The Reward For Good Deeds & the Consequence of Bad Deeds During The Sacred Months ( الأشهر الحرم )

 

Regarding the Tafseer of the saying of Allaah, The Most High:

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ ۚ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنْفُسَكُمْ ۚ وَقَاتِلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ كَافَّةً كَمَا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ كَافَّةً ۚ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ

((Indeed, the number of months with Allaah is twelve [lunar] months in The Book of Allaah [in His ordained rulings] as of the day He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves therein. And fight against the polytheists collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allaah is with the Muttaqeen [the fearful and dutiful ones to Him].)) (At-Tawbah: 36)

 

Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer (rahimahullaah) said:

فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنْفُسَكُمْ

((so do not wrong yourselves therein))

 

meaning: in these sacred months[1] – because they are more emphatic and are graver in sin than in other than them. Just as committing sins in the Balad Al-Haraam (Sacred land) is multiplied manifold due to His saying The Most High:

وَمَنْ يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

((and whoever intends [a deed] therein of deviation [in religion] or wrongdoing – We shall cause him to taste a painful punishment.)) (Al-Hajj: 25)

 

Likewise committing sins during the Sacred Month are coarsely dire (of more serious consequence), and it is for this reason that the payment of blood money within it is more dire in the Shaafi’ee Madhab as well as with many groups from the Scholars. Likewise is the case of the one who kills in the Haram  or kills a person in ihram. Hammaad bin Salamah said from ‘Ali bin Zaid from Yusuf bin Mihraan from Ibn ‘Abbaas regarding His saying:

فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنْفُسَكُمْ

((so do not wrong yourselves therein))

 

he said: ‘in all of the months.’

‘Ali bin Abee Talhah said from Ibn ‘Abbaas regarding His saying:

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ

((Indeed, the number of months with Allaah))

 

‘so do not wrong yourselves within them in all of them, then He specified four from them and so made them sacred and venerated their sanctity and so made sinning within them greater (in consequence) and righteous actions and their reward being greater.’

Qataadah said regarding His saying:

فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنْفُسَكُمْ

((so do not wrong yourselves therein)):

 

 

‘indeed oppression during the sacred months is a greater error and of greater load/burden than committing oppression outside of them. Even if it be that oppression in any case is great – however; Allaah attaches greater regard to whatever He wishes from His instruction.’

Imaam Al-Qurtubi (rahimahullaah) said during his discussion of the meaning of oppression in His saying:

فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنْفُسَكُمْ

((so do not wrong yourselves therein)):

 

‘So do not wrong yourselves therein through undertaking sins, because if Allaah, The One free of all imperfections gives greater regard to something from one aspect – then it has one sanctity. Yet of He gives greater regard to it from two aspects or many aspects – then its sanctity too becomes numerous. Therefore the punishment for bad deeds within them is multiplied manifold just as the reward for righteous action too is multiplied manifold.’

And Allaah Knows best.

 

(Taken from: Tafseer Qur’aanil Adheem vol 2 p.324 & Al-Jaami’ le-Ahkaam Al-Qur’aan vol 10 p.198-199.)

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[1] The four months are: Dhul Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. Shaikh ‘Uthaimeen (rahimahullaah) said: regarding them: ‘So do not wrong yourselves therein; and that which Allaah The Most High forbade within them is fighting (killing) except in self-defence. These months – of which one of them is Rajab have not been specified with any particular act of worship except for the month of Muharram – for it has within it an excellence for fasting therein as well as the month of Dhil Hijjah – as it has within it the observance of the sacrificial rights. As for Rajab; then nothing has been reported specifying fasting within it nor praying the night prayer, no authentic hadeeth has been reported from the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). All of the ahaadeeth which are reported regarding the excellence of prayer during Rajab or regarding fasting during Rajab are all hadeeth which are very weak – rather some of the Scholars have stated that they are fabricated and falsely attributed to the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). So it is impermissible for anyone to rely on these weak ahaadeeth – rather ones which have been said to be fabricated.’

Source: http://www.ibnothaimeen.com/all/khotab/article_468.shtml

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