Rajab

Rajab (Arabic: رَجَب) is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The lexical definition of the classical Arabic verb rajaba is "to respect",[1] which could also mean "be awe or be in fear", of which Rajab is a derivative.

This article is about the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. For other uses, see Rajab (disambiguation).
Rajab
Isra and Mi'raj
Native nameرَجَب (Arabic)
CalendarIslamic calendar
Month number7
Number of days29-30 (depends on actual observation of the moon's crescent)
Significant daysIsra and Mi'raj
Islamic calendar
Months
  1. Muharram
  2. Safar
  3. Rabi' al-Awwal
  4. Rabi' al-Thani
  5. Jumada al-Awwal
  6. Jumada al-Thani
  7. Rajab
  8. Sha'ban
  9. Ramadan
  10. Shawwal
  11. Dhu al-Qadah
  12. Dhu al-Hijjah

This month is regarded as one of the four sacred months (including Muharram, Dhu al-Qadah and Dhu al-Hijjah) in Islam in which battles are prohibited. The pre-Islamic Arabs also considered warfare to be blasphemous during these four months.[1]

Muslims believe Rajab is the month in which ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, the fourth Rashidun caliph, was born.

Rajab is also the month during which Isra and Mi'raj (Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then through the seven Heavens) took place.

Rajab and Shaʿbān are a prelude to the holy month of Ramaḍān.

Description

The word "Rajab" came from rajūb (رجوب), the sense of veneration or glorification, and Rajab was also formerly called Mudhar because the tribe of Mudhar did not change it but rather expected its time to be different than the rest of the Arabs, who changed and altered the months according to the state of war.

The name of Rajab literally means respected, regarded, and admired. It seems that the word is originally a Semitic one. There are two important events during the month, namely the birthday of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muhammad's first revelation in Shia tradition. Also, war is forbidden during Rajab. There are other names for the month, such as Rajab Al-Morrajjab, Rajab Al-Asab, and Rajab Sharif.

For Shia

The Shi'a believe that the month has many virtues. According to some narrations, Rajab belongs to Ali, while Shaban is for Muhammad. Musa al-Kadhim (the seventh Shia imam) narrated that Rajab is like a river in heaven that is whiter and sweeter than honey.

Timing

The Islamic calendar is a purely lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the lunar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Rajab migrates throughout the seasons. The estimated start and end dates for Rajab, based on the Umm al-Qura of Saudi Arabia, are:[2]

Rajab dates between 2021 and 2025
AH First day (CE/AD) Last day (CE/AD)
1442 13 February 2021 13 March 2021
1443 02 February 2022 03 March 2022
1444 23 January 2023 20 February 2023
1445 13 January 2024 10 February 2024
1446 01 January 2025 30 January 2025

Events

Births

Deaths

References
  1. Günay, H.Mehmet (2007). RECEB- An article published in 34th volume of Turkish Encyclopedia of Islam (in Turkish). Vol. 34 (Osmanpazari - Resuldar). Istanbul: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi. pp. 506–507. ISBN 978-97-53-89456-2. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  2. Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia
  3. TDV Encyclopedia of Islam: Vol.36 (2009), p.339
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.