According to Rahyafte(the missionaries and converts website)In the name of the Inclusively Merciful, the Exclusively Merciful
Written by Zahra Gonzalez
The Goal of the Month of Rajab
The month of Rajab is an opportune time for us to acquire innumerable blessings for this world and the next.
The word Rajab in Arabic means “to respect” or it could also mean “to be in awe and fear”. This glorious month is referred to in the Quran as one of the four months wherein it is “haram” or prohibited to wage war or cause any sort of public insecurity so as not to distract the people from partaking in the wondrous blessings of this month.
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًۭا فِى كِتَـٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ مِنْهَآ أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌۭ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ ۚ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا۟ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۚ وَقَـٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ كَآفَّةًۭ كَمَا يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمْ كَآفَّةًۭ ۚ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
“Surely the reckoning of months, in the sight of Allah, is twelve months, laid down in Allah’s decree on the day when He created the heavens and the earth; and out of these months four are sacred. That is the true ordainment. Do not, therefore, wrong yourselves, with respect to these months.”
(Chapter Tawbah, verse 36)
According to the Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH&F) and the Imams (PBUT) the month of Rajab is the month of Allah. This means that in this month, Allah has assigned certain spiritual opportunities for us to benefit from via religious deeds like fasting, giving charity, and reciting certain supplications and dhikr so that we can cleanse ourselves of our sins and harmful habits and return to our original pure state. Being in this pure state takes us closer to Allah and makes us worthy of His numerous blessings and bounties, that not only benefit us in the next world but also in this world. This cleansed state also prepares us for the other glorious months of Shaban (the month of the Prophet) and Ramadhan (the month of the Muslim Ummah), in which the spiritual peak is reached during Laylatul Ghadr or the Night of Designation at the end of the month of Ramadhan.
The month of Rajab is also referred to as the start of the Spring season because it is the time when we renew ourselves and cleanse our souls of our sins, which in turn allows us to blossom and improve. We can say that the sacred month of Rajab is the start of our annual spiritual journey of self-development and better awareness of our Creator, Allah the all Merciful. Hence, on this sacred and amazing journey we need to plan accordingly so that we receive the full benefits and arrive safely at our destination.
In the next articles, Allah willing, we will look at some of the recommended deeds for the month of Rajab. For, now I pray that all of us can successfully partake in this holy season of development and taqwa (God-consciousness).
Ahadith (traditions) related to the month of Rajab according the Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH&F):
“…Rajab is the month of Allah, Shaban is my month, and Ramadhan is the month of the Ummah….”
رجب شهر الله و شعبان شهری و رمضان شهر امتی
زاد المعاد, جلد۱, صفحه۱۲
When the Prophet was asked about the meaning of “Rajab being the month of Allah”, he responded:
“(Rajab is) Specifically for forgiveness, (and) in which blood is spared, and in which Allah forgives His friends, and in it He rescues them from the hands of their enemies.”
لانه مخصوص بالمغفره، فیه تحقن الدماء و فیه تاب الله علی اولیایه و فیه انقذهم من ید اعدایه
بحار الأنوار, جلد۱۰۴, صفحه۱۲۳
(Part One))
