Peace among Muslims in the month of Rajab would be a great gift not only to the worldwide Ummah, but to the world itself.
Ramadan is so special for Muslims that we should avail of every opportunity to make the most of it.
Having such a love of Ramadan and recognizing its blessings, it is said that the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to spend six months preparing for Ramadan and the rest of the year thanking Allah for its blessings.
Ramadan is the special month in which Muslims fast for Allah’s sake and try to renew and deepen their own faith, trying to become better Muslims as a result.
One of the effects of their fasting is that they think of all the blessings they receive from Allah during the year and also they spare a thought for those less fortunate than themselves.
In the months leading up to Ramadan and the Hajj pilgrimage beyond it, we should seize every chance to help us make its observance better and to become better brothers and sisters to one another.Ramadan is a month of prayer and it is a month devoted to the Quran. Ramadan is also very much a month of unity and brotherhood between Muslims.
Rajab is the penultimate month before Ramadan, so it presents us with a chance to make our celebration of Ramadan even more special.
In Islam, there are four out of the twelve months of the Islamic year considered “sacred.” In the Quran we read:
{Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four are Sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein.} (9:36)
Sacred months are considered sacred for two reasons: Allah has declared that fighting is forbidden in these months, unless initiated by the enemy; and transgression of the sacred limits during these months is worse than at other times.
The Sacred Months are Dhul-Qi’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) tells us:
“Time has come back to its original state, which it had when Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three are in succession, namely, Dhul-Qi’dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and (the fourth one) Rajab (of the tribe of) Mudar, which is between Jumada (Thani) and Sha’ban.” (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)
In having these four sacred months, we see once again how Islam provides sensible and practical solutions to the world’s problems, actually banning fighting, rather than just talking about efforts to do so. Those who follow the principles of Islam are forbidden to fight during these sacred months.
The pre-Islamic Arabs recognized four months as sacred. These months were agreed times when fighting did not take place so the Arabs would be safe to visit their idols in Makkah. However, the pre-Islamic Arabs did not always follow the correct sacred months, sometimes altering their order for their own convenience. The Quran tells us how they had strayed:
{They alternate the Sacred months and the regular months, whilst preserving the number of months consecrated by Allah. They thus violate what Allah has consecrated.} (9:37)
Islam here, as in everything else, restored things to the way they should be and gave these months their proper significance.
Fighting was therefore forbidden so that pilgrims could go on pilgrimage to Makkah. So we see that one of the sacred months precedes Hajj, one is for Hajj itself and one succeeds it, whilst the other sacred month, Rajab, calls for a complete cessation of fighting so that people can make the lesser pilgrimage, Umrah, to the Ka’bah in Makkah.
In Rajab, also, we remember the occasion when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was taken from the Ka’bah in Makkah to Al-Aqsa mosque in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and from there was taken through the heavens close to the throne of Allah.
This event of Al Isra’ wal Mi’raaj (the Night Journey and Ascension) reminds us of the love Muslims have for Al-Aqsa, built just forty years after the Ka’bah, and how we should do our utmost to preserve it and the lands around it blessed by Allah.
We should note that according to Islamic Shariah there are no specially prescribed rituals or forms of worship during the month of Rajab, and any special rituals must be seen as innovations and therefore not a part of Islam.
Special days of fasting during the month of Rajab, for example, or the observance of special nights of prayer have no basis in either the Quran or Sunnah. Muslims may, of course, do extra fasting or prayer in this month, but the reward for doing so is no greater than in any other month. The special feature of Rajab is not more rituals, but peaceful behavior.
In preparing for Ramadan, Rajab can help.
People might reasonably ask why we need sacred months nowadays, when most of us are not involved in fighting in this or any month?
Islam, however, is for all people and for all times.
Our world today is torn apart by violence of all kinds. In thinking of the world’s conflicts, we see how ceasefires here and there are attempted as a way to bring a more lasting peace.
Islam has four special months, of which Rajab is just one, in which fighting is forbidden, unless the Muslims themselves are directly under attack and need to defend themselves.
In thinking of this violence in today’s world, Muslims are especially distressed that much of the violence is associated in many people’s minds with Islam, when Islam is truly the world’s religion of peace.
Whilst ordinary Muslims know in their hearts that the terrible things being done at present in Iraq and Syria in the name of Islam are really not a part of Islam at all, they are often at a loss to explain this to others.
Although countless scholars have condemned such behavior, the message is not getting through that it is not of Islam to behave in such a way.
Non-Muslims are clearly puzzled when they hear that Islam is supposed to be a religion of peace, but see something altogether different on their television screens.
What could be clearer, though, than to explain to them that in this sacred month of Rajab, fighting and haram behavior is forbidden? It will be obvious, then, that those who persist in this behavior are transgressing the bounds of Islam.
Peace, of course, is not just the absence of fighting. Peace is a positive quality. Men and women of peace don’t just sit at home praying, but actively extend hands of friendship to others.
What a great preparation for Ramadan if the vast majority of the world’s Muslims during the month of Rajab were to extend hands of friendship to those in the world seeking to goad Muslims by their cartoons and sarcastic words.
What a strong witness to the brotherhood and peacefulness of Islam if Muslims could come together, regardless of their own differences, and meet in a civilized way with those Muslims with whom they disagree.
Peace among Muslims in the month of Rajab would be a great gift not only to the worldwide Ummah, but to the world itself. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned Muslims repeatedly about fighting one another, calling it one of the greatest sins, so grave it can lead to disbelief.
Allah has prescribed sacred months not just for the Arabs fourteen centuries ago, but for all of us and for all time.
A sacred month, devoid of fighting, is just one more of Allah’s innumerable gifts and we should ponder deeply on its meaning in our own lives. Being peaceful does not mean being weak. It takes great inner strength to approach your enemies or those with whom you disagree with a message of peace.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) suffered insult and indignity to make the real message of Islam heard. As a result, Muslims love him beyond words.
During the month of Rajab, month of peace, let us all try to follow his example,Insha’Allah.
Having such a love of Ramadan and recognizing its blessings, it is said that the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to spend six months preparing for Ramadan and the rest of the year thanking Allah for its blessings.
Ramadan is the special month in which Muslims fast for Allah’s sake and try to renew and deepen their own faith, trying to become better Muslims as a result.
One of the effects of their fasting is that they think of all the blessings they receive from Allah during the year and also they spare a thought for those less fortunate than themselves.
In the months leading up to Ramadan and the Hajj pilgrimage beyond it, we should seize every chance to help us make its observance better and to become better brothers and sisters to one another.Ramadan is a month of prayer and it is a month devoted to the Quran. Ramadan is also very much a month of unity and brotherhood between Muslims.
Rajab is the penultimate month before Ramadan, so it presents us with a chance to make our celebration of Ramadan even more special.
In Islam, there are four out of the twelve months of the Islamic year considered “sacred.” In the Quran we read:
{Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four are Sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein.} (9:36)
Sacred months are considered sacred for two reasons: Allah has declared that fighting is forbidden in these months, unless initiated by the enemy; and transgression of the sacred limits during these months is worse than at other times.
 |
“Time has come back to its original state, which it had when Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three are in succession, namely, Dhul-Qi’dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and (the fourth one) Rajab (of the tribe of) Mudar, which is between Jumada (Thani) and Sha’ban.” (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)
In having these four sacred months, we see once again how Islam provides sensible and practical solutions to the world’s problems, actually banning fighting, rather than just talking about efforts to do so. Those who follow the principles of Islam are forbidden to fight during these sacred months.
The pre-Islamic Arabs recognized four months as sacred. These months were agreed times when fighting did not take place so the Arabs would be safe to visit their idols in Makkah. However, the pre-Islamic Arabs did not always follow the correct sacred months, sometimes altering their order for their own convenience. The Quran tells us how they had strayed:
{They alternate the Sacred months and the regular months, whilst preserving the number of months consecrated by Allah. They thus violate what Allah has consecrated.} (9:37)
Islam here, as in everything else, restored things to the way they should be and gave these months their proper significance.
Fighting was therefore forbidden so that pilgrims could go on pilgrimage to Makkah. So we see that one of the sacred months precedes Hajj, one is for Hajj itself and one succeeds it, whilst the other sacred month, Rajab, calls for a complete cessation of fighting so that people can make the lesser pilgrimage, Umrah, to the Ka’bah in Makkah.
In Rajab, also, we remember the occasion when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was taken from the Ka’bah in Makkah to Al-Aqsa mosque in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and from there was taken through the heavens close to the throne of Allah.
This event of Al Isra’ wal Mi’raaj (the Night Journey and Ascension) reminds us of the love Muslims have for Al-Aqsa, built just forty years after the Ka’bah, and how we should do our utmost to preserve it and the lands around it blessed by Allah.
We should note that according to Islamic Shariah there are no specially prescribed rituals or forms of worship during the month of Rajab, and any special rituals must be seen as innovations and therefore not a part of Islam.
| The special feature of Rajab is not more rituals, but peaceful behavior |
In preparing for Ramadan, Rajab can help.
People might reasonably ask why we need sacred months nowadays, when most of us are not involved in fighting in this or any month?
Islam, however, is for all people and for all times.
Our world today is torn apart by violence of all kinds. In thinking of the world’s conflicts, we see how ceasefires here and there are attempted as a way to bring a more lasting peace.
Islam has four special months, of which Rajab is just one, in which fighting is forbidden, unless the Muslims themselves are directly under attack and need to defend themselves.
In thinking of this violence in today’s world, Muslims are especially distressed that much of the violence is associated in many people’s minds with Islam, when Islam is truly the world’s religion of peace.
Whilst ordinary Muslims know in their hearts that the terrible things being done at present in Iraq and Syria in the name of Islam are really not a part of Islam at all, they are often at a loss to explain this to others.
Although countless scholars have condemned such behavior, the message is not getting through that it is not of Islam to behave in such a way.
Non-Muslims are clearly puzzled when they hear that Islam is supposed to be a religion of peace, but see something altogether different on their television screens.
What could be clearer, though, than to explain to them that in this sacred month of Rajab, fighting and haram behavior is forbidden? It will be obvious, then, that those who persist in this behavior are transgressing the bounds of Islam.
Peace, of course, is not just the absence of fighting. Peace is a positive quality. Men and women of peace don’t just sit at home praying, but actively extend hands of friendship to others.
| What a strong witness to the brotherhood and peacefulness of Islam if Muslims could come together |
What a great preparation for Ramadan if the vast majority of the world’s Muslims during the month of Rajab were to extend hands of friendship to those in the world seeking to goad Muslims by their cartoons and sarcastic words.
What a strong witness to the brotherhood and peacefulness of Islam if Muslims could come together, regardless of their own differences, and meet in a civilized way with those Muslims with whom they disagree.
Peace among Muslims in the month of Rajab would be a great gift not only to the worldwide Ummah, but to the world itself. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned Muslims repeatedly about fighting one another, calling it one of the greatest sins, so grave it can lead to disbelief.
Allah has prescribed sacred months not just for the Arabs fourteen centuries ago, but for all of us and for all time.
 |
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) suffered insult and indignity to make the real message of Islam heard. As a result, Muslims love him beyond words.
During the month of Rajab, month of peace, let us all try to follow his example,Insha’Allah.
-onislam.net
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