Al-Qalam 
By Imam Dr. A. Rashied Omar
We are now well into the sacred month of Dhul Qaʿdah, the eleventh month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and with it, we have entered a season of profound spiritual significance.
This period marks the threshold of the sacred days of Hajj, an annual opportunity for Muslims across the world to renew their intentions, elevate their worship, and deepen their connection with Allah, the Lord of Compassion and Mercy.
Dhul Qaʿdah is not an ordinary month. It is the first of the four sacred months (al-ashhur al-ḥurum) mentioned in the Glorious Qur’an, in which warfare is traditionally forbidden and reverence for divine ordinances is especially emphasised. Allah, the Most-High, proclaims in Surah al-Tawbah (9:36): “Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve… of which four are sacred.” The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as recorded in Bukhari, identified these sacred months as Dhul Qaʿdah, Dhul Ḥijjah, Muḥarram, and Rajab.
What renders Dhul Qaʿdah particularly special is that it not only belongs to the quartet of sacred months but also spans the season of Hajj and inaugurates its sacred days. Allah, the Most High, proclaims in Surah al-Baqarah (2:197): “The Hajj is [during] well-known months.” The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) clarified that these months are Shawwāl, Dhul Qaʿdah, and the first ten days of Dhul Ḥijjah. Classical scholars such as al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, and Ibn Qudāmah affirm that Dhul Qaʿdah uniquely spans both the sacred months and the entirety of the Hajj season. This rare dual honour and distinction call us to approach the month with deep spiritual consciousness, reverence, and purposeful preparation.
For those preparing to respond to the sacred call of Hajj, this is a time for profound spiritual readiness. The pilgrimage is far more than a physical journey across distance; it is a transformative voyage of the soul. It calls for purification of the heart, deep mindfulness of the Divine Presence, and a renewed recommitment to ethical conduct. Allah, the Most-High, reminds us in Surah al-Baqarah (2:197): “Take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is taqwa (God-consciousness).” Taqwa is not a fleeting emotion or private sentiment. It is a sustaining moral force that guides our speech, shapes our choices, and attunes our hearts and innermost selves to the Divine Will of Allah. Thus, the true pilgrim does not merely prepare with passports and logistics but approaches this sacred obligation with humility, repentance, and spiritual sincerity.
For those who have not yet undertaken the Hajj, this season is a call to awaken the longing in your heart. Do not wait for old age or ideal circumstances. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), in a poignant hadith found in the Musnad of Imam Aḥmad, exhorted: “Hasten to perform the Hajj, for none of you knows what may befall him tomorrow.” This is a timely spiritual reminder of the fragility of life. What we defer today may remain undone forever. We pray that Allah inspires within the hearts of the believers a sincere intention and opens the path to those who yearn to respond to His sacred invitation.
Even for those of us who are not journeying to Makkah this year, the sacred season of Hajj embraces us with its radiant spiritual light. We are invited to partake in its barakah through acts of devotion, most notably by fasting on the Day of ʿArafah, the ninth of Dhul Ḥijjah. On this profound day, as the pilgrims stand upon the plains of ʿArafah near the Mount of Mercy, their hands raised in earnest supplication, we too are called to seek Allah’s forgiveness and grace. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) taught that fasting on this day for those not performing Hajj expiates the sins of the previous year and the year to come. It is a deeply moving and powerful moment of spiritual solidarity with the hujjāj and a sacred opportunity for inner purification and renewal. Let us seize this sacred season with a heart inclined to worship, repentance, and generosity. Let us increase our prayers and our acts of goodness, for this is a time in which divine mercy descends in abundance.
We pray that Allah grants all the pilgrims safe travels to al-Masjid al-Ḥaram in Makkah and all the other holy sites, blesses them with good health, and grants them a divinely accepted hajj mabrur and a great forgiveness. And may they return as renewed souls, bearing the spiritual fruits of their sacred journey.
As we dwell in the sacred light of this blessed season of Hajj, may Allah, the Most Compassionate, envelop our ummah in boundless compassion, unite our hearts upon truth and righteousness, and grant freedom and dignity to all those who are oppressed, especially our beloved sisters and brothers in Gaza, and all those across the globe suffering under the weight of injustice. Allahumma Amin.
