Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:197

(The Hajj is [during] well-known months): meaning its time is that, and with this the attribution is valid. It has been said: "It is [the Hajj of] months" or "the Hajj of [those] months." It has also been said that there is no ellipsis; rather, the Hajj—which is an act among acts—is made synonymous with time as a hyperbole. It is not hidden that the objective is to state the time of the Hajj, as what follows indicates, so identifying it as such is more appropriate.

The meaning of His saying, may He be exalted: (well-known), is known to the people. These are Shawwal, Dhu al-Qi'dah, and ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah according to us, which is what is narrated from Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn al-Zubayr, Ibn Umar, and al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with them). This is supported by the fact that the Day of Sacrifice (Yawm al-Nahr) is the time for a pillar of the Hajj, namely the Circumambulation of Visit (Tawaf al-Ziyarah), and by the fact that the "Great Hajj Day" is interpreted as the Day of Sacrifice.

According to Malik, it is the first two months and all of Dhu al-Hijjah, acting upon the literal meaning of "months" (al-ashhur) and because some acts of Hajj—such as the Tawaf al-Ziyarah, shaving, and pelting the pebbles—are performed during the days of sacrifice. When a woman menstruates, she delays the Tawaf, which is indispensable, until the end of its days after the ten. Furthermore, it is permissible—as it is said—to delay the Tawaf al-Ziyarah until the end of the month, as narrated from Urwah ibn al-Zubayr. Moreover, the apparent meanings of the traditions speak to this; al-Tabarani, al-Khatib, and others have reported through various chains that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) counted the three months as the Hajj. Sa'id ibn Mansur and Ibn al-Mundhir also reported the same from Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).

According to al-Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with him), it is the first two months and the nine days of Dhu al-Hijjah up to the night of the Day of Sacrifice, because the Hajj is missed by the breaking of dawn on the Day of Sacrifice, and an act of worship cannot be "missed" while its time remains. Al-Razi stated this, but the counter-argument is that it is missed by the loss of its greatest pillar—the Standing (at Arafat)—not by the loss of its time absolutely.

The axis of the disagreement is whether the term "its time" refers to the time for its rites and actions without dislike, and when no other rites are appropriate; or whether it refers to the time for its Ihram (state of consecration). Al-Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with him) follows the latter, and Ihram is not valid after the breaking of dawn on the Day of Sacrifice because performance is no longer possible, even if the performance of some Hajj acts is permissible during the days of sacrifice. Malik follows the second, as it is said that he disliked performing Umrah during the remainder of Dhu al-Hijjah, based on the report that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would threaten people with his lash, forbidding them from doing so during those days. His son (may Allah be pleased with him) said to a man: "If you feed me, I shall wait until the new moon of Muharram rises, then I will go out to Dhat Irq and enter into Ihram for an Umrah from there."

Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah be pleased with him) follows the first view, because the tenth is a time for performing the pelting, shaving, and others, as are the rest of the days of sacrifice. Although it is a time for that as well, it was specified as "the ten" by way of requirement, due to what was narrated in the reports regarding the mention of the ten. Perhaps the intent is the time in which the duty-bound person is able to complete his rites such that everything becomes permissible for him, which is the tenth day. What is beyond that in the remaining days of sacrifice is for ease in performing the Tawaf and completing the pelting.

"Months" (al-ashhur) is used in its literal sense, although it is used figuratively for some of its individual parts. For the minimum plural is three units according to the majority; thus, a part of a unit is made into a unit, and then they are collected. It is said: It is a metaphor for more than one, based on the relationship of collection, and it is not a plural in reality—based on the school of thought that is relied upon—because its usage is only valid for two or three, not for two and a part of a third. The statement that it means two, with the third being as if it were non-existent, is invalid. It is also said that it means three, without metaphor in some parts, because names of containers are used for some of their parts in a literal sense, as they imply the meaning of "in." One says, "I saw him in such-and-such a year, or month, or day," even though you only saw him for an hour of that time. Perhaps this is close to the truth. The masculine plural form for non-rational beings comes with the alif and ta.

(So whoever imposes upon himself [the Hajj] during them): meaning, compels himself to perform the Hajj by entering into Ihram. He becomes in a state of Ihram merely by the intention according to al-Shafi'i, because Ihram is a commitment to refrain from prohibitions, so he becomes a starter of it merely by that, like fasting. According to us, no; rather, it requires the accompaniment of the Talbiyah, because it is a contract for performance, so a declaration is necessary as in the opening Takbir of prayer. Since the category of Hajj is broader than that of prayer, a declaration intending reverence other than the Talbiyah suffices, whether it be in Persian or Arabic. The same applies to bringing the sacrificial animal (hady) or marking it.

The verse is used as evidence that it is not permissible to enter into Ihram for Hajj except in those months, as Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), Ata, and others have said. For if it were permissible at other times—as the Hanafis hold—His saying, may He be exalted: (during them) would have no benefit. The response is that the benefit of mentioning (during them) is that they are the time for its acts without dislike; thus, it does not imply the impermissibility of Ihram before it. If one precedes it with Ihram, it is concluded as Hajj, albeit with dislike. According to al-Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with him), he becomes in a state of Ihram for Umrah. The axis of the disagreement is whether it is a pillar (according to him) or a condition (according to us), so it resembles purification in the permissibility of preceding the time, and the dislike came due to the ambiguity. It is reported from Jabir from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "It is not appropriate for anyone to enter Ihram for Hajj except in the months of Hajj."

(So there is no [sexual] relations): meaning no intercourse, or no foul speech. (nor disobedience): nor exiting the boundaries of the Shari'ah by committing prohibitions. It is also said: by insulting or using derogatory nicknames. (nor disputing): nor quarreling with servants and companions.

[during Hajj]: i.e., during its days. Mentioning the noun in place of the pronoun is to manifest complete concern for the matter and to signal the cause of the ruling. For visiting the Most Honored House and drawing near to Allah through it is among the requirements for abandoning the aforementioned defiling matters for one who intends the journey and the path toward the King of Kings. The use of the negation is to hyperbolize the prohibition and to signify its reality—that it should not happen. For whatever is rejected and ugly in itself, and forbidden absolutely, is even more rejected and uglier for one in the state of Ihram for the most noble and difficult of acts of worship, such as wearing silk in prayer or beautifying the voice in such a way that the letters lose their form in the Quran.

Ibn Kathir and Abu Amr read the first two with raf' (nominative case), interpreting them as the meaning of prohibition, i.e., "There shall be no rafath or fusuq." The rest read with fath (accusative case), with the meaning of informing about the negation of disputing during Hajj. This is because the Quraysh used to stand at the Sacred Monument (al-Mash'ar al-Haram) while the rest of the Arabs stood at Arafat. After everyone was commanded to stand at Arafat, the dispute was lifted, so it was reported. It was also read with raf' in (during them), and its basis is not hidden.

(And whatever you do of good, Allah knows it): By interpreting the imperative, it is conjoined to (so there is no [sexual] relations), meaning: "Do not commit rafath, and do good deeds." In this there is a shift in address (iltifat) and an encouragement toward good following the prohibition of evil, so that the latter might be replaced by the former. For this reason, the object of knowledge was specified, even though He, may He be exalted, is All-Knowing of all that they do, whether good or evil. The intent of "knowledge" is either its literal meaning, so he rewards them for it after the action, or it means recompense.

(And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is righteousness [taqwa]). Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawood, al-Nasa'i, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Hibban, and al-Bayhaqi reported from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that he said: "The people of Yemen used to go for Hajj without provisions, saying: 'We are those who trust in Allah (Mutawakkilun).' Then they would arrive and ask people for food, so this was revealed." So, "take provisions" is taken in its literal sense, which is acquiring food for the journey. And (taqwa) is in its linguistic sense: avoiding asking. It is also said: The meaning of the verse is "Take (taqwa) as your provision for your hereafter, for it is the best provision." The object of "take provisions" is omitted by the context of the predicate of inna, which is taqwa in the legal sense. The apparent requirement would be to attribute "the best provision" to "taqwa," for when the subject (musnad ilayh) and the predicate (musnad) are both definite, that which is requested to be proven is made the predicate. What is requested here is to prove "the best provision" for taqwa because it is evidence of its being a provision. However, the discourse was expressed contrary to the apparent requirement for the sake of hyperbole. For then the meaning becomes: "The thing which has reached you as 'the best provision,' and which you seek to describe, is 'taqwa'," thus signifying the unity of "the best provision" and it.

(And fear Me, O you of understanding): meaning, devote your taqwa to Me exclusively, for that is what pure intellect, free from impurities, requires. There is no trace of repetition with the previous phrase in this, because it is an exhortation to sincerity after the exhortation to taqwa.