The Benefits and Virtues of Rajab, the Month of Allah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ الأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ.

Dear Brothers and Sisters …

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred.¹ That is the correct religion [i.e., way], so do not wrong yourselves during them.² And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allah is with the righteous [who fear Him]. (Quran 9: 36)

The above ayah references four sacred months, with Allah (swt) specifically commanding us not to wrong ourselves during them. (We’ll get to this command later!) The Prophet (saw) clarified what these months were in the following hadith:

′Time has come back to its original state which it had when Allah created the Heavens and the Earth; the year is twelve months, four of which are sacred. Three of them are in succession: Dhul-Qa‘dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Al-Muharram and Rajab of Mudar [a title of Rajab], which stands between Jumada (ath-Thani) and Sha‘ban’. [Bukhari]

This year, the sacred month of Rajab  has been started. Allah has chosen Rajab above other months to be sacred, so of course, we must pay special attention to this period and ensure we are aware with its virtues!

let’s take a look at the history and purpose of the sacred months, the virtues of Rajab in particular, and how we can make the most of this time!

The history of the sacred months

Since the beginning of time, fighting has been forbidden during the sacred months. The sequence of the sacred months protected pilgrims to the Ka’bah both before the advent of Islam and during its early days. They were divinely designed to allow pilgrims safe passage to and from Makkah during the Hajj season.

The first virtue of Rajab

Rajab has three main virtues which we will cover in this article. The first of them is that it is the month of Allah.

The Prophet (saw) said, ‘Rajab is the month of Allah, Sha‘ban is my month and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah’. [Suyuti]

Subhan’Allah, this is a great title to be honoured with, and no doubt we should be paying special attention to the month that bears this honour.

The second virtue of Rajab

Rajab was divinely selected for three historic and momentous events:

1. The marriage of the noble parents of the Prophet (saw)
2. Aminah, the noble mother of the Prophet (saw) becoming pregnant with the Best of Creation (saw)
3. The miraculous Night Journey & Rise (Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj), which took place on the 27th night of Rajab, according to the dominant opinion.

SubhanAllah, while most Muslims – rightfully! – give importance to Ramadan as the month in which the Qur’an was revealed, we must not neglect Rajab’s status. Not only was the Prophet (saw) conceived in Rajab, we also received three further divine gifts during Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj:

1. The gift of our five daily prayers, which ground our days in the worship of Allah
2. The last two ayat of Surah Baqarah, of which the Prophet (saw) said, ‘Whoever recites the last two verses of Surah Baqarah in the night, it will suffice him’. [Bukhari]
3. Allah’s gift to the believers: Whoever dies believing in Allah and not associating anything with Him, will enter Paradise. [Nasa’i]

The third virtue of Rajab

Did you know that Rajab is also known as ‘Rajab al-Asabb’ or ‘the Pouring Rajab’? This is because Allah pours His numerous blessings and favours down during this month, as well as His abundant mercy.

Similarly, Rajab is also known as the Month of Tawbah (repentance) and the Month of Istighfar (seeking forgiveness).

I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon our Prophet as your Lord commanded:

Allahumma Sallai Al’a Muahmmad’n wa’aila Muhammad

Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favours – He will increase you therein.  And seek forgiveness from Him – He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him – He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.   

BY IMAM MCCIRLAM MAHBOOB RASOOL