Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh Dear Brother,

 

Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.

 

Dhul Qa’dah is the 11th month of the Hijri or Islamic calendar, and along with Rajab (7), Dhul Hijjah (12), and Muharram (1), is one of the 4 sacred months in which no fighting or warfare may be undertaken:

 

“Behold, the number of months, in the sight of God, is twelve months, (laid down) in God’s decree on the day when He created the heavens and the earth; (and) out of these, four are sacred: this is the ever-true law (of God). Do not, then, sin against yourselves with regard to these (months).

And fight against those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God, all together-just as they fight against you, (O believers) all together – and know that God is with those who are conscious of Him.

Nasi’ (postponement of months) is nothing but a further excess in infidelity, whereby the disbelievers are misguided. They allow it one year and disallow it another year, so that they may conform (only) to the number of what God has sanctified, and allow what God has disallowed.

The evil of their deeds has been beautified for them (by Satan). And God does not lead the disbelieving people to the right path.” [Chapter 9 (Tauba), verse 36-37]

 

In these verses we are informed as well that the practice of “Nasi’” or intercalation is forbidden.

 

Intercalation, with respect to calendars, is the practice of addition of days, or postponement of days or months to suit some need of the people to either keep the months coinciding with the seasons of the year (spring, summer, autumn, winter) or to exert religious or political influence over others.

 

A modern day example would be the addition of February 29 in leap years to compensate for the extra ¼ day that is part of the solar calendar.

 

Every 4 years the earth falls short of reaching the same point in its revolutions around the sun, and if left unchecked, would result in the 12 solar months slowly shifting through the seasons as do the months in the Islamic calendar.

 

So the result would be that December would eventually fall in the summer and June would fall in the winter over a long period of time. The desire to keep months in their seasonal place may be linked to pagan religious practices and the importance of months being associated with certain times of the year.

 

With respect to specific religious observances in Dhul Qa’dah, I am not aware of anything more religious than avoiding war and conflict. Dhul Qa’dah is a time when people are preparing for embarking on Hajj.

 

Many actually leave their homes at this time on their journeys to Makkah, so to engage in disputes, conflict or war would not be conducive to pious practices and preparing to visit the House of God.

 

Likewise the month of pilgrimage, Dhul Hijjah, and the month where people are traditionally returning to their
homes after the Hajj, Muharram are times of great reflection on one’s blessings from God and starting their lives with a clean slate.