What are the sacred months in Islam?

There are four sacred months in Islam which are Zulkaedah, Zulhijjah, Muharram, and Rejab, during those months all Muslims do their best to stay away from fighting and doing any bad deeds.

The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said:

“The division of time had turned to its original form which was current when Allah created the Heavens and the Earths. The year is of twelve months, out of which four months are sacred: Three are in subsequent Zulkaedah, Zulhijjah, and Muharram, and (the fourth is) Rajab of (the tribe of) Mudar which comes between Jumadith-Thaniyah and Sha’ban.”

(Sahih Al-Bukhari)

From the hadith, we conclude that the sacred months are Zulkaedah, Zulhijjah, Muharram, and Rejab. During the 4 sacred months (in Islam) fighting, battles, and wars are forbidden. Those months were sacred months before Islam came.

What are the sacred months in Islam?

Which month is the most holy month in Islam?

The holiest month in Islam is Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims spend the month worshiping Allah and doing what brings them closer to him. Here are some of the things they do:

•     Recite the Quran:

The Quran was revealed in Ramadan to the prophet Muhammed peace and blessing be upon him. In Ramadan, any good deeds we do are multiplied. When reading each letter in the Quran, the reward is multiplied by ten, which means we will get thousands of rewards.

•     Taraweeh prayers:

One of the famous things about Ramadan is Taraweeh. Taraweeh is prayed after isha whether in the mosque or at home.

The prophet said: “Allah has made Ramadan fasting obligatory. I have made the night prayer (tarawih) Sunnah. He who fasts and observes night prayers believing the virtues and seeking his reward from Allah, He will be saved from his sins as a newborn baby.”

Which is the holiest month in Islam?

•     Remembrance of Allah:

Our duty as Muslims is to worship Allah, in Ramadan, we should remember Allah day and night, Allah says: ”O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance.”

We should always ask Allah for forgiveness, thank him for everything he has given us, for always being there when we are in deep need of help, Allah will always answer our calls.

•     Zakah and charity:

Zakah is one of the things that we should do giving money to the ones in need. Sadaqa and zakah help purify our hearts from greediness, and you should always give it secretly.

It’s recommended that one should pay Zakah in the month of Ramadan. Besides giving Zakah, Sadaqa is a noble act of worship that eliminates the diseases of heart and greediness and it should be given secretly. Make a charity or Sadaqa box and put it on the prominent counter of your house. Set aside some change each day to put in it and encourage your children to do the Allah says about Sadaqa:

“The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn, it grows seven ears and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives a manifold increase to whom He pleases.”

What are the 12 Islamic months called?

In the Islamic calendar, there are 12 months, here is the meaning of Islamic months:

Muḥarram (ٱلْمُحَرَّم):

It is one of the sacred months in Islam, it was called Muharram because fighting, battles, and wars are not allowed during this month.

Ṣafar (صَفَر):

The reason behind its name is that during this month most of the Arab houses were empty as the people tend to go gather food.

Rabī‘ al-awwal (رَبِيع ٱلْأَوَّل):

In English it is called the first spring or graze as in this month cattle were grazed. Also, Muslims celebrate this month because it’s the month when the prophet was born.       

Rabī‘ ath-thānī (رَبِيع ٱلْآخِر):

Jumādá al-ūlá (جُمَادَىٰ ٱلْأُولَىٰ):

The name might be related to the verb “to freeze” because during this time of the year the water would freeze.

What are the 12 months in Arabic?

Jumādá al-ākhirah (جُمَادَىٰ ٱلْآخِرَة).

Rajab (رَجَب):

The second sacred month in the Islamic months where fighting is not permitted. The meaning might be related to the verb “to remove”, because the Arabs used to remove the heads of their spears so that they don’t fight.           

Sha‘bān (شَعْبَان):

At this time of the year, Arabs used to go searching for water. Also, the name might be related to the verb “to be in between two things”. Some other explanations say the reason behind this name is because the month falls between Rajab and Ramaḍān.                

Ramaḍān (رَمَضَان):

During this time of the year, the heat was burning. So, the reason behind the name is the burning heat that causes high temperatures. Ramadan is the month of worshiping Allah; Muslims do all kinds of ibada like reading Quran and praying Taraweeh

Shawwāl (شَوَّال).

Dhū al-Qa‘dah (ذُو ٱلْقَعْدَة):

Another holy month where fighting and battles are forbidden.

Dhū al-Ḥijjah (ذُو ٱلْحِجَّة):

The month of pilgrimage. During this month Muslim pilgrims from all around the world, they go to Mecca to visit the Kaaba   

 

Islamic months in order:

The 12 months of Islam in order are:

•       Muḥarram
•       Ṣafar
•       Rabī‘ al-awwal  
•       Rabī‘ ath-thānī
•       Jumādá al-ūlá
•       Jumādá al-ākhirah
•       Rajab
•       Sha‘bān
•       Ramaḍān
•       Shawwāl
•       Dhū al-Qa‘dah  
•       Dhū al-Ḥijjah

Is Ramadan a sacred month?

The sacred months in Islam are only four months which are Zulkaedah, Zulhijjah, Muharram, and Rejab. As you can see Ramadan is not one of them. However, Ramadan is the most holy month in Islam where Muslims do all kinds of worshiping Allah, doing charity, and staying away from committing any bad deeds.

Sacred months are called sacred because fighting, battles, and wars are not allowed during them. The word sacred is just the English translation of the word Haram, while the meaning of the word sacred in Arabic is Muqaddas which doesn’t have the same meaning as haram.

 

Why are they sacred?

The four months are sacred because Allah said they are. Allah is the one who gives meaning and purpose to everything.

Allah said in the Quran:

“It is He Who made the sun a radiant source and the moon a reflected light, with precisely ordained phases, so that you may know the number of years and calculation ˹of time˺. Allah did not create all this except in truth [for a purpose]. He makes the signs clear for people of knowledge.” (Quran 10: 5)

The word haram or sacred means that no fighting, wars, or battles are allowed, and also Muslims tend to do only good deeds during those four sacred months.

What are the special acts that Muslims do in the sacred months?

What Muslims tend to do is to stay away from committing anything bad and sins, because anything bad is done during the sacred months is much worse. Allah said in the Holy Quran:

“[…] so do not wrong yourselves during them” (Quran 9: 36)

During these months we should try our best to come closer to Allah, and only do good deeds to get rewarded, as everything good we do is doubled.

“…and whoever honors the sacred ordinances of Allah – it is best for him in the sight of his Lord.” (Quran 22: 30)

“…and whoever honors the symbols of Allah, it is certainly out of the piety of the heart.” (Quran 22: 32)

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