The Four Sacred Months in Islam

Of the twelve months of the Islamic year, four are called sacred (al-ashhur al-hurum). The Quran says: "Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them" (9:36).

Which months are sacred?

The Prophet ﷺ named them in his Farewell Pilgrimage: three consecutive months, Dhu al-Qi'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab, which comes between Jumada al-Akhirah and Sha'ban. In the Hijri year they are months 11, 12, 1 and 7.

Why they are sacred

Long before Islam, the Arabs observed these months as a time of truce so that pilgrims and traders could travel to Makkah safely. Islam confirmed their sanctity. Fighting was prohibited in them except in self-defence, and wrongdoing in them is considered more serious, just as good deeds carry greater reward.

No postponing the months

Some pre-Islamic Arabs practised nasi', moving a sacred month to another time of year to suit their needs. The Quran forbade this (9:37). In his Farewell Sermon the Prophet ﷺ declared that time had returned to the form it had on the day the heavens and the earth were created, which is why the Islamic calendar has no intercalated months and drifts freely through the seasons.

Worship in the sacred months

• Dhu al-Qi'dah is when pilgrims travel for Hajj; the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was concluded in this month.
• Dhu al-Hijjah contains the first ten days, the most virtuous days of the year, the Day of Arafah and Eid al-Adha.
• Muharram, "the month of Allah", is the best month for voluntary fasting after Ramadan, and contains the Day of Ashura.
• Rajab opens the season leading up to Sha'ban and Ramadan.

Read more about each month on our Islamic months page, and see this year's dates in the Hijri calendar.