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It is believed by some that the Muslims
should keep fast on 27th of Rajab. Although there are
some traditions attributing special merits to the fast of
this day yet the scholars of Hadith have held these
traditions as very weak and unauthentic reports which
cannot be sufficient to establish a rule of Shari'ah. On
the contrary, there is an authentic report that Sayyidna
'Umar (RA) used to forbid people from fasting on this
day, rather to compel them to eat if they had started
fasting.
It should be borne in mind here that a
'nafl' fast can be observed any day (except the six
prohibited days of the year), therefore, fasting on 27th
of Rajab is not prohibited in itself. What is prohibited
is the belief that fasting on this day is more
meritorious than fasting in other normal days. One should
not fast in this day with this belief. But if someone
fasts therein, believing it to be a normal 'nafl' fast,
there is no bar against it. Sacrifice (Qurbani) in the
month of Rajab.
In the days of ignorance (jahiliyyah) the
Arabs used to offer the sacrifice of a goat in the month
of Rajab. This sacrifice used to be called ''Attrah' or
'Rajabiyyah'. This sacrifice was offered in the name of
different so called gods and their icons. In the
beginning of Islam, this custom was retained, but the
Muslims modified it by offering the sacrifice of 'Atirah'
in the name of Allah instead of the false gods. But
finally, this custom was abandoned and the Holy Prophet
(SAW) prohibited the offering of 'Atirah'. In a tradition
of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah (RA), reported by both
al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Holy Prophet (SAW) has said:
'Fara' is nothing and 'Atirah' is nothing."
Abu Hurairah (RA) has explained in the same
tradition that 'Fara" was the first child of a she camel.
Whenever a she camel delivered its first child, the Arabs
used to sacrifice it in the name of their so called gods,
while the 'Atirah' was a goat used to be sacrificed in
the month of Rajab. since the Holy Prophet (SAW) stopped
both these customs, 'Atirah is no longer a recognized
practice.
Umrah in the month of Rajab
Ibn 'Abidin, the well-known scholar of the
jurisprudence, has mentioned that the people of Makkah
(in his days) used to perform 'Umrah' in the month of
Rajab. Perhaps they believed that performing 'Urnrah' in
this month is more meritorious than in other months. Then
Ibn 'Abidin himself has rejected the authenticity of this
practice, because no tradition of the Holy Prophet (SAW)
is found to this effect. Conversely Sayyidnah Aishah (RA)
has expressly negeted the presumption by saying that the
Holy Prophet (SAW) never performed an 'Umrah' in the
month of Rajab. - (Sahih Muslim 1:409)
However, Ibn 'Abidin has quoted a narration
that 'Abdullah ibn Zubair (RA), completed the renovation
of Ka'bah shortly before 27th of Rajab, and as a sign of
gratefulness he performed 'Umrah' and slaughtered some
animals. But this report cannot form the basis of a
recognized annual practice, firstly because the report is
not very authentic, and secondly because it does not
mention that Abdullah ibn Zubair (RA) had adopted it as a
continuing practice. At the most, he performed 'Umrah'
once as a sign of gratefulness on the completion of
Ka'bah. It does not mean that he performed it as a
characteristic of the month of Rajab.Therefore,
performing 'Umrah' in this month is like performing it in
any other month and no special merit can be attached to
it merely because it has been performed in the month of
Rajab.
The Salah of Ragha'ib
Another special mode of worship attributed
by some people to this month is the Salah of Raghai'b.
According to the custom of such people, this Saloh is
performed in the night of first Friday of the month of
Rajab. The Salah of Raghai'b is said to consist of twelve
rak'ats to be performed in pairs with six salams, and in
each rak'at the Surah al-Qadr is recited three tiroes
followed by the Surah-al-Ikhlas.
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