Sacred Months of Islam: Do the Deeds Multiply in Them?

Fiqh & its Sciences, Questions & Answers 79 Views

Question:

What are the Sacred Months of Islam? Do good deeds earn extra reward and do sins carry greater punishment during the Four Sacred Months of Islam? If yes, explain with evidence please.

Summary of Answer:

In light of the verse that speaks about the Sacred Months of Islam, together with the evidences indicating that deeds—whether good or bad—carry greater weight when done in times and places that are more virtuous than others, the strongest view appears to be that multiplication of deeds in the sacred months is in quality rather than quantity.

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Answer: Praise be to Allah.

Lets take a look at it in detail:

What are the Sacred Months of Islam?

They are four namely: Rajab, Dhul Qa’dah, Dhul Hijjah, and Muharram. This is affirmed by Quran and numerous narrations from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). ¹

Allah, may He be Exalted, has referred to the sacred months in His Book, saying: “Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve, as ordained by Allah on the day He created the heavens and the earth, of which four are sacred. This is the correct calculation. So do not wrong yourselves during them, and fight the polytheists all together, as they fight you all together. And know that Allah is with those who fear Him.” [At-Tawbah 9:36].

It was narrated from Abu Bakrah, from the Prophet (ﷺ), that he said: “Time has returned to its original order as it was on the day when Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhul-Qa`dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab, the month of Mudar, which comes between Jumada and Shaban.” [Bukhari (4406) and Muslim (1679)]

Why Sacred Months of Islam are called Sacred?

Scholars have held various explanations for why these four are known as the Sacred Months of Islam. It was said that they are called sacred months of Islam due to their special sanctity and the heightened prohibition of sinning during them.

Ali ibn Abi Talhah reported from Ibn Abbas (ra) that Allah The Almighty singled out four months, made them sacred, and made committing sins in them is of severe punishment and made the righteous act and reward in them great.

Kab (ra) said: “Allah chose the time and the most beloved of them for Him are the sacred months. It was also said: “They are called sacred for prohibiting fighting in them and this was well known in the pre-Islamic era. A fourth opinion said: “This was from the time of Ibrahim (Abraham), may Allah exalt his mention.”

As for why these four sacred months of Islam were treated as sacred among the Arabs, it was said that this arrangement provided people a safe window to perform Hajj and Umrah. Thus, Allah made the month of Dhul-Hijjah the time for Hajj, the month of Dhul-Qa`dah as the period in which people would travel to Hajj, and the month of Muharram as the time in which they would return from Hajj—so the pilgrim could feel secure from the moment he leaves his home until he comes back.

Likewise, Allah made Rajab sacred so that Umrah could be performed in the middle of the year, allowing those close to Makkah to undertake Umrah during it.

Are Sins multiplied during these Months in Islam?

With regard to the Sacred Months of Islam, there is no sound, explicit, and unambiguous hadith that clearly states that reward and punishment are multiplied in these months. Rather, what is established is that a number of scholars spoke of multiplication in them, basing that on the divine instruction in which Allah, may He be Exalted, says: {so do not wrong yourselves during them} [At-Tawbah 9:36].

Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his Tafsir (4/128): “{so do not wrong yourselves during them} means: during these sacred months, because sins incur a greater burden at that time than in other months, just as sins in the sacred land are multiplied, because Allah, may He be Exalted, says: {and any who intend to profane it [the Sacred Mosque] by deliberate evildoing, We will cause them to taste a painful penalty} [Al-Hajj 22:25]…

… Similarly, committing sins during a sacred month is more serious, therefore the diyah [blood money for killing or injuring someone] at that time will be greater according to the Shafii madhhab and a number of other scholars. Likewise, the diyah is greater for one who kills or injures another person in the Haram zone, or kills a mahram…

… Then he quoted Qatadah as saying: Oppression and wrongdoing during the sacred month are more serious in nature and incur a greater burden of sin than oppression and wrongdoing at other times, even though wrongdoing in all situations is grievous, but Allah decides what is more serious as He wills”. End quote.

Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “{so do not wrong yourselves during them [the sacred months]} by committing sins, because if Allah, may He be Glorified, decides that something is of great significance for one reason, then it will become sacred at one level, but if he decides that it is significant for two or more reasons, then it becomes more sacred accordingly. Thus He multiplies the punishment for a bad deed done during the sacred months, just as He multiplies the reward for a righteous deed done during them…

… So whoever does an act of worship during the sacred month in the sacred land, his reward will not be like that of one who does an act of worship in an ordinary month in the sacred land; and whoever does an act of worship in an ordinary month in the sacred land, his reward will not be like that of one who does an act of worship in an ordinary month in an ordinary land”. [End quote from Al-Jami` li Ahkam il-Quran, 8/134].

Deeds are Multiplied in Virtuous Places & Times

It is also proven in more than one religious text that the reward for good deeds is multiplied at virtuous times, such as Ramadan and the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, and also in virtuous places, such as al-Masjid al-Haram (in Makkah) and al-Masjid an-Nabawi (in Madinah).

As it says in the authentic hadith that was narrated by Ahmad (4646) and Ibn Majah (1406) from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “One prayer in my mosque is better than one thousand prayers elsewhere, except al-Masjid al-Haram, and one prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram is better than one hundred thousand prayers elsewhere.” [This hadith was classed as authentic (sahih) by al-Mundhiri and al-Busayri. Al-Albani said: Its isnad is sound according to the conditions of al-Bukhari and Muslim]. ²

As for bad deeds, the view of the scholars who examined the issue is that they are not multiplied in terms of quantity, but they are multiplied in terms of quality, meaning that they are regarded as more grievous, because Allah, may He be Exalted, says: {Whoever comes [on the Day of Resurrection] with a good deed will be repaid tenfold, but whoever comes with an evil deed will be recompensed only with the like thereof; and no one will be wronged }[Al-An`am 6:160].

Hence bad deeds are not multiplied in terms of quantity, neither during Ramadan nor in the Haram zone nor otherwise; rather a bad deed is always one in terms of number, and this is by the grace and kindness of Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted.

But a bad deed committed in the Haram zone, a bad deed committed in Ramadan and a bad deed committed in Dhul-Hijjah is regarded as a more grievous sin than one that is committed at other times. So a bad deed committed in Makkah is more grievous, more serious and incurs a greater burden of sin than a bad deed committed in Jeddah or at-Ta’if, for example, and a bad deed committed in Ramadan and a bad deed committed in Dhul-Hijjah are worse and more grievous than a bad deed committed in Sha`ban, and so on.

What reinforces this stern warning against committing bad deeds in the Haram zone, and confirms that committing bad deeds in the Haram zone is grievous and very serious, is the words of Allah, may He be Exalted: {and any who intend to profane it [the Sacred Mosque] by deliberate evildoing, We will cause them to taste a painful penalty} [Al-Hajj 22:25].

So this indicates that committing a bad deed in the Haram zone is grievous, to the extent that even thinking of committing a bad deed in the Haram zone is included in this warning.

If the one who merely thinks of it is given a warning of a painful punishment, then how about the one who actually does it? His sin will surely be greater than merely thinking of doing such a deed. All of this indicates that doing bad deeds in the Haram zone is a very serious matter.

Sayings of Scholars about Deeds in these Months

Shaikh Muhammad al-Amin ash-Shinqiti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Thus we learn that what the ordinary people say, that bad deeds committed in Makkah will be multiplied as good deeds are multiplied, is not correct, because multiplication of bad deeds is not possible at all, because Allah says: {but whoever comes [on the Day of Resurrection] with an evil deed will be recompensed only with the like thereof} [Al-An`am 6:160]. This is a clear Quranic text which states that bad deeds cannot be multiplied …

… But a bad deed committed in the Haram of Makkah, for example, is more grievous, because the bad deed becomes more grievous depending on the significance of the time or place in which it is done. And when the sin is more grievous, the punishment for it will be more severe, because the punishment matches the sin; if the sin is more grievous, the punishment will be greater, and if the sin is less grievous, then the punishment will be less …

… Thus the more severe punishment is because the sin is more grievous, and the severity of the punishment is connected to how grievous the sin is; it is not because of the sin being multiplied, because bad deeds cannot be multiplied, but they may be more grievous and more serious in some times than others, and in some places than others …

… Hence Allah says regarding the Haram of Makkah: {and any who intend to profane it [the Sacred Mosque] by deliberate evildoing, We will cause them to taste a painful penalty } [Al-Hajj 22:25]. And He says regarding the sacred months: {so do not wrong yourselves during them} [At-Tawbah 9:36], even though wronging oneself at other times is also prohibited. [End quote from Al-Adhb al-Munir, 2/612].

Shaikh Muhammad ibn Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The multiplication of a sin committed in Makkah is not in terms of quantity; rather it is multiplied in terms of quality, meaning that the punishment will be more severe and painful. The evidence that they cannot be multiplied in quantity is the verse in which Allah, may He be Exalted, says: {Whoever comes [on the Day of Resurrection] with a good deed will be repaid tenfold, but whoever comes with an evil deed will be recompensed only with the like thereof; and no one will be wronged} [Al-An`am 6:160] …

… This verse is Makkan [revealed before the Hijrah], because it is in Surat al-An`am, but as Allah, may He be Exalted, says: {As for those who disbelieve and bar [people] from the path of Allah and from the Sacred Mosque – which We have made for all people, residents and visitors alike – and any who intend to profane it by deliberate evildoing, We will cause them to taste a painful penalty} [Al-Hajj 22:25] …

… What is meant is that the punishment for the sin committed in Makkah will be more severe and painful than the punishment if this sin is committed outside Makkah. This is a stern warning against committing sins in Makkah”. [End quote from Majmu` Fatawa ash-Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymin, 20/169].

Shaikh As-Sa`di (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his Tafsir (p. 536): “Merely intending to do wrong or commit profane acts in the sanctuary makes punishment inevitable, although in other cases a person will not be punished unless he actually does the wrong deed.” End quote.

Shaikh Bin Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) also said in one of his answers posted on the website “الموقع الرسمي لسماحة الشيخ الإمام ابن باز”: “The shari proofs indicate that good deeds are multiplied in virtuous times and virtuous places, such as Ramadan and the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. As for virtuous places, such as the Two Sacred Mosques, good deeds are multiplied in Makkah and Madinah many times over …” ³

Conclusion

In light of the verse that speaks about the Sacred Months of Islam, together with the evidences indicating that deeds—whether good or bad—carry greater weight when done in times and places that are more virtuous than others, the strongest view appears to be that multiplication in the sacred months is in quality rather than quantity.

In other words, a righteous deed performed during these months is more significant than the same deed performed at times that are not sacred, and a sin committed during these months is more serious than a sin committed outside them.

Wallahualam (and Allah knows best)!

Footnotes:

  1. [Refer: Tafsir at-Tabari, 11/440]
  2. [End quote from Irwa’ al-Ghalil, 4/146]
  3. [Refer: Majmu Fatawa wa Maqalat ash-Shaykh Ibn Baz, 3/388]