and in this land of yours.

4 – After associating partners with Allah, the gravest of all prohibitions is the shedding of protected blood. In the sound ḥadīth it is said: “It is not lawful to shed the blood of a Muslim except in three cases: a life for a life, a married adulterer, and the one who abandons his religion and separates from the community.”

5 – Protected blood is one of the five indispensable necessities that the religion came to safeguard and preserve. For their protection Islamic law instituted retribution (qiṣāṣ), blood-money (diyāt), and the prescribed penalties (ḥudūd). These necessities are: religion, life, honor, intellect, and wealth.

6 – The ḥadīth magnifies the Day of Sacrifice and the Days of Tashrīq. Shaykh al-Islām said: “The Feast of Sacrifice is superior to the Feast of Breaking the Fast, for in it the sanctity of place and the sanctity of time come together.”

7 – It likewise extols the sanctity of the month of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, for it is one of the sacred months about which the Exalted says, “Among them are four that are sacred” (Qur’an 9:36). Dhū al-Ḥijjah is further distinguished in that it contains this great pillar of Islam: the pilgrimage.

8 – The ḥadīth also highlights the sanctity of the blessed city which Allah mentions: “I swear by this city” (Qur’an 90:1); and, “Have they not seen that We have made a secure sanctuary?” (Qur’an 29:67). Aḥmad and al-Tirmidhī authenticated the report of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAdiyy, who heard the Prophet ﷺ say in the marketplace of Mecca: “By Allah, you are the best land of Allah and the most beloved land of Allah to Him. Had I not been driven out of you, I would never have left.”

9 – Good deeds are multiplied according to time—such as the month of Ramadan, the first ten days of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, and the sacred months—and according to place, namely the three mosques and the sacred sites. Likewise, sins and offenses grow graver and guiltier in proportion to the sanctity of the place in which they are committed.