Translation
The number of months established by God since the creation of the solar system [heaven and earth] is twelve months of which four have been designated as sacred. This is the proper discourse and do not cause injustice to yourselves by denial of this arrangement. Exert with unity against the polytheists as they fight you (first)in unity. You should know that God is always with those who act responsibly.
Tempering [Nasi’u—intercalation] with (this established arrangement) is another instance of their increasing disbelief whereby those who disbelieve move farther away from guidance. Such arbitrary intercalation or adjustments, while might give semblance to observing the months made sacred by God, end up making a month not sacred while God had made it sacred. They find justification to such arrangements in their mind while God does not guide such acts of people who persistently deny God’s grace (and truth). 431
Interpretation
431 Two different aspects of our calendars and practices by the Arabs at the time are brought into question here, thereby giving us another instance where God comes down to the level of details that regulates our lives, our worships, and our trade to support our livelihood. This gives the impetus for us to think deeply about details that matter while also cautioning in other places (see 2:108), not to ask or delve into too many details when it does not matter, or such details might be too constraining. The lunar calendar contains twelve months in a year, as defined by moon’s rotation around the earth (twenty-nine to thirty days in each month), and the twelve months in the Julian (or Gregorian) calendar are defined by the rotation of the Earth around the sun (thirty to thirty-one days each month), with a leap year every fourth year, when a day is added to keep the relative position of each month on the solar calendar. The lunar year is eleven days shorter than the solar year (354 days versus 365 days), and as such, each lunar month starts eleven days earlier compared to the solar month of the following year. It should be noted that historical evidence suggests that the Julian calendar was started by Julius Caesar around AD 46, and the Gregorian calendar was started by Pope Gregory XIII around 1582, while the Islamic calendar (lunar based) was started based on the year 622, when Prophet Mohammad migrated to Madinah from Makkah, and was put into practice by Khalif Omar in 639. The Chinese calendar, which is a combination of lunar and solar (soniolunar), was introduced more than 4,700 years ago.
One of the important aspects of the practices in Arabia at the time, and in accordance with the lunar calendar in use, was that four months in the year (Dhul Qadah—the eleventh month; Dhul Hajjah—the twelfth month; Muharram—the first month; and Rajab—the seventh month) were considered special or sacred, when all forms of violence were considered forbidden. Arabs prior to Islam in general respected such prohibitions but would exchange the first month with the second month arbitrarily, and when it seemed convenient to the dominant party or tribe when it came to peace or conflicts and with respect to trade. Since the pilgrimage to Kabah was the main source of income and trade, they would add an extra month to make Dhul Hajjah, the month for the annual pilgrimage, fall on a narrow range of seasonal (according to the solar calendar) variations rather than rotate through all seasons in thirty-plus years.
The Qur’an condemns both practices as antithetical to maintaining the sacredness of the months as prescribed and understood by all and also the fluidity of the months and religious practices across all seasons. The first is obviously interfering with the definition of sacredness that has been associated with these four months and the corresponding commitment to refrain from violence and harm that human societies seem consumed by at times of conflicts and discord. It would be good and inspirational to bring back that practice and declare these four months by Muslims (OIC countries) by the UN and other international bodies each year so that all forms of conflicts and discord take a pause, and they would try to resolve those in these four months in a peaceful manner.
With respect to the practice of intercalation, whereby a month is added to make the lunar calendar more aligned with the solar calendar, it is a practice that has been introduced and followed by Jews and Christians over the years to have specific rituals such as Christmas or Easter or Yom Kippur or Passover fall roughly on the same time of the solar calendar. But Muslims have resisted such trends and continue to follow the lunar calendar since the inception of such rituals, such as fasting during the month of Ramadan and the annual pilgrimage and the associated two major celebrations, or Eids (Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha), as commonly known celebrations of fasting or charity and celebrations of sacrifice.
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REFLECTION
The notion of four months out of the twelve months in a year being sacred and devoid of any violence and evil is a stark reminder about the plan of God for human societies. While acknowledging that conflicts and discords are part of human condition, it does not have to become a norm, as was evident in the constant tribal warfare in the days of the Prophet and perhaps throughout human history. The world today, where millions of people are displaced and are refugees around the world, and violence against innocent civilian, has seen this become a common occurrence, not only in war zones, internal conflicts, and terrorism, but also in societies due to political corruption, organized crimes, family violence against women and children, and racial and ethnic intolerance.
ACTION
Perhaps it is time for the world to declare four months out of the year to be free of violence and conflicts so that we can create a breathing space and condition to reconcile our differences. Muslim countries should be the first to make such commitments since they all claim to follow the Qur’anic principles for truth and justice. Eventually we need to encourage all societies to adopt this, even if not driven by faith but by goodness alone.
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Key Arabic Term
126. Nasi’u (arbitrary tempering with sacred month or intercalation)