All about the sacred month RAJAB

 

There are four Sacred Islamic Months that Allah has mentioned in the Qur'aan, i.e. Dhul-Qi`dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab; and what more can one be honored with then to reach one of these Sacred Months, while we are healthy and alive in this world, and so as we have reached Rajab, let us know all about it.
These Sacred Months have been mentioned by Allah, stating:

“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 (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein.” [9:36] 

And within the Sunnah its been narrated from Abu Bakrah (ra) that the Prophet (saws) 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-Bukhari and Muslim] 

These Islamic Months are meant to be Sacred due to two main reasons:
1- Because initiating any fight therein is forbidden, unless initiated by the enemy themselves,
2- Because transgression of the sacred limits therein is worse than at any other time.
And for these reasons, committing sins during these Sacred Months is more forbidden than in general, as Allah said: 
“...wrong not yourselves therein...” [9:36] 
Imam Al-Sa’di further explains this part of the Ayah (p. 373): 
'In the phrase “...wrong not yourselves therein...”, the pronoun may be understood as referring to twelve months. Allah states that He has made them a measure of time for His slaves, which they may use for worshipping Him, and thank Allah for His blessings, and they serve the interests of His slaves, so beware of wronging yourselves therein.
The pronoun may also be understood as referring to the four sacred months, and this forbids them to wrong themselves in those months in particular, as well as it being forbidden to do wrong at all times, because it is more forbidden at this time, but it is worse at this time than at others.' 

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Khilafah - Hope for the Ummah

On the 28th of Rajab, the Ummah will mark the 89th anniversary of the fall of the Khilafah. We should use this anniversary as a reminder of our obligation - as an Ummah - to resume the Islamic way of life, through the re-establishment of the Khilafah.

Since the abolishment of the Khilafah in 1342/1924, the Ummah has witnessed a succession of despotic rulers whose sole concern has been to please their Capitalist masters. These dictators, the Assads, Mubaraks, and Zardaris of this Ummah, are eagerly financed, armed, and supported by the parliaments of North America and Europe. Such subjugation has resulted in the political, economic, and social hardships of the Ummah. For example:

• Poverty: A 2002 study by the Economist found that 1 out of 5 Arabs lives on less than $2 a day - and this was before the 2008 Financial Crisis.

• Corruption: According to Transparency International, Muslim countries account for 8 of the 10 most corrupt countries that were surveyed.

• War: According to the UN, the colonial wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have widowed 2 million and 744,000 women, respectively.

The contrast of the current reality to that of the past, when Islam was implemented, is stark:

• Economy: Under the Khilafah of Umar bin Abdul Aziz (rh), the State Treasury was overflowing with funds to the point that no person could be found to accept the Zakat.

• Governance: Also under Umar bin Abdul Aziz's (rh) Khilafah, good governance was established. When a man came to discuss personal matters with him, Umar (rh) blew out the state candle and used his personal candle, to ensure that he did not use state resources for personal benefit

• Security: When the hijab of one Muslim woman was violated by Roman soldiers, the Abbasid Khaleefah Mutasim (rh) mobilized an entire army to secure her safety and dignity.

Lack of Islamic Leadership: The Critical Issue

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When the Reward equals Fifty...

In ‘ad-Durar as-Saniyyah’ (8/91-95), Shaykh Hasan bin Husayn (a grandson of Muhammad bin ‘Abd al-Wahhab) was asked about the hadith:“… the one who does this will have the reward of fifty.” So, he replied:

“First of all, you should know that the hadith in question was reported by Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah from ‘Utbah bin Hakim, from ‘Amr bin Harithah, from Abi Umayyah ash-Sha’bani, from Abi Tha’labah al-Khushani who commented on the verse: {“O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves. If you follow the right guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who are in error…”} [al-Ma'idah; 105] He said:
“By Allah, I asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) about this, and he said: “Rather, what this means is enjoin the good and prevent the bad until you see people succumb to covetousness, follow their desires, become corrupted by the worldly life, every one impressed with his own opinion, and you see that there is nothing else you can do. At that point, take care of yourself and don’t worry about the affair of the general populace, because there are indeed ahead of you days that require patience. Whoever is patient during those days will be like someone holding to a burning coal. And the one who does this from them will have the reward of fifty men who do what he is doing.” The Companions asked: “Messenger of Allah, the reward of fifty of those with him?” He said: “The reward of fifty of you.”“

…If you know this, you will see that the reason such a person deserves this great reward and his virtue is made equal to fifty of the Companions is that he has no helpers or aides, according to al-Hafidh Sulayman al-Khattabi and Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin Rajab and others.

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Hisbah...

Allah said:
"The hypocrites, men and women, are from one another: they enjoin evil and forbid good.” [9:67]
"The believers, men and women, are awliyyaa' (helper supporters, friends, protectors) of one another: they enjoin good at forbid evil." [9:71]

In these Ayaat, Allah has made the enjoining of good and forbidding of evil a characteristic with which to differentiate between the believers and the hypocrites. He makes it clear that forbidding evil and enjoining good is a trait specific to the believers. Indeed, it is with this trait that Allah sent His Messengers and revealed His Books. It is a characteristic of our Prophet Muhammad (saws) which the Qur'an mentions thus:
"He enjoins good upon them and forbids them from evil.” [7:157]

It is also a characteristic of this Ummah and a precondition for its virtue and success:
"You are the best of peoples ever raised for Mankind; you enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and you believe in Allah.” [3:110]
Mujahid said, "'Being the best of all peoples' is conditional on the characteristics mentioned in the Ayah." Al-Qurtubi said, "'You are the best of peoples' only if you enjoin good and forbid evil." Therefore, this compliment of our Ummah depends on whether we enjoy these two characteristics. If we do not, we will no longer be worthy of this praise. Indeed, we will deserve chastisement and be doomed to destruction.

Imaam an-Nawawi said, "You should know that this issue, the enjoining good and forbidding evil, has mostly been neglected over a long period of time. What remains of us today are but a few traces, all despite the fact that it is an important issue which lies at the heart of all affairs." Therefore, those who seek success in the Hereafter and aspire to Allah's Pleasure must take into account this issue due to its great benefit, especially since it has mostly been abandoned. He must also make his intention sincere and fear no-one who may oppose his attempt. For Allah says:
"Verily Allah helps one who helps His (Cause).” [22:40]

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Sins of the Heart...

When sins are mentioned, many people only think of corporeal sins, in oblivion to the graver sins, which are the sins of the hearts. Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: “Know that when sins are mentioned, what comes first to many people’s minds are Zina, theft, and the like, believing that it is beneath a noble person to commit them. However, these poor people do not know that most rational human beings do not steal nor commit Zina, even if they were living in a state of Jaahiliyyah and disbelief in Allah... There are many branching kinds of sins, such as those related to misguidance in matters of faith, religious innovations which are of the same nature of arrogantly causing mischief on earth, pride, vanity, envy, self-conceit, and Riyaa’. Such sins are committed by those who agree upon the obligation to avoid abominable acts of immorality.”

The gravity of the sins of the heart:

The sins of the hearts are graver and more dangerous than corporeal sins and this is why the erudite scholar Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami in his book Az-Zawaajir ‘an Iqtiraaf Al-Kabaa’ir, discussed the major sins of the hearts before discussing the manifest major sins that are committed by the limbs and senses. He justified this by saying: “Chapter One: the inward major sins and their consequences. I discussed them first because they are more dangerous and their committers are the most despised and wicked sinners, and because most of these sins are more common and easier to commit, and they beget more bitter consequences. A person is hardly free of some of these sins and therefore some scholars said: The major sins committed by the hearts are graver than the major sins committed by the limbs and senses because while they both entail dissoluteness and injustice (on part of the sinner), the major sins of the hearts devour the good deeds and warrant successive severe punishments...”

 

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Plight of the People of Hell !!!

Hell has various levels and degrees of torment. In some of them, the torment and horror is greater than the others. The people who are to be doomed to enter Hell will be given different levels of punishment according to the deeds they used to do during their worldly life. The worse one's deeds were in the worldly life the lowest one's level will be in the Hellfire and the harder one's torment will be.

Ibn Rajab said: “Know that the different levels of punishment suffered by the people of Hell will be according to the levels of their deeds for which they entered Hell.”
He then quoted the evidence for that, such as the words of Ibn ‘Abbaas: “The punishment of those who were extreme in their disbelief and spread corruption on earth, calling others to disbelief, will not be like the punishment of those who did not do such things.”

Then Ibn Rajab said: “Similarly, the punishments of the monotheists in Hell will be at different levels, according to their deeds. The punishment of those who were guilty of major sins will not be like that of those who were guilty of minor sins. The punishment may be reduced for some of them because of other good deeds, or for whatever reason Allah wills..."

[At-Takhweef min An-Naar, P.181]

Prophet Muhammad (saws) said concerning the people of Hell: “There are some whom the Fire will take up to their ankles, others up to their knees, others up to their waists, and yet others up to their collarbones.” [Muslim]

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Winter: The Believer's Best Season !!!

It is said that winter is a time when people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as ‘the Winter Blues’ or winter depression. However, it is interesting to see how the early Muslims welcomed winter, as it is clear that they saw it in a totally different light.

Here are four ways that they would benefit from winter:

1 & 2 – Fasting and praying:
It was reported by al-Haythami in ‘Majma’ az-Zawa’id’ (3/203) with a hasan chain that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Winter is the best season for the believer. Its nights are long for him to pray in, and its days are short for him to fast in.”

And Ahmad reported in ‘az-Zuhd’ (p. 118) with an authentic chain that ‘Umar bin al-Khattab said: “Winter is the prize of the worshippers.”

Ibn Rajab al-Hambali said in ‘Lata’if al-Ma’arif’ (p. 276):
“Winter is the best season for the believer because…Allah strengthens his practice in it by making worship easy for him. This is because in winter, the believer can fast during the day with ease without suffering from hunger and thirst. The days are short and cold, and he therefore doesn’t feel the hardship of fasting…

As for praying at night in the winter due to its long nights, one can have his share of sleep and then get up to pray afterwards and recite all that he usually recites of the Qur’an while he has had enough sleep. So, he can combine between the sleep that he needs and the usual amount of recitation of the Qur’an that he completes in a day. So, he fulfills the interests of both his religion and the comfort of his body…

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