At-Tawba (The Repentance)

36. “Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months in the Book of Allah, (since) the day He created the heavens and the earth, four of them are sacred. That is the established religion. So be you not unjust unto your selves during them. And fight polytheists totally even as they fight you totally, and know that Allah is with the pious ones.”

In view of the fact that in this Surah there have occurred several discussions about fighting against pagans, the Qur’ān refers to one of the rules of an Islamic fight and the Holy Struggle through this verse and the verse after it. It is to hold the Sacred Months in respect. It says:

“Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months in the Book of Allah, (since) the day He created the heavens and the earth…”

Since the day the solar system was formed in the present shape, there have existed year and month. A year is a complete course of the rotation of the earth around the sun; and a month is a complete course of the rotation of the moon around the earth which happens twelve times in a year.

Then the Qur’ān adds that four months out of these twelve months are sacred, in which any fight and battle are religiously unlawful. It says:

“…four of them are sacred…”

Next to this statement, in order to emphasize on the matter, it says that this religion is fixed and unchangeable. It is not like the wrong customs which Arabs had and, whenever they wished, they would change the place of them. The verse continues saying:

“…That is the established religion…”

It is understood from some Islamic literature that the prohibition of war during these four months were enjoined not only in the divine creed of Abraham (as), but also in the godly religions of the Jews and Christ, as well as the other heavenly religions.

Then the verse implies that during these four months you should not be unjust to your selves and incur the retributions of this world and the punishments of the Hereafter. It says:

“…So be you not unjust unto your selves during them…”

But, since the prohibition of Holy Struggle during these four months might be misused by the enemies of Islam and it would make them bold in attacking the Muslims, through the next phrase, it adds:

“…And fight polytheists totally even as they fight you totally…”

That is, they are infidels, and infidelity and idolatry is the origin of dispersion, yet they fight against you in one single line. It is more eligible for you, the monotheists, to be united against the enemies of Islam and stand firm in a line, like an iron wall, in front of them.

At last, the verse implies that Muslims should know that if they keep from evil and exactly excecute the teachings of Islam, Allah vouches their victory, because Allah is with the pious ones. The verse says:

“…and know that Allah is with the pious ones.”