9.129 The months of Hajj

 The correct months of Hajj

By A. Mohamed

Some people inquire: since the Quran has all the details we need to practice our religion, then where do we find (in the Quran) the names of the 4 months of Hajj which God calls "Hurum" (9:36). Others ask: where in the Quran do we find the names of the 12 Islamic months?

1- If we were to ask: Where in the Quran do we find the names of the 12 months of the year, we may as well ask: Where in the Quran do we find the names of the 7 days of the week and other similar questions.

It is important here to stress that the Quran is not a calendar that lists the names of the months and days.

God does not give us in the Quran information that is known and available to every person, like the names of the days of the week and the names of the months of the year.

What God gives us in the Quran is all the information we need to practice all the rituals of the religion.

And so, while we do not find a Quranic built-in calendar, we find in the Quran the necessary information needed to identify the exact 4 months designated for Hajj.

2- Before presenting this Quranic information, it is necessary to read the following verses and derive an important truth from them: 

When the angels said, "O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, distinguished in this world and in the Hereafter, and among those brought near. 3:45

When Mary received this news, she said:

She said, "My Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me?" 3:47

The above verses tell us that at that moment in time, Mary had no idea that she would have a son, let alone know what would be the name of her forthcoming son. 

"O Zechariah, We give you good news of a boy whose name is John. We have not given such a name to anyone before." He said, "My Lord, how can I have a boy when my wife is barren, and I have reached a very old age?" 19:7-8

Once again, at that moment in time, Zechariah had no idea that he would have a son and naturally did not know what name his future son would have.

Mary was not the one who called her son Jesus; it was God.

Zechariah was not the one who called his son John, it was God. 

In fact, God is the One who gave everything its name. Our parents may think that they gave us our names, but it was God who inspired every parent the already decreed name.

The following verse provides further conclusive evidence that it was God who gave everything its name: 

And He (God) taught Adam all the names, then presented them to the angels, saying, "Inform Me of the names of these if you are truthful." 2:31

The words "all the names" (that were given to Adam) confirm that the names of all things were already with God and decreed by God, long before things were seemingly named by humans.

It was God who named a tree a tree, and the sky the sky, and so on. It follows that it is also God who gave the months of the Islamic Calendar their names.

And so, it was God who gave the 12th Islamic month Dhu Al-Hijjah its name.

This Arabic name translates to: the (month) of the Hajj.

God called the 12th month of the Islamic calendar the month of the Hajj so that when it comes around people would know that Hajj has started.

So now we know, with Quranic evidence, that the 12th month is the first month of the Hajj. What about the other 3 months of Hajj? Which months of the year are they?

This information is given in the Quran in the following words: 

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

The Arabic word 'insalakha' is of great significance. The literal meaning of this word is 'to peel off' or 'to skin' (as in skinning a snake). The peeling/skinning process is done by removing the skin from one end to the other end in a consecutive motion. The allegorical use of this word in relation to the four "Hurum Months" (9:36) tells us that the four months are consecutive, passing one after the other, and with no break in the middle. 

The verb 'salakha' is also used in 36:37 to the same effect:

And a sign for them is the night: We 'naslakhu' (peel away) the day from it, whereupon they are in darkness. 36:37

The daylight is extracted from the night in a gradual continuing motion with no break in the middle.

To conclude, we now know that the first of the "Hurum Months" is the 12th month of the year (Dhu Al-Hijjah). We also know that the four months of Hajj are consecutive.

Therefore, the months of Hajj are the 12th, 1st, 2nd and 3rd months of the Islamic Calendar.

They are the months of:

- Dhu Al-Hijjah

- Muharram

- Safar

- Rabi Al-Awwal

Debunking False Claims

Although the Quranic information presented above is clear and conclusive, there have been some false claims related to the exact Hurum Months.

Claim 1: Ramadan is one of the Hurum Months

It has been claimed by some scholars that Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, is one of the Hurum Months. This claim can be disproved on two counts:

Evidence 1

Before presenting the first piece of evidence it is necessary to understand the meaning of the words "Hurum Months" as appears in 9:36:

The count of the months with God is twelve. This has been God's decree on the day He created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are Hurum. 9:36

The word "Hurum" is the adjective from the noun "Ihram", and "Ihram" is the state of abstention that is observed by believers during their Hajj.

The "Hurum Months" months are therefore the months during which "Ihram" is observed, or in other words, the months designated for Hajj and which are mentioned in 2:197:

The Hajj is during the known months. 2:197

The following verse speaks of Hajj and Umrah:

And complete the Hajj and Umrah for God. If you are prevented, then make a convenient offering, and do not shave your heads until the offering reaches its destination. And for the one who is ill or suffering a head injury is given the concession of fasting or giving to charity or by observing a worship ritual.And when you are safe and well, those who progress from Umrah to Hajj shall make a convenient offering. And for those who do not find the means, then a fast of three days during the Hajj and seven when you have returned; that is a total of ten. That is for the one whose family does not live near the Masjid Al-Haram. And reverence God and know that God is severe in punishment. 2:196

Let us look closely at the following words:

"for those who do not find the means, then a fast of three days during the Hajj and seven when you have returned"

If Ramadan (9th month in the Islamic calendar) is one of the "Hurum Months", it would be one of the months when people can observe their Hajj. 

A man who goes to observe Hajj during Ramadan would already be fasting because it is Ramadan. Why would God ask him to fast 3 days during Hajj when he is already fasting the whole month? Can we fast the same days twice? This piece of evidence confirms that Ramadan cannot be one of the Hurum Months of Hajj.

Evidence 2

God assures in the Quran that He does not wish to cause the believers any hardship in practising their religion:

And strive in the cause of God with the striving that is due to Him. He has chosen you and has placed no hardship on you in the religion. 22:78

If the 9th month (Ramadan) is one of the months of Hajj, this would cause the believers untold hardship to fast the long hours of the day and at the same time observe the rituals of Hajj which are physically demanding at any time, let alone while fasting!

If God decreed Ramadan to be one of the months of Hajj, this would directly contradict the words we read in 22:78 about "no hardship". Needless to say, God never contradict His words.

Claim 1: The 12th month (Dhu Al-Hijjah) is the last of the 4 "Hurum Months"

One other claim is that the 12th month of the Islamic calendar is the last of the 4 "Hurum Months" of Hajj. This claim is based on an erroneous interpretation of 9:28:

O you who believe, the mushrikeen are nothing but pollution, so they shall not go near the Masjid Al-Haram after this year of theirs. If you fear loss of income, God will enrich you from His favour if He wills. Indeed, God is Knowledgeable, Wise. 9:28

From 9:28, and particularly the words "after this year of theirs", they claim that the end of the Hajj months must coincide with the end of the Islamic year! Thus, they claim that the 12th month of the year is also the last month of Hajj!

As mentioned, some claim that Ramadan is one of the "Hurum Months" while others claim that Ragab (the 7th month) is one of the "Hurum Months."

The words in 9:28 do not say that the 12th month is the last of the "Hurum Months.

What 9:28 says is that the mushrikeen should not come near the Masjid Al-Haram after the Hurum Months of that year. The "Hurum Months" of that year will be their last to approach the Masjid Al-Haram.

To show the error in this claim let us consider the following example:

"I used to smoke in the past, but I stopped smoking completely in July 2008."

- From the above example we can say that the end of my smoking was in the month of July, and also that the end of my smoking was in the year 2008.

However, there is no justification to conclude that since July was the last month of my smoking, and that 2008 was also the last year of my smoking, July must be the last month of the calendar year!

That is the reasoning the proponents of that claim followed. The error is glaring.

In addition, if the 12th month of the year was the last month of Hajj, it would make no sense for God to call that month the "Dhu Al-Hijjah" (the month of Hajj)! The month of Hajj means that month that ushers in the Hajj season.