Dhuʻl-Hijjah

Dhuʻl-Hijjah
Name	Dhuʻl-Hijjah
Native name	ذو الحجة
Calendar	Islamic calendar
Position	12th month
Days	29–30
Preceding	Dhu al-Qi'dah
Following	Muharram

Dhuʻl-Hijjah Dhuʻl-Hijjah is the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar known for the annual Hajj pilgrimage and the festival of Eid al-Adha. It follows Dhu al-Qi'dah and precedes Muharram in the lunar cycle, occurring about 10–11 days earlier each solar year relative to the Gregorian calendar. The month is cited in classical works such as Ibn Kathir's histories and in legal discussions by scholars like Al-Ghazali and Ibn Taymiyyah regarding pilgrimage obligations and sacrificial rites.

Etymology and Calendar Placement

The name derives from classical Arabic sources recorded by historians such as Al-Tabari, Ibn Khaldun, and lexicographers including Ibn Manzur and Al-Jawhari, who connect the term to pre-Islamic Meccan traditions described in accounts by Ibn Ishaq, Al-Baladhuri, and Ibn Hisham. Astronomical placement is discussed in works by Al-Battani, Al-Biruni, and later Ottoman astronomers like Taqi al-Din who reconciled lunar calculations with observational practice used by jurists of the Madhhabs such as Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, Imam al-Shafi'i, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Modern calendrical analysis appears in studies by Eddington, Jean Meeus, and institutions like the International Astronomical Union and national observatories in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Indonesia.

Religious Significance in Islam

Dhuʻl-Hijjah hosts rites central to Islamic jurisprudence articulated in classical texts like Al-Muwatta and collections such as Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawood, Jami` at-Tirmidhi, and Sunan an-Nasa'i. The month contains the days of Hajj described in the Qur'an and interpreted by exegetes like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir, with legal positions codified by jurists including Ibn Qudamah and compilations like Al-Muhalla. Ritual slaughter and sacrificial rulings reference hadith transmitted by narrators such as Abu Hurairah, Anas ibn Malik, and legal verdicts from institutions like the Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah and Al-Azhar University. The theological significance has been debated by scholars including Al-Ash'ari, Ibn Sina, and reformers like Muhammad Abduh and Rashid Rida.

Major Observances and Rituals

Key observances include the rites of Hajj at sites like Masjid al-Haram, Mount Arafat, Mina, and Muzdalifah outlined in canonical manuals by Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Kathir. Pilgrims perform the Tawaf around the Kaaba, follow the Sa'i between Safa and Marwah, cast stones during the Stoning of the Devil ritual, and observe Qurbani sacrifices on Eid al-Adha following guidance from bodies such as the Islamic Fiqh Council and fatwas from scholars like Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi and institutions like the European Council for Fatwa and Research. The ten days preceding the main days are emphasized in devotional manuals by Imam Nawawi, Al-Ghazali, and contemporary guides from Dar al-Iftaa and Majlis Ulama Indonesia.

Historical Events and Traditions

Major historical events traditionally associated include narratives of Prophet Muhammad's last pilgrimage recorded by Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham, accounts of the Battle of Hunayn and the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah referenced in chronicles by Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, and later episodes such as Ottoman-era Hajj administrations detailed in archives of the Ottoman Empire and travelers like Ibn Battuta and Ibn Jubayr. Colonial and modern incidents involving pilgrimage logistics are recorded in reports by the British Raj, French colonial administration, and 20th-century nation-states including Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Reform movements and responses by figures like Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh, and Sayyid Qutb shaped contemporary perceptions of pilgrimage and sacrificial practices.

Cultural Practices and Regional Variations

Regional practices vary across communities such as Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Turkey, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Bangladesh, and Malaysia, with local customs described by ethnographers like Clifford Geertz and historians such as Albert Hourani and Marshall Hodgson. Ritual timings and sacrificial procedures are administered by national authorities like the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Saudi), Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, and religious councils including Majlis Ulama Indonesia and Council of Senior Scholars (Saudi Arabia). Cultural expressions appear in literature by Naguib Mahfouz, travelogues by Richard Burton, and documentary work by filmmakers like Ibn Battuta Films and broadcasters such as BBC and Al Jazeera.

Contemporary Issues and Observances

Modern issues include crowd management studied by researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Harvard University, and University of Oxford, public health responses in pandemics coordinated with agencies like the World Health Organization and national ministries of health in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, and legal debates involving immigration policy referenced in rulings by courts such as the International Court of Justice and national supreme courts. Technological adaptations feature e‑Hajj platforms developed by private firms and governments, insurance schemes assessed by institutions like Islamic Development Bank and World Bank, and scholarly discussion in journals such as Journal of Islamic Studies and Middle East Journal.

Category:Islamic calendar months