Today is the 11th day of Rajab in the running hijrah year, 1446AH. Rajab is the seventh month and one of the four months in the Islamic lunar calendar declared by Allah in Qur’an 2:194 and Qur’an 2:217 as sacred. During these sacred months, fighting is prohibited. The other three sacred months are Muharram, Dhul Qa’dah and Dhul Hajj. Allah states in Quran 2:217 “When they ask thee concerning fighting in the prohibited month, say: fighting therein is a grave (offence) …” These months have been classified as sacred for two reasons. First, because of the prohibition on fighting during them; and second, because transgressing the sacred limits in the months is more grievous than at other times.
The Arabic word/verb “rajaba” literary means “to hold something in awe.” It is stated that this month, Rajab, is named so because of the high esteem in which it is held. Some of the reasons that account for Rajab’s being a sacred month include being the month in which the marriage of the parents of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was conducted as well as the month in which Aminah, the mother of the Prophet (SAW) conceived. The sacredness of Rajab is also owed to the divine journey and ascension (called “Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj” in Islamic literature), which according to dominant views, took place on the 27th night of Rajab. It was during this voyage that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) received the five daily prayers as a compulsory act of worship; making it the second pillar of Islam.
Abu Hurayrah (RA) reports that the months in which the Prophet (SAW) fasted beside Ramadan are the months of Rajab and Sha’aban. Both Bukhari and Muslim report that there is a river in the paradise, which is whiter than milk and has a taste that is sweeter than honey. This river is preserved for believers who fast for at least a day in the month of Rajab. The first Caliph of Islam, Abubakar as-Sadiq (RA) said that when it is three days in to the month of Rajab, all angels would gather at the holy Ka’abah in Makkah. Allah would ask them of their request and they would plead with Allah to forgive those who fasted in the month of Rajab. Allah in His infinite mercy would grant their request.
Aisha (RA), wife of the Prophet (SAW) reports that the Prophet (SAW) said, “Every soul would be hungry on the Day of Judgment except prophets, their families and believers who fasted in the month of Rajab, Sha’aban and Ramadan. The Prophet (SAW) declared that while Rajab is Allah’s sacred month, Sha’aban is my sacred month and Ramadan is the holy month for my ummah.” Rajab should be seen as a month that marks the preparations for Ramadan fast.
Acts of worship including voluntary fast are encouraged by the sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) to be observed in Rajab. It is reported that on the Day of Judgment, a voice would call upon those who fasted for some days in Rajab to follow a light that would lead them across the Sirat bridge at the speed of light. Such people would neither be hungry nor thirsty. Allah would say to them, “O you who spent your Rajab days in fasting and prostrations! Walk in to your respective residences in al-Jannah”.
One of the prophet’s companions, Thaubaan, reports that they were once passing by a cemetery in company of the Prophet (SAW) and he suddenly stopped and shed tears. When I asked the Prophet about the matter, he (SAW) explained that occupants of some of the graves were being punished in their graves. That was why he stopped and prayed to Allah (SWT) to lighten the punishment for them. The Prophet (SAW) further said that if those who were being punished in their graves had fasted even for a day in Rajab, and kept at least a night for worship in the same month, they wouldn’t have witnessed punishment in their graves. May Allah give us the ability to observe some days of fast in this holy month of Rajab.
It is reported on the authority of Annas bn Malik that the Prophet (SAW) said, “Whoever offers twenty raka’ats of nafilat prayers after observing the Maghrib obligatory prayer on any day within the month of Rajab shall be protected by Allah against the calamities of this world and from the punishment of the grave. As nsfilat prayers, the twenty raka’ats shall have a total of ten pronouncements of the termination of prayer (taslim), which means a taslim would be made after every pair of raka’ats.
Ramadan is less than 60 days from today. It is important that we start preparing for it, spiritually and psychologically, right from now. Let’s begin by recalling whatever we consider to be our spiritual inadequacies in last year’s Ramadan. We could then proceed to suggest to ourselves possible ways of remedying or forestalling such deficiencies which, for example, could be in the number of hours devoted to worship during the day or at night. Let the planning start from now before Ramadan arrives as if it came at short notice.
Meanwhile, let’s take advantage of the sacredness of Rajab to seek forgiveness of our deliberate and accidental sins. Aside of seeking forgiveness with the tongue, let’s also use our wealth to ask Allah for forgiveness. The Prophet (SAW) said, ‘Charity extinguishes sins just as water extinguishes fire.” May Allah grant us the blessings in Rajab and reward all our acts of ibadah in this sacred month, amin.
