The Month of Shawwal, from Jahiliyyah to Islam
Shawwal is the tenth month of the islamic calendar, in the days of Jahiliyyah, it was customary that the arabs would not marry in this month as it was disliked due to superstition, and thought it would produce a marriage that would not last. In breaking with the traditions of Jahiliyyah, the Messenger of Allah married A’isha in this month, and said
لا عَدْوَى ولا طِيَرَة ولا غُولَ
There is no transitive disease, no ill omen, and no ghoul [Muslim]
In doing so, the Messenger of Allah taught the Muslims that the beliefs of the people of Jahiliyyah was invalid and borne out of pure superstition, to the extent that, the scholars of fiqh deem it Sunnah to marry or preside over a marriage in the month of Shawwal.
Another major event which occurred in the month of Shawwal during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah was the battle of Uhud in the year 3 of the Hijrah. Quraish assembled an army of over three thousand fighters and headed in the direction of Al Madinah in an attempt to curtail the da’wah of the Messenger of Allah. When the Messenger of Allah heard of this incoming attack, the muslims responded to the call to battle. It was in this battle that the third of the army led by Abdullah bin Ubay bin Abi Salul left the ranks of the muslims on their way to fight the Quraish. The battle of Uhud served as a test for the muslims, it was a battle that encompassed both victory and failure. One of the leaders of Quraish at the time was Khalid bin Al Waleed, a fierce general, who caused the Muslims great difficulty during battle, however in the same month of Shawwal five years later, he was leading the army of the muslims in the battle of Ta’if. The muslim should understand from this that guidance is from Allah alone, and that Allah can change the heart of the fiercest disbeliever, and one should not lose faith when it comes to calling our loved ones to Islam.
The battle appeared as a loss for the Muslims, however, there were many lessons that can be derived from it. Firstly, the importance of Eman, despite losing a third of the army to the hypocrites, the Muslims valiantly pursued what they were instructed to do by the messenger of Allah in spite of the odds. This should teach us that now matter how difficult things may be, we have Allah to rely on.
Virtues of Shawwal
Shawwal was from the months that the Messenger of Allah married in, in doing so, went against the pervasive superstitious beliefs of the Arabs. It also teaches us about the spurious nature of superstition, the marriage of A’isha, which was conducted in Shawwal, endured until the death of the Messenger of Allah, she was also the most knowledgeable of his wives, all of which is true despite the Messenger of Allah marrying her in Shawwal.
Shawwal is also from the Months of Hajj, the two subsequent months of Dhul Qi’dah, and Dhul Hijjah are from the months of Hajj, meaning, an individual is able to travel to Makkah and enter into Ihram until the days of Hajj arrive.
The month of Shawwal is also the month of fasting, the Messenger of Allah said
“Whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days of Shawwal , it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime.” (Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasai and Ibn Majah.
Many of the rulings in Islam have a connection to time, whether it be a specific day such as Jumu’ah, or a specific month, like Ramadan, or matters pertaining to wealth like Zakat. In Sha Allah, by reading this series, you will get to know all of the Islamic months and some of the rulings that pertain to them.
The Months of Islam are as follows :
- Muharram
- Safar
- Rabi’ Al Awwal
- Rabi’ Al Thani
- Jumada
- Jumada Al Thaniyyah
- Rajab
- Sha’ban
- Ramadan
- Shawwal
- Dhul Qi’dah
- Dhul Hijjah
السلام عليكم و رمة الله و بركاته
Khalid Zakaria Hassan
