The Month of Rajab

Praise be to Allaah Who says:

And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses (Al-Qasas 28:68)

The attribute of choosing or selecting is indicative of His Lordship and Oneness, and of the perfection of
His Wisdom, Knowledge and Power.One aspect of His choosing and preferring is the fact that He has
chosen some days and months and given them preference over others.

Among the months, Allaah has chosen four which He has made sacred, as He says:

Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so it was ordained by Allah
on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth: of them four are Sacred. That is the right
religion, so wrong not yourselves therein (Al-Tawbah 9:36)

The Sacred Months are mentioned by implication in the Quraan, but their names are not given. Their
names are mentioned in the Sunnah: It was reported from Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave his Farewell Sermon and
said: Time has completed its cycle and is as it was on the Day when Allaah created the heavens
and the earth. The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred, three consecutive months
Dhool-Qadah, Dhool-Hijjah and Muharram and the Rajab of Mudar which comes between
Jumaada and Shabaan. (Reported by al-Bukhaari & Muslim).

Rajab is a sacred month

The Sacred months have a special status, which applies also to Rajab because it is one of these sacred
months. Allaah says:

O you who believe! Violate not the sanctity of the Symbols of Allah, not of the Sacred Month
(Al-Maaidah 5:2)

This means: Do not violate their sanctity which Allaah has commanded you to respect and forbidden you
to violate, for this prohibition includes both vile deeds and vile beliefs.

Allaah says:so wrong not yourselves therein [al-Tawbah 9:36] meaning, in the Sacred Months.
The pronoun here [translated here as therein] refers to these four sacred months, as stated by the
Imaam of the Mufassireen, Ibn Jareer al-Tabari (may Allaah have mercy on him).
So we should pay attention to the sanctity of these four months, because Allaah has singled them out for
a special status and has forbidden us to commit sins out of respect for their sanctity, for sins committed
at this time are even worse, because of the sanctity of the time which Allaah has made sacred.

Hence in the aayah quoted above, Allaah has forbidden us to wrong ourselves even though this i.e.,
wronging ourselves, which includes committing sins is forbidden during all the months of the year.

Rajab and Mairaj

Indeed, one night the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi Wassallam) was granted the Night Journey of al-Israa
wal Miraaj, when he was first transported from Masjid al-Haraam to Masjid al-Aqsa and then onwards,
he ascended to the Heavens and Allaah spoke to him as He willed, and enjoined the five daily prayers
upon him.

This is definitely part of our Aqeedah. It says so in the Quraan [al-Isra':1] and there is no denying that
fact.

The Big Question.What did the Prophet do?

However, the big question to ask is.

What did the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi Wassallam) do when the same day arrived the next year? Or
the year after that? Or the year after that?

Did he EVER celebrate the night of al-Israa wal Miraaj, or fast the next day???

And what did he instruct the Sahaabah to do about his Night Journey?

Did he tell them to celebrate that night as a special night for worshipping Allaah?

Did he tell them to specifically fast the next day because it was the day after the Journey?

And what were the actions of the Sahaabah themselves?

Did THEY do any of the above??

A Big Resounding NO!

The answer to all of the above is a big resounding NO! Surely the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi
Wassallam) did not omit or forget anything in the deen! Surely he did not hide anything from mankind!

The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi Wassallam) said, There is nothing that brings you closer to Jannah
except that I have informed you about it and there is nothing that brings you closer to the fire of Hell
except that I have warned you against it. (at-TabaraaniSaheeh) Then why do we not have ANY
Saheeh reports of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi Wassallam) or the Sahaabah worshipping Allaah
especially on this night and fasting the next day?

ANSWER: BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT THE PRACTICE OF RASUL ALLAAH (Sal Allaahu Alaihi
Wassallam) OR HIS SAHAABAH! If celebrating it was something that is prescribed in Islam, the
Messenger (Sal Allaahu Alaihi Wassallam) would certainly have told his ummah about it, either in word
or in deed. If any such thing had happened, it would have been well known, and his companions would
have transmitted the information to us. They narrated from the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi Wassallam)
everything that we need to know, and they did not neglect any aspect of the religion, rather they were the
first ones to do anything good. If celebrating this night had been prescribed in Islam, they would have
been the first people to do so. And if it wasnt the practice of our Beloved Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi
Wassallam) or his Sahaabah, then, why, O Muslim, do YOU insist on doing it??? Isnt the Prophet (Sal
Allaahu Alaihi Wassallam) the best example to be followed?

In the Messenger of Allah you have a fine example for he who hopes for Allah and the Last Day
and remembers Allah abundantly. (Surah al-Ahzaab :21)

But Everyone Does So?

Sure, I know, you have seen your fathers and grandfathers doing so. But, let me remind you, O Muslim,
that it is NOT our forefathers that we are supposed to follow. Rather, our worship should be based on
proofs from the Quraan and authentic Sunnah, and NOT culture or tradition. When it is said to them:

Follow what Allah has sent down, they reply: We will follow that which we found our fathers
upon, even though their fathers did not understand anything nor were they guided. (Surah al-
Baqarah: 170)

Is Good Intention Enough?

I know beyond doubt, that in celebrating this night, your intention is good. But dear brother/sister, in order
for our worship to be accepted, it also has to be prescribed in the Quraan and Sunnah. If it is not so, it
will be rejected.

The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi Wassallam) said:

Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected
(Bukhari, Muslim)
Exact Date Unknown?
Also, do you know that even though the incidence of al-Israa wal Miraaj is an undeniable fact in history,
yet the exact date or even the exact month in which this took place is not certain?

Shaykh Abd al-Azeez ibn Baaz said: With regard to this night on which the Isra and Miraaj took place,
there is nothing in the saheeh ahaadeeth to indicate that it is in Rajab or in any other month. Everything
that has been narrated concerning a specific date for these events cannot be proven to have come from
the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi Wassallam) according to the scholars of hadeeth. (Islam-qa)

But, Whats The Harm In It???

Now, some of you will say, Whats the harm in it? I am just worshipping Allah!

But, the answer to that, O noble reader, is.. And whosoever opposes the Messenger
(Muhammad Sal Allaahu Alaihi Wassallam) after the right path has been shown clearly to him,
and follows other than the believers way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn
him in Hell what an evil destination! [Surah an-Nisaa:115]

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen says: Fasting on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and spending that night in prayer
is a bidah (innovation), and every bidah is a going astray. (Majmoo Fataawa , 20/440)

A Reminder
So, remember, my dear brothers and sisters in Islaam, DO NOT single out the 27th for your worship
because it was NOT the practice of the Prophet OR his Sahaabah. If however, you pray every single
night and it is part of your routine to stay up for worship, then there is no harm. Similarly, if you are in the
habit of fasting Mondays and Thursdays, or during Ayyaam Beed (the 13th, 14th, and 15th of every
Islaamic month), and the 27th of Rajab falls on one of those days, then it is OK to do so. The problem
arises when one thinks that this night is special and singles out this night or day for worship, thinking they
are getting extra reward for their worship. But this is contrary to the Sunnah.

Deen is complete
We have no right ot add or remove anything from it..........

This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have
chosen for you Islam as your religion (Al-Maaidah 5:3)