Khutbah: On Rajab
الحمد لله، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي هَدَانَا لِهَٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلَا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ ، نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره، ونؤمن به ونتوكل عليه، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهده الله فلا مضل له، ومن يضلل فلا هادي له، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك وله الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير، ونشهد أن سيدنا ومولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، أرسله بشيرًا ونذيرًا بين يدي الساعة، من يطع الله ورسوله فقد اهتدى، ومن يعصهما فإنه قد ضل، وإنه لا يضر إلا نفسه ولا يضر الله شيئًا. أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم، ومن يطع الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما.
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثۡنَا عَشَرَ شَهۡرٗا فِي كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوۡمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ مِنۡهَآ أَرۡبَعَةٌ حُرُمٞۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُۚ فَلَا تَظۡلِمُواْ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمۡۚ
“The number of months with Allah is twelve in the register (lawhil mahfooth) of Allah from the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the right way, so do not wrong yourselves during them…”
This verse does not merely inform us about time—it sanctifies it. It tells us that time itself is not random, not neutral, not empty. It is measured, honoured, and apportioned by Allah—from the very moment the heavens and the earth were brought into existence. And among these months, Allah chose four—months of heightened sanctity, months in which we are placed under special scrutiny, and mercy is brought unusually near. Rajab is one of them.
When we turn to the most reliable sources of the Sunnah—the six books of ḥadīth, the Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik, and the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad—we do not find any authentic narration establishing specific acts of worship uniquely prescribed for Rajab. For this reason, the majority of the scholars—among them Imām al-Nawawī, al-Ghazālī, Ibn Taymiyyah, and Ibn Ḥajar—stated clearly that Rajab has no legislated rituals particular to it: no special fasts, no designated qiyamulayl, no prescribed formulas of dhikr, no fixed numbers of istighfār, no specific ṣalāh tied to its days or nights. As Ibn Ḥajar said unequivocally: Nothing authentic has been narrated regarding its specific blessings, virtues, fasting, or night salah.
But this leads to a question that must be asked carefully—not contentiously, and not dismissively: Does this mean we should not fast, pray at night, or increase in istighfār during Rajab?
The answer lies in understanding the verse itself. This verse opens by honouring time, and those who truly know Allah learn from it a defining principle:
Which al-Junayd رحمه الله beautifully explains when he said:
الوقتُ إذا فاتَ لا يُستدرَك، وليس شيءٌ أعزَّ من الوقت
“Time—once it passes, cannot be recovered; and nothing is more precious than time.” Those who understand treat all time as sacred, and every moment as a trust. They guard their hours more carefully than others guard their wealth. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī رحمه الله said:
“I reached people who were more protective of their time than you are of your dinars and dirhams. Just as none of you would allow a dinar or dirham to leave your hand except in something that brings benefit, they would not allow an hour of their lives to pass except that some benefit returned to them.”
Nothing is more precious than time—because time is the substance of life itself. Every moment that passes without obedience leaves no trace but regret. A life emptied of righteous action does not end in peace, but in loss.
For this reason, the righteous predecessors were intensely vigilant over their nafs and their moments. They seized their hours, refused to squander their breaths, and did not allow themselves to be occupied with anything that did not draw them closer to Allah.
فَلَا تَظۡلِمُواْ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمۡ
“So Do Not Wrong Yourselves Therein” According to Ibn ʿAjībah, Allah’s statement is not limited to outward injustice. It carries a deeper meaning: Do not wrong yourselves by wasting sacred time on what does not bring you closer to Allah.
There is a bit of a scholarly nuance around “Therein”, the scholars differed over its scope. Ibn ʿAbbās held that it refers to all twelve months, since wrongdoing is forbidden at all times. Qatādah and others held that it refers specifically to the four sacred months, because Allah elevated them and intensified accountability within them. A third interpretation understood it as a warning against tampering with sacred time, as the pagans did through nasīʾ—altering the calendar to suit desire.
After weighing these views, Imām al-Ṭabarī concluded that the strongest interpretation is that the command refers specifically to the four sacred months, based on precise Arabic usage: the pronoun employed corresponds to a small plural, not twelve.
Yet this distinction does not imply that wrongdoing is permitted outside these months—far from it. Injustice is forbidden at all times. Rather, Allah singled these months out to heighten attentiveness and moral seriousness, just as He singled out the middle Salah without diminishing the rest.
This brings us to the heart of the matter. If every moment can be sacred, why did Allah designate sacred months at all? The answer is mercy.
Allah knows our weakness. He knows the stains on our earnings, the heedlessness in our habits, the weight of our distractions. And so—four times a year—He lightens the load. He opens doors that might otherwise remain closed. He removes barriers that might otherwise block acceptance.
In these months: repentance becomes easier, worship feels lighter, supplication rises more readily, hearts soften more quickly. Not because we suddenly became worthy, but because Allah chose generosity over strictness.
This is the power of a sacred month. So we return to the question with which we began—now with clarity: Does the absence of specific rituals mean we should not fast, pray at night, or increase in istighfār during Rajab Or does it mean that Allah has given us a window of mercy,
a sacred stretch of time, in which obedience is easier, sin is heavier, and hearts are more responsive?
The verse answers quietly but decisively:
فَلَا تَظۡلِمُواْ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمۡ
Do not waste your sacred time with what does not draw you closer to Allah. It is specific to you. That is the secret of Rajab.
أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم
الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، أرسله بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة اللهم صلِّ وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين، ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.
أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته
Thulm is emphasised because sacred months are training periods. Think of them as spiritual boundaries Allah places in time, just as He places: boundaries in land (the ḥaram), boundaries in action (ḥalāl and ḥarām). The goal is not restriction—it is rehabilitation. Temporary restraint → lasting discipline Heightened awareness → permanent taqwā
ثَلَاثَةٌ مُتَوَالِيَاتٌ: ذُو الْقَعْدَةِ وَذُو الْحِجَّةِ وَالْمُحَرَّمُ وَرَجَبُ مُضَرَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ جُمَادَى وَشَعْبَان
Rajab precedes Shaʿbān, and Shaʿbān precedes Ramaḍān. The Prophet ﷺ spoke of “Rajab of Muḍar” to affirm that Rajab is the month between Jumādā and Shaʿbān, correcting the error of Rabīʿah who misidentified it as Ramaḍān. This establishes a deliberate continuity between Rajab and Ramaḍān—historically and spiritually. And when we consider that breaking a habit requires interruption, replacement, and time—often around forty days—we realise that Allah has already placed us within the window of preparation. We have nearly forty days before Ramaḍān. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
أَحَبُّ الأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَدْوَمُهَا وَإِنْ قَلَّ
“The most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are consistent, even if small.” Ramaḍān is not built on sudden intensity. It is built on habits formed before it. If Qur’an is absent now, it will be heavy then. If sin is beloved now, leaving it will be painful then. Ramaḍān does not create people — it reveals them.
Allah is not harmed by your sin, time is not harmed by your neglect, you are the only one who pays the price. Allah says:
وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوٓاْ أَنفُسَهُمۡ يَظۡلِمُونَ
“Allah did not wrong them; rather, they wronged themselves.” Every act of thulm: darkens the heart, weakens resolve, distances the servant, and makes obedience heavier tomorrow than it is today.
So take Rajab seriously. Stop misplacing your life. If you can only break one habit, restore one obligation, or establish one consistent deed. Then do it! Because Ramaḍān is coming and it is worth it! مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
May Allah bless us in Rajab and Shaʿbān, and allow us to reach Ramaḍān with hearts that are awake, sins that are forgiven, and habits that draw us closer to Him.
Announcements: Al-ghamduliLlāh, we would like to sincerely thank our generous donors who made today’s Friday Feeding possible. May Allah accept it from them, place it in their scale of good deeds, and grant barakah in their wealth and families. We invite everyone present to please join us and partake in the meal—this food is given for the sake of Allah, and you are all most welcome. If anyone would like the honour and reward of sponsoring a Friday Feeding in the future—whether on behalf of themselves, their family, or a loved one—please speak to Yusuf Hendricks or myself after the Salah. Feeding the believers on a Friday is a great act of charity, and the door is open for those who wish to share in this khayr.
We are pleased to announce that Ḥājj Rhomeez has safely returned from ʿUmrah. We say to him: taqabbala Allāhu ʿumratak, may Allah accept your ʿUmrah, and that of your family’s, and all the mu’tamireen that have returned. Amin.
إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ. وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وعن أم المومنين عائشة التي أمرنا الله في سورة النور أن ندافع عنها، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شُيُوخِنَا، وَعَلَى رئيسنا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ.
اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ. ربنا آتنا في الدنيا حسنة وفي الآخرة حسنة وقنا عذاب النار.
إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.
Imam-Khatib
Isma-eel Isaacs
09.01.2026