Lunar Months in Hadith: Significance & Teachings of the Prophet

The Significance of Lunar Months in Islamic Teachings and Hadith

The Mention of Lunar Months in the Hadith of the Messenger

The lunar months have been appointed by Allah since the creation of the heavens and the earth, and there are twelve of them. These months are related to the movement of the sun and the moon, day and night, the rotation of time, worship, transactions, as well as various other sciences and knowledge. For this reason, Allah had appointed them from the very beginning of creation. In the Qur’an, Allah has mentioned that the number of months has always been twelve since the creation of the heavens and the earth. The divine statement is:

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۚذَٰلِكَالدِّينُالْقَيِّمُۚفَلَاتَظْلِمُوافِيهِنَّأَنفُسَكُمْۚوَقَاتِلُواالْمُشْرِكِينَ كَافَّةً كَمَا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ كَافَّةً ۚوَاعْلَمُواأَنَّاللَّهَمَعَالْمُتَّقِينَ (التوبة:36)

Translation:
The number of months with Allah is twelve, as recorded in the Book of Allah from the day He created the heavens and the earth. Among them are four sacred months. This is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during these months. Fight the polytheists altogether as they fight you altogether, and know that Allah is with the righteous.

From this verse, we learn that the number of months in Allah’s sight is twelve, and four of these months are sacred. From Adam (peace be upon him) till now, all significant events and incidents have taken place within these twelve months. However, the purpose here is not to delve into those events, but to address the mention of lunar months in the Hadith of the Messenger and to present evidence for each one.

The names of the lunar months, in order, are:

1. Muharram
2. Safar
3. Rabi’ al-Awwal
4. Rabi’ al-Thani
5. Jumada al-Awwal
6. Jumada al-Thani
7. Rajab
8. Sha’ban
9. Ramadan
10. Shawwal
11. Dhul-Qa’dah
12. Dhul-Hijjah

The Sacred Months:
The sacred months are: Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram, and Rajab. These four months are also mentioned in the Hadith, which will be discussed later.

1. Muharram in Hadith:
   It is one of the sacred months, and its greatness is emphasized in the Hadith. It is the month in which the fast of Ashura is observed, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) praised fasting in this month, saying:
   
   أفضلُ الصيامِ ، بعد شهرِ رمضانَ ، صيامُ شهرِ اللهِ المُحرَّمِ (صحيح مسلم:1163)
   
   Translation:
   The best fast after the fast of Ramadan is the fast in the month of Allah, Muharram.
   
2. Safar in Hadith:
   The disbelievers and polytheists considered the month of Safar to be inauspicious, but such a belief is a superstitious and pagan idea. In Islam, there is no concept of bad omens. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
   
   لا عدوى ولا طَيَرةَ ، ولا هامَةَ ولا صَفَرَ (صحيح البخاري:5707)
   
   Translation:
   There is no contagious disease (i.e., disease does not spread unless by Allah’s will), and taking omens is not correct, nor is the month of Safar considered inauspicious.
   
3. Rabi’ al-Awwal in Hadith:
   This is the month in which the Prophet of Mercy was born and also the month of his death. This month is filled with the fragrance of Islamic history and the remembrance of the Prophet’s life. This is also the month of the Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah. There is a long Hadith in Sahih Bukhari, part of which is as follows:
   
   فلم يَمْلِكِ اليهوديُّ أن قال بأعلى صوتِه : يا معاشرَ العربِ، هذا جَدُّكم الذي تنتظرون، فثار المسلمونَ إلى السلاحِ، فتَلَقَّوْا رسولَ اللهِ بظَهْرِ الحَرَّةِ، فعدَل بهم ذاتَ اليمينِ، حتى نزل بهم في بني عمرو بنِ عوفٍ، وذلك يومُ الاثنينِ من شهرِ ربيعٍ الأولِ (صحيح البخاري:3906)
   
   Translation:
   The Jew could not control himself and loudly said, “O Arabs! Your great leader is here, the one you have been waiting for!” Hearing this, the Muslims rushed to arm themselves, and they received the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) at the rear of Harrah, then turned to the right, and stopped at Banu Amr ibn Awf. This event took place on Monday in the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal.
   
4. Rabi’ al-Thani in Hadith:
   After the mention of Rabi’ al-Awwal in Hadith, it naturally follows that Rabi’ al-Thani would be the next month. There is not much specific mention of this month in Hadith, but it is mentioned in the historical texts. One example is when Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) traveled from Madinah in the last days of Rabi’ al-Thani, as narrated by Hafiz Ibn Hajar:
   
   خرج عليٌّ في آخرِ شهرِ ربيعٍ الآخرِ سنةَ ستٍ وثلاثينَ (فتح الباري لابن حجر:13/59)
   
   Translation:
   Sayyidina Ali left in the last days of Rabi’ al-Thani in the year 36 Hijri.
   
   There is another mention in Sahih Bukhari (6973) regarding Sayyidina Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) traveling toward Syria, though the month is not specified, but the Islamic history confirms it to be Rabi’ al-Thani.
   
5. Jumada al-Awwal in Hadith:
   The battle of Mutah, in which many Muslim commanders were martyred, is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari. Khalid ibn al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) then took command, and he reported that nine swords broke in his hand during this battle. Although the exact month is not mentioned in Sahih, it is clarified in Majma’ al-Zawa’id:
   
   ثم اصطلح المسلمونَ بعدَ أُمراءِ رسولِ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم على خالدِ بنِ الوليدِ فهزم اللهُ العدوَّ وأظهر المسلمين وبعثهم رسولُ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم في جمادَى الأُولَى (مجمع الزوائد:6/163 | رجاله ثقات)
   
   Translation:
   The Muslims agreed on Khalid ibn al-Walid after the commanders of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Allah defeated the enemy and granted victory to the Muslims. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent them in Jumada al-Awwal.
   
6. Jumada al-Thani in Hadith:
   One hadith mentions the year with all the months included. It also mentions the sacred months, as in the Hadith:
   
   السنةُ اثنا عشرَ شهرًا منها أربعةُ حُرُمٌ : ثلاثةٌ مُتوالياتٌ : ذو القَعدةِ وذو الحَجَّةِ والمُحرَّمُ ، ورجبُ مُضرَ ، الذي بين جُمادَى وشعبانَ (صحيح البخاري:4406)
   
   Translation:
   The year consists of twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive ones (Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram) and one (Rajab of Mudar) that falls between Jumada and Sha’ban.
   
   Here, Jumada refers to Jumada al-Thani, as it falls between Rajab and Sha’ban.
   
7. Rajab in Hadith:
   The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not perform Umrah in Rajab, although some innovators perform Umrah specifically in this month, believing it to be special for it. However, no such virtue is confirmed. Umrah can be performed anytime, and performing Umrah during Ramadan is equivalent to performing Hajj.
   
   عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ مَا اعْتَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي رَجَبٍ (صحيح البخاري:1777)
   
   Translation:
   ‘Urwah ibn Zubair said: “I asked Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and she said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not perform Umrah in Rajab.'”
   
8. Sha’ban in Hadith:
   In Sahih al-Tirmidhi, Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated:
   
   ما رأيتُ النَّبيَّ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ يصومُ شَهرينِ متتابعينِ إلَّا شعبانَ ورمضانَ (صحيح الترمذي:736)
   
   Translation:
   “I never saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) fasting two consecutive months except for Sha’ban and Ramadan.”

(9) Ramadan in Hadith:
Due to its excellence, this blessed month is mentioned in the Qur’an as well, and it is frequently mentioned in the Ahadith. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
مَن صامَ رمضانَ إيمانًا واحتسابًا ، غُفِرَ لَهُ ما تقدَّمَ من ذنبِهِ (صحيح البخاري:2014)

Translation:
Whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.

(10) Shawwal in Hadith:
The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
مَن صامَ رمضانَ ثمَّ أتبعَه بستٍّ من شوَّالٍ فَكأنَّما صامَ الدَّهرَ (صحيح أبي داود:2433)

Translation:
Whoever fasts during Ramadan and then follows it with six fasts in Shawwal, it is as if he fasted the entire year.

(11) Dhul-Qi’dah in Hadith:
It is narrated by Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him):
أَنَّ رَسولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اعْتَمَرَ أَرْبَعَ عُمَرٍ كُلُّهُنَّ فِي ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ إِلَّا الَّتِي مَعَ حَجَّتِهِ (صحیح مسلم:3033)

Translation:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performed four Umrahs, all of them in Dhul-Qi’dah, except the one he performed with his Hajj.

(12) Dhul-Hijjah in Hadith:
This month is widely known for many acts of worship, one of which is Hajj, where Muslims from all over the world gather in Makkah to perform this sacred duty. A Hadith related to Dhul-Hijjah is as follows:
Hazrat Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
شهرانِ لا ينْقُصَانِ ، شهرَا عيدٍ : رمضانُ وذو الحَجَّةِ (صحيح البخاري:1912)

Translation:
The two months of Eid, i.e., Ramadan and Dhul-Hijjah, do not decrease.

The meaning of this Hadith is that while the number of days may vary (e.g., due to the moon sighting), the excellence of worship in these months is the same. If someone fasts for 29 days, they will still receive the reward as if they had fasted for 30 days. Likewise, if there is an error during the standing at Arafah, the Hajj remains valid, and there is no deficiency in it. (فتح الباري:4/161)

Written by: Maqbool Ahmad Salafi
Islamic Da’wah Center, Northern Taif (Mishrah)