In The Name Of Allah The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful

THE FOUR SACRED MONTHS IN
THE SIGHT OF ALLAH

In the Name of Allah: No Assistance except from Him. Our praise to Allah: No Gratitude except for Him. Glories to you my Lord: You created me and I am in full obedience to your command. I hold my covenant to You by whatever is in my power. I bear witness that there is no Deity except Allah. I send my prayers and greetings to the best among all creatures Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Messenger of peace who received the last message of the heavens to guide the worlds and delivered Allah's Integrated Legislation and Wisdom in a perfect manner.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, I greet you by the greeting of Islam: Asslamu Alikum Wa Rahmetu Allah Wa Barakath:

We will exercise our tradition of breaking the series of Khutbas related to "Misconceptions about Islam and the true religions" whenever there is an Islamic occasion. My Khutba today Inshaa Allah will cover some thoughts about the sacred months in the sight of Allah.

The Islamic calendar, as we know, assigns four sacred Months every year, these are the months of Rajab, Zulqeda, Zul Hejja and Muharram. The month of Rajab this year (The 1417th) will start on Wednesday the 13th of November.

Allah Says in Sura # 9 At-Tauba Verse # 36:

"The number of months in the Sight of Allah is twelve (in a year)- So Ordained by Him The day He Created the heavens and the earth; Of them four are sacred: That is the right religion So wrong not yourselves therein."

When Almighty Allah Created Mankind to be the vicegerent on earth, He, Almighty, Prepared before hand the whole global system in a perfect and wise manner to suit the life of His Vicegerent. Allah Estimated and Prepared the sustenance of mankind and Designed the sun, the moon and all the other stars in an accurate circulation to pay off the light, heat and rain necessary for human's life and all the other creations serving mankind until the Day of Judgment. That accurate system was created before the creation of the vicegerent who will act and react with that global system. The activities of mankind need time and space synchronized with an accurate system Subjugated to Allah. That represents one side of the needs suitable to the vicegerent on earth, that is, the sustenance. The other need represents the values and ethics necessary to lead human's life. These values are intended to make harmony among the activities of humans. Without ethics the activities of mankind on the globe would oppose each others leading to disorder and corruption. Some are building for the welfare and happiness of others, while other groups are spoiling what is built. So, values are intended to make harmony and support mankind because it originates from one legislator. If these principles and ethics have different sources, they will lead to opposition and confrontation among humans, that is why Allah Says in Sura # 23, Al-Muminun, Verse # 71:

"If the Truth (Allah) Had Been In accord with their desires, truly the heavens and the earth, and all beings therein Would have been in ruin."

So: Allah the Creator of the vicegerent in that huge globe Secures peace and tranquility among His Creations: based on their commitment to the use of materialistic resources in the frame of the principles and ethics ordained to them. At that extent, there will be permanent and comprehensive peace accommodating the human: with himself, with other humans, with other creatures and with Almighty Allah.

But, mankind who was created free to choose between what Allah Declared to him of righteousness and evil may obey or disobey the values and ethics of his Creator. For that, Allah Secured Power among humans to face the corruption on earth. So, fighting becomes a necessity in the globe as long as mankind has the capability to choose between the alternatives and may violate the rights of others. All creations except humans have no choice and accordingly no legislation: The sun, the moon and the rain are all subjugated to the Will of Almighty Allah. The Power secured by Allah to guard the different choices is represented by certain people who oppose the wrongdoers to bring them back to the righteous track. The activities of the wrongdoers occur in both: time and land (space). That is why Almighty Allah Made restrictions to oppose the wrongdoers. For the time, Allah Made sacred months to be an obligatory time of peace. And for the land, Allah Made sacred places to stop the fight inside its spaces. The two elements of time and space are Made by Allah as a shelter for mankind to hide his ego. A person may be involved in fighting with others, that fight may be a huge burden on both, but under the charge of pride and arrogance, they insist on long fights, so that neither party will show weakness to the other. Out of the Mercy of Allah, some months and places are ordained sacred against fighting. Each of the opponents, individuals or tribes will stop the fighting as followers to the Commands of Their Creator.

If humans follow the Legislation of Almighty Allah, they will get better opportunities in life. They may reconsider the causes of the dispute and get back to their sense and stop conflicting forever. Both parties will enjoy and live by the means of sustenance Created by Their Lord and left open for mankind to use and get benefit of. Allah Commanded not the sun to rise or the rain to fall only on the believers. Allah Left all means of life open for the believers and nonbelievers without discriminations in the worldly life. Moreover, Almighty Allah Left for mankind whatever they like to follow to count their days and months of the year that suit their business. They may use the solar or the Coptic systems for industry, cultivation or any other for industry, cultivation or any other business. But when it comes to principles and ethics, Revealed by Allah through His Messengers, Allah Specifies the times suitable for the vicegerent to live in peace.

So, the days and months in the sight of mankind are suitable for one side of their living, that is the materialistic one. The plants growing in winter or spring are the same every year; the merchandize and commodities distributed in summer are consistent. But the days and months in the Sight of Allah are those suitable for the values and ethics among humans. Allah Ordained times for the five prayers per day, a special time for Friday congregation, a special complete month for fasting, a special day for pilgrimage and special months as sacred. Each has its time and its wisdom at the Creator of the whole globe and the Legislator of the ethics and principles. Humans are not allowed to interchange or deviate these specific times.

Ask Allah forgiveness and be sure that He, Almighty Will Respond and Reward you.

Praise be to Allah:

"Who Forgiveth Sin, Accepteth Repentance, Is Severe in Punishment, and Is all-Bountiful. There is no god But He: to Him Is the Final Goal."(40-3)

I ask Allah to shower His Peace and Prayers on Prophet Muhammad, his family and all his companions.

Dear Muslims:

In the creation of time, Allah Made its unit as the day, the bigger unit as the month and the biggest as the year. He, Almighty Created the sun to indicate the day. You can't recognize the beginning and end of the day by the moon. So, the sun was assigned for that Mission. But, using the sun, you can't determine the beginning and end of the month. The sun is always in a circular consistent form. The moon was created in a certain size and orbit to appear in different sizes, from a small crescent at the beginning of the month to a full moon at nearly the middle of the month and decreasing back to the end of the month. So, the moon reserved the mission of defining the beginning and end of the month.

If we try to reflect on why Allah Assigned these missions for the sun and moon, we will find that it is related to the Absolute Just of Allah. Examine the time of the Hajj or the month of Fasting, you will find that Allah Rotates the Lunar (Islamic Calendar) along the Solar Calendar. The Islamic calendar is less than the solar one by about 11 days. So, fasting and Hajj for certain people in a certain place will be shifted every year. After about 33 years it starts another round. So, the people in a certain city will not fast every year in summer or in winter. They will not change their climate to the climate of Hajj at the same differences. But, it will be always rotating.

If you examine the five times of prayers allover the globe, you will find that the time of your dawn prayers coincides with the time of Zuhr in another place and the time of Asr, Magrib or Isha in other places. Moreover, a person may recite the "Azan" saying: "Allah Akbar" here. While another person may be saying: "Ashhadu ala Illah Ila Allah" in another city, "Ashhadu an Mohammedan Rasulu Allah", in a third city, "Hay ala Al Salah" in a forth city and so on allover the globe. So that: Allah Will Be Worshiped allover at all times and places, in all times of prayers.

One of the miracles of the Quraan is the accurate calculation of the months of the years which are tied to the moon. Nowadays, the most accurate calculations could not find better than the lunar calendar. That is why all the calculations of the navy depend only on the lunar calendar. The other calendars differ one or half a day every year. It is out of the Mercy of Allah that: He Subjugates even the nonbelievers to recognize that fact and calculate the Lunar calendar for the whole year round. So that Muslims would get benefit of these calculations in considering the beginning and end of the Islamic months.

Some of those who try to build the doubt in the minds of Muslims, claim that some of the Verses of the Quraan are contradicting. As an example they say that : Allah Says in the same Quraan:

In Sura # 73, Al Muzzammil Verse # 9, Allah Says:

"(He Is) Lord of the East And the West: there is No god but He: Take Him therefore For (thy) Disposer of Affairs."

In Sura # 55 Ar-Rahman , Verse # 17, Allah Says:

"(He Is) Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests."

And In Sura # 70 Al-Maarij , Verse # 40, Allah Says:

"Now I do call to witness the Lord of all points in the East and the West."

As we know, the Quraan was revealed more than 1400 years ago and contained a miracle that it will reveal some of the secrets of the global system every year until the Day of Judgment. When Allah Says: He Is the Lord of the East and the west: That is understandable to any person observing the sun rise and sunset. When people studied more about the global system of the sun, they learned that for every sunrise there is a corresponding sunset on the other side of the Earth, which matches: the Lord of the two Easts and the two Wests. Scientists explored also the partial divisions of the East and the West and there locations with respect to the North and the South; that matches what Allah stated about the multitude of points of the East and the corresponding points on the West at the other side of the East.

The last issue today is related to the name of the four sacred Months. Allah Stated that, He Almighty Assigned four sacred months in the whole year, but He, Almighty Defined not the four months by name. That was left to the Sunnah, where the Prophet (PBUH) named them clearly as I stated at the beginning of the Khutba. That makes it clear as: The First Legislator is Almighty Allah, and Appointed Legislator by Allah is Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who is the only Messenger Recommended by Allah to make legislation.

I hope and pray that we learn more about our religion, understand its regulations and speak out about its teachings to our families and friends.

I will pray and ask Allah, Please say Amen