Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | THE SACRED MONTHS, FIGHTING AND PILGRIMAGEheads?” When Abū Umāmah replied that they did all those things, Ibn `Umar said,“When the Prophet was asked the same question, he gave no answer until the angelGabriel conveyed to him the verse which states: “It is no sin for you to seek the bounty ofyour Lord.”Abū Şāliĥ, an attendant of `Umar, the second Caliph, is reported to have askedhim whether people used to conduct trade during the pilgrimage season. `Umarreplied, “Indeed! People had no other way of earning a living!”This reluctance to conduct trade and business during the pilgrimage season is butone aspect of the new sensitivity and awareness that Islam had brought to people’sminds, giving them a new attitude towards their pre-Islamic way of life. Muslimswould seek to know the view of Islam, or await instructions, before performingcertain actions or adopting certain modes of behaviour, as explained earlier withreference to the ritual of sa`ī between the two hills of Şafā and Marwah.Thus, trading and commercial activity, including letting and leasing, are permittedduring pilgrimage. In fact, the Qur’ān describes such activities as a means of seeking“the bounty of your Lord”. Thus, anyone who seeks to earn some income through tradeand business in pilgrimage should feel that he only seeks God’s bounty and thatwhatever he receives is given to him by God. It is not his own efforts that give himhis earnings. It is God, the generous giver who gives us all we have. Once this isappreciated by the pilgrim, he will realize that even as he is trading, he is in a state ofdevotion to God which in no way violates or defiles his observance of the pilgrimageduties. Once this principle is established in believers’ hearts and minds, Islam allowsthem total freedom to pursue their interests, every one of which would in itself beconsidered a valid act of worship.It is not by chance, therefore, that a verse dealing with the rituals of pilgrimageshould also include instructions on earning through trade and commercial activities.“When you surge downward from `Arafāt, remember God at al-Mash`ar al-Ĥarām.Remember Him who has given you guidance. Before this you were certainly in error.” (Verse198) Attendance at `Arafāt is the central duty of the pilgrimage. It is authenticallyreported on the authority of `Abd al-Raĥmān al-Daylamī that the ProphetMuĥammad said: “The pilgrimage is attendance at `Arafāt. [He repeated this threetimes.] He who arrives at `Arafāt before the break of dawn [on the tenth day ofDhu’l-Ĥijjah] will have fulfilled this duty. The days of Minā are three; those whodepart after only two days incur no sin, nor do those who stay longer.”The scheduled time for attendance at `Arafāt begins at noon on the Day of `Arafāt,the ninth day of the Muslim lunar month of Dhu’l-Ĥijjah, and ends at the break ofdawn the following morning, the Day of Sacrifice. Aĥmad ibn Ĥanbal, however, is ofthe opinion that the time begins at the break of day, rather than at noon, on the Day242