The duration of Hajj 2:197
The Hajj is during the known months, so whoever executes
the Hajj in them shall refrain from sexual contact,
wickedness and arguing during the Hajj.
2:197
The reader of the Quran will note that God often gives us key words inside various verses that assert the true meaning of these verses. In 2:197 we read the Arabic words 'farada feehinna'. Here we have two Arabic words of great significance:
1- The first word is 'farada'. This verb is from the word 'fard' which means a command or duty set by God on the believers. Thus the Salat is a 'fard' so is Zakat and Hajj. Thus the verb 'farada' means to actually execute or consummate the command.
2- The second word is 'feehinna'. This word is in fact two Arabic words joined together. They are 'fee' which means (in), and 'hinna' which means (them) and is used in the feminine gender. Thus the whole word means (in them). The word (them) here refers to the specified months. Now, by placing these words inside the verse we get:
Whoever executes the Hajj in them (the specified months) shall refrain from …….
In these words 'executes the Hajj in them', God endorses the legality of executing Hajj anytime during the known months.
Those who have corrupted the law of God by reducing the time of Hajj to the first 10 days of the 12th month, justify their claims by referring to the following words which speak of the Hajj:
Commemorate God's name during the known days. 22:28
Commemorate God for a number of days. 2:203
They claim that the words "known days"' and "number of days" indicate that Hajj can only be observed in the ten day period and not anytime during the four months.
The reply to that is twofold:
FIRST
Almighty God has provided a clear distinction in the verses that speak about Hajj. When God addresses Hajj itself, the words "known months" are used as in 2:197, or the words "hurum months" (months dedicated to Hajj) are used as in 9:36. The reason for this being that the duration of Hajj is the full four months. However when God addresses the believers, the words 'number of days' are used, as in:
"Commemorate God for a number of days." These words address the believers. They speak of "a number of days" for the simple fact that any believer who performs his Hajj does so for a number of days, he does not stay for the full four months; believers spend only a number of days observing their Hajj.
SECOND
Consider the example of fasting the month of Ramadan as in the following verse:
Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was brought down providing guidance for the people, as well as clear proofs of the guidance and the Criterion. So those of you who have witnessed the month shall fast it. 2:185
Here we read "the month" as being the duration of fasting.
Now consider the following verse:
A number of days (for fasting), but whoever among you is ill or travelling, then an equal number of other days. 2:184
Here fasting is spoken of as "a number of days". However, no one (yet) has interpreted these words to mean that fasting is only the first 10 days of Ramadan!
The explanation for this lies in the fact that a month or months can also be spoken of as days, simply because months are made of days. The fact that they are spoken of as days does not change the fact that they are still months. This is similar to someone describing the years of his childhood by saying ‘they were the best days of my life’.
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