Hijjah is: that (month) of the Hajj. It would make little sense to think that name of the 12 month - 'month of Hajj' when Hajj has already started 5 months earlier (as some claim)!

Allah refers to name of months in Quran and those are already fixed and in use. When the Quran instructs us to fast the month of Ramadan, we would know when to start fasting when month of  Ramadan starts.

- The 4 'Hurum Months' are consecutive months.

Indeed, the four 'Hurum Months' designated for Hajj are consecutive. They are the 12th, 1st, 2nd and 3rd months of the Lunar calendar. They are the months of (Zhu Al-Hijjah, Muharram, Safar and Rabi I). The consecutive nature of these four months is confirmed in the following verse:

Then when the Hurum Months have 'insalakha' (peeled off), you may fight the mushrikeen wherever you find them.'" 9:5

A key word in 9:5 related to this matter is the word 'insalakha'. The word literally means 'skinned'. This is the sense of how we skin a snake for example. The movement of skinning a snake means we would remove the skin gradually from one end to the other, or in other words; a gradual and consecutive movement.

Allah deliberately used this word in 9:5 in connection to the months of Hajj. Allah could have simply said: when the 'Hurum Months' have passed. So why did Allah deliberately use this word?

It is because the word 'insalakha' indicates a consecutive meaning, or in other words it tells us that the 4 hurum months are consecutive months.

Further confirmation of the significance of the verb 'salakha' is found in 36:37 where the same verb is used, and once again it denotes a gradual and successive withdrawal.

By Zia Mahmood