Assalamu Alaikum,

Alhamdu Lillah we have just started the month of Rajab and this is one of the sacred months in Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) would begin his preparations for Ramadan from this month with the following Dua:

‘Allahuma Barik lana fi Rajaba wa Sha’bana wa ballighna Ramadhan’

Translated as follows:

“O Allah, make the months of Rajab and Sha’ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan.”

(i.e. prolong our life up to Ramadan, so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings).

[Mentioned by Abu’ Nu’aim in the ‘Hilya’ from Anas Ibn Malik]

Allah Mighty and Majestic says in the Qur’an:Lo! the number of months with Allah is twelve months by Allah’s ordinance in the day that He created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred: that is the right religion. So wrong not yourselves in them. (Qur’an, Al-Tauba, 9:36).

The four months are stated in the hadith Narrated Abu Bakra (RA) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“The division of time has turned to its original form which was current when Allah created the Heavens and the Earths. The year is of twelve months, out of which four months are sacred: Three are in succession Dhul-Qa’ da, Dhul-Hijja and Muharram, and (the fourth is) Rajab of (the tribe of) Mudar which comes between Jumadi-ath-Thaniyah and Sha ban.”

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]

Rajab is a month in which the predecessors would increase their good deeds and supplicate more to Allah. Let us try and do the same and increase our good deeds and try to remain free from sin.

The following are a few good articles on the month of Rajab.

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=2262&CATE=17

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=2369&CATE=105

http://www.albalagh.net/general/rajab.shtml

Wa Salaam

Jashim

www.islamopedia.co.uk