سُوْرَةُ التَّوْبَةِ
Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 37
إِنَّمَا ٱلنَّسِىٓءُ زِيَادَةٌ فِى ٱلْكُفْرِ ۖ يُضَلُّ بِهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُحِلُّونَهُۥ عَامًا وَيُحَرِّمُونَهُۥ عَامًا لِّيُوَاطِـُٔوا۟ عِدَّةَ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ فَيُحِلُّوا۟ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ زُيِّنَ لَهُمْ سُوٓءُ أَعْمَـٰلِهِمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ ﴿37﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
The postponing (of a Sacred Month) is indeed an addition to disbelief: thereby the disbelievers are led astray, for they make it lawful one year and forbid it another year in order to adjust the number of months forbidden by Allâh, and make such forbidden ones lawful. The evil of their deeds is made fair-seeming to them. And Allâh guides not the people who disbelieve.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِنَّمَا
innamā
Indeed
ٱلنَّسِىٓءُ
l-nasīu
the postponing
زِيَادَةٌۭ
ziyādatun
(is) an increase
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْكُفْرِ ۖ
l-kuf'ri
the disbelief
يُضَلُّ
yuḍallu
are led astray
بِهِ
bihi
by it
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
كَفَرُوا۟
kafarū
disbelieve
يُحِلُّونَهُۥ
yuḥillūnahu
They make it lawful
عَامًۭا
ʿāman
one year
وَيُحَرِّمُونَهُۥ
wayuḥarrimūnahu
and make it unlawful
عَامًۭا
ʿāman
(another) year
لِّيُوَاطِـُٔوا۟
liyuwāṭiū
to adjust
عِدَّةَ
ʿiddata
the number
مَا
mā
which
حَرَّمَ
ḥarrama
Allah has made unlawful
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah has made unlawful
فَيُحِلُّوا۟
fayuḥillū
and making lawful
مَا
mā
what
حَرَّمَ
ḥarrama
Allah has made unlawful
ٱللَّهُ ۚ
l-lahu
Allah has made unlawful
زُيِّنَ
zuyyina
Is made fair-seeming
لَهُمْ
lahum
to them
سُوٓءُ
sūu
(the) evil
أَعْمَـٰلِهِمْ ۗ
aʿmālihim
(of) their deeds
وَٱللَّهُ
wal-lahu
And Allah
لَا
lā
(does) not
يَهْدِى
yahdī
guide
ٱلْقَوْمَ
l-qawma
the people
ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
l-kāfirīna
the disbelievers
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
37. Postponing the sacred months is but an increase in disbelief [39], by which the disbelievers are led further astray. They make it lawful one year and unlawful another year, in order to adjust the number of months made sacred by Allah, thus making lawful what Allah has forbidden. The evil of their deeds has been made attractive to them, and Allah does not guide the disbelieving people to the right path.
[39]
Why the Method of Leap Was Adopted and Losing One Hajj in 36 Years Through Leap:
Another method of adjusting the months had become prevalent among the polytheists of Arabia. That was, in every lunar year, they would count 10 extra days to make it correspond to the solar year. This was called Kabisa, Lawnd, or Leap, and another method of this Kabisa was that after every three lunar years, one extra month would be counted so that the lunar year would also remain in accordance with the solar year. The reason for this was that at the time of Hajj, the caretakers of the House of Allah and the custodians of other places of worship would receive offerings, which were usually in the form of grain, and the ripening of grain is related to the sun or the solar year. If they had remained on the lunar calendar, they would not have received their offerings on time. Merely for this worldly benefit, they adopted this method of Kabisa by imitating other nations. In this way, among other evils, a major evil was that in a period of 36 lunar years, there would be only 35 Hajj, and one Hajj would be lost. It is a coincidence that when the Prophet ﷺ performed Hajj in the 10th year (Hijri), the days of Hajj were according to the original lunar dates and lunar calendar. Thus, on this occasion, in his Farewell Sermon, the Prophet ﷺ declared this unlawful and reprehensible method of Kabisa null and void, and established the Shariah rulings on the lunar calendar.
As is made clear by the following hadith: It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah ؓ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said (in the Farewell Sermon): "Behold! Time has turned to its original form as it was the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred. Three are consecutive: Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and Muharram, and the fourth is Rajab, which comes between Jumada al-Akhirah and Sha'ban." [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير۔ نيز كتاب المغازي۔ باب حجة الوداع]
[39]
Why the Method of Leap Was Adopted and Losing One Hajj in 36 Years Through Leap:
Another method of adjusting the months had become prevalent among the polytheists of Arabia. That was, in every lunar year, they would count 10 extra days to make it correspond to the solar year. This was called Kabisa, Lawnd, or Leap, and another method of this Kabisa was that after every three lunar years, one extra month would be counted so that the lunar year would also remain in accordance with the solar year. The reason for this was that at the time of Hajj, the caretakers of the House of Allah and the custodians of other places of worship would receive offerings, which were usually in the form of grain, and the ripening of grain is related to the sun or the solar year. If they had remained on the lunar calendar, they would not have received their offerings on time. Merely for this worldly benefit, they adopted this method of Kabisa by imitating other nations. In this way, among other evils, a major evil was that in a period of 36 lunar years, there would be only 35 Hajj, and one Hajj would be lost. It is a coincidence that when the Prophet ﷺ performed Hajj in the 10th year (Hijri), the days of Hajj were according to the original lunar dates and lunar calendar. Thus, on this occasion, in his Farewell Sermon, the Prophet ﷺ declared this unlawful and reprehensible method of Kabisa null and void, and established the Shariah rulings on the lunar calendar.
As is made clear by the following hadith: It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah ؓ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said (in the Farewell Sermon): "Behold! Time has turned to its original form as it was the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred. Three are consecutive: Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and Muharram, and the fourth is Rajab, which comes between Jumada al-Akhirah and Sha'ban." [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير۔ نيز كتاب المغازي۔ باب حجة الوداع]
