Allah created the heavens and the earth. In other words, although the passage of time had been tampered with in the pre-Islamic era—when people practiced the postponement (nasīʾ), declaring a sacred month lawful and a lawful month sacred—divine decree in that particular year caused the postponed arrangement to coincide exactly with what Allah had legislated concerning the sacred months.

The Prophet ﷺ then clarified that the number of months is twelve: Muḥarram, Ṣafar, Rabīʿ al-Awwal, Rabīʿ al-Thānī, Jumādā al-Ūlā, Jumādā al-Ākhirah, Rajab, Shaʿbān, Ramaḍān, Shawwāl, Dhu al-Qaʿdah, and Dhu al-Ḥijjah. These are the twelve months Allah has appointed for His servants since He created the heavens and the earth. During the Age of Ignorance they would render Muḥarram permissible and make Ṣafar inviolable.

He ﷺ also explained that out of these twelve months, four are sacred—three consecutive and one standing alone. The three consecutive ones are Dhu al-Qaʿdah, Dhu al-Ḥijjah, and Muḥarram. Allah, exalted is He, has made them inviolable: fighting in them is forbidden and no one may transgress against another. This is because they are the months during which people travel to perform pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah. Out of His wisdom, Allah declared them sacred so that warfare would not erupt while people are on their way to His House.

The correct opinion is that this prohibition remains in force and has never been abrogated; initiating hostilities during these months is still unlawful.

The Prophet ﷺ added: “And Rajab of Muḍar, which falls between Jumādā …”