At-Tawbah 36: On the day in which Allah created the heavens and the earth, according to Allah’s decree, the number of months is twelve and four of these are forbidden months. This is the true calculation. Do not commit oppression against yourselves in those months (by violating Allah’s laws) and just as the idolaters fight against you altogether, fight against them altogether. And know that Allah is with the muttaqi.

Verse 36 of Surah At-Tawbah. Verse: On the day He created the heavens and the earth, according to Allah's writ, the number of months with Allah is twelve, of which four are sacred months. This is the correct reckoning. Do not wrong yourselves in these months by violating the prohibition Allah has set, and just as the polytheists fight you all together, you too, all together, against them fight, and know that Allah is with those who guard against evil, it says. Yes, here with this verse, what does Allah Almighty mean? That He Himself is the Creator, that He created the world within a framework of knowledge, the universe within a framework of knowledge, that He placed the sun, earth and moon system in the sky, placing the lunar system, and that the earth revolves around the sun's axis in 365 days and 6 hours, and this, with the months sometimes having 30, sometimes 31 days, and February sometimes 28 or sometimes 29, that the constellations in the sky are 12, that is, the months are 12, that He created this with knowledge in this way, and that this Creator is your Lord — this is what He signifies to us here. Yes, what does it say?

On the day He created the heavens and the earth, according to Allah's writ, the number of months with Allah is twelve, of which four are sacred months. Of these sacred months, one is Muharram, the second Safar, the third Rabi al-Awwal, and the fourth Rabi al-Akhir. What were they? Muharram, Safar, Rabi al-Awwal, Rabi al-Akhir. Yes, the names of these months are as follows, we say. One, Muharram, Safar, Rabi al-Awwal, Rabi al-Akhir, Jumada al-Awwal, Jumada al-Akhir, Rajab, Sha'ban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah; this is the correct reckoning, it says. Yes, these are 12 months, of these months four are sacred months anyway.

Muharram, Safar, Rabi al-Awwal, Rabi al-Akhir. The others are Jumada al-Awwal, Jumada al-Akhir, Rajab, Sha'ban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah. In Arabic words, these are the ones Allah Almighty set, sir, with, um, names. For us, we say January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. These are the Latin names of the months. But it does not change. It does not change in this way.

There is the Hijri calendar. According to the Hijri calendar, anyway, just as in the Diyanet calendar, the numbers and dates of the Hijri calendar are set. We follow it from there too.

Allah Almighty — these worlds, when these worlds did not exist — established an order by creating these beings with His knowledge. Before any worlds were created, before this world was created — when I say world, it comes out singular. Let us say worlds. Before the heavens and the earth and what is between them, sir, were created, Allah Almighty existed by His own Self. Then with His knowledge He begins to create these worlds.

The moon, sun and earth revolve around one another. Days, months and years come about. The earth, completing its rotation on its own axis in 24 hours, produces nights and days, and with daytimes, the days. With nights and daytimes, days come about in 24 hours. By turning on its own axis facing the sun, night and day come about. Yes. At the same time, by revolving around the sun, the seasons and months come about. The moon, by turning on its own axis, the days, and by its revolution around the sun, the months of the year come about. The earth completes its revolution around the sun in 365 days and 6 hours.

Every year the seasons and months come at the same time. The moon, however, completes this revolution in 354 days. The moon.

Gregorian (?). That is, the earth its revolution around the sun in 365 days and 6 hours, the moon its revolution around the sun in 354 days, in 354 days they complete. Yes.

For this reason, the lunar months come 10 days earlier every year. Why? Allah Almighty places the lunar months in the sky and has the earth, around the sun's axis, in 365 days and 6 hours, the thing, and (?) in 354 days complete. What is the reason?

The reason is this. Allah Almighty, so that there be these sacred months — the sacred months, so that (?), we said — Allah Almighty, by making the lunar system ten days shorter in this way, sir, places the lunar month system in the sky. We do not fast according to the state of the Gregorian calendar. We fast according to the lunar calendar. Muslim countries are like this. And the reason for this is that Allah rules over people with His attribute of justice. For example, let us say, if we had fasted according to the Gregorian calendar, every year in the same month, say in July, in another August, in another September, we would have kept Ramadan.

We would have kept the fast in July. For example, let us say here July and August are full summer, while Muslims on the other side of the world would, you know, in a cooler way, sir, keep their fasts. Or else Allah Almighty would have made people fast only in the hot months of the year, and the others, the others always in the cool. Or else He would have deliberately placed on people in this way an obligation. But when it goes by the lunar month, this year, let us say July 10th, in 2 years the start of July, the year after May's, June's end, the 20th; like this, every 3 years it comes to May, comes to April; by moving down, in summer and winter it makes people fast.

Never, even if people are at one end of the world or the other end, does He wrong them. By letting all taste heat and cold, the fast of long and short days, sir, by letting them taste it, in this way He rules with justice. That is why all Muslims fast by the lunar months.

Sir, at the same time, by its revolution around the sun, we said, the seasons and months come about. The moon, by turning on its own axis, the days, and by its revolution around the sun, the months of the year come about. The earth its revolution around the sun in 365 days and 6 hours completes. Every year the seasons and months come at the same time. The moon, however, completes this revolution in 354 days. For this reason, the lunar months come 10 days earlier every year. The names of these months are as follows, we said. (?) let us count them once more anyway. Muharram, Safar, Rabi al-Awwal, Rabi al-Akhir, Jumada al-Awwal, Jumada al-Akhir, Rajab, Sha'ban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah.

This is the correct reckoning, it says. That is, Allah Almighty: this is the correct reckoning. His intent in saying so is that, since the worlds were created with knowledge, until the Day of Judgment this course will go on this way and this order will not be disrupted — to make that known. Correct reckoning. That is, at the same time here, it indicates that this order will not be disrupted until the Day of Judgment, and by saying correct reckoning, that He does no one injustice; this is the finest form of reckoning, it says. As I said a moment ago, in one place summer, in one place coolness, or spring in one place, autumn in another, long days in one place, short days in another — He does not make one fast in full heat and the other in the cool.

By having all of it done in turns, in turns having it done, as I said a moment ago, both in the heat and in the cold, both on long days and on short days, He lets people taste the (?) of fasting. The reckoning is correct reckoning. Yes.

Four of these months are sacred months. Pay attention. Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. Yes. Four of these months are sacred months. They are the months of Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. Yes.

Yes.

We made a mistake earlier, like this. We listed some things as sacred months. Rabi al-Awwal, Rabi al-Akhir — it is not those. Here the sacred months are the months of Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. The months of Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. Yes. Allah Almighty does not want people to wage war in these months. In these months He wants people to get along like brothers, to turn the earth into a festive atmosphere, and to observe Allah's prohibitions. To observe them. But if you are subjected to an aggression, it says, then respond to them in kind as retaliation, it says.

That is, you — for you it is a sacred month. You, sir, do not wage war in this sacred month. Well, then let the disbeliever come and kill you there. That is not the meaning. (?) anyway. If an aggression arises against you in these months, it says, respond to them in equal measure. Yes. So the sacred months are not what I said earlier but Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. Yes.

Waging war in these months is forbidden. Whoever steps outside the laws Allah has set, that soul is surely a soul that has wronged itself. That is, starting a war arbitrarily in this month, or else saying why did you say this, come on, states waging war on each other, that is, of the Islamic states — these are sacred months. When these months begin here, even within Islam there will be no war. That is, even if Muslims fight against Muslims — which is forbidden by Allah's laws. According to the verse, a believer can never kill a believer. According to the verse, Muslims are brothers. It is not possible for Muslims to fight one another anyway.

Rather, uniting, one must persuade the side in the wrong, that is needed. But if it does not understand, then it says: you, together with the side in the right, to that wrongful side, it says, show it its limits. Yes.

Just as the polytheists fight you all together, you too against them all together, it says, fight.

Yes. In today's order, if the polytheists holding power, though they are strong, all the polytheists uniting, declaring anarchy on Islam, for their own interests strike a state unjustly, then you too, as Muslims, unite against them, back one another, so that you may be saved from their evil and oppression. Or so that you may prevent the oppression that will be done on earth. The Islamic states have become divided, broken into pieces. If Muslims do not stand by one another and do not judge by Allah's verses, against the attacks of the polytheist armies, finishing off this one today and that one tomorrow, separating Muslims from one another, upsetting the balance of justice on earth, they lead people into corruption.

And today's situation is exactly like this. Here and there, sir, the Islamic unions in their own affairs, to corruption bringing them, they are making Islam weak, and they themselves, recognizing no right or law, roam the earth as they please.

Protecting the right to life that Allah has granted people pleases Allah. And this right and law only people who live Islam, with Allah's light in their hearts, uphold. For this reason Allah decrees: unite, and on earth prevent the oppression that will be done.

The sacred months I mentioned earlier, I am correcting again. If anyone is taking notes, let them correct their notes. These sacred months are the months of Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. They are the months of Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. These are the months that Allah Almighty, for the Muslims, made forbidden, made forbidden for the sake of right. However, it says, when an aggression arises against you, against them there is no harm, it says, in fighting, but act (?), that is, toward them you may behave (?).