What is the interpretation of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Indeed, the postponing of the sacred month is only an increase in disbelief. By it, those who disbelieve are led astray. They make it lawful in one year and forbidden in another, in order to match the number of what Allah has made forbidden"
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The questioner : A questioner inquires about the noble verse in Surat al-Tawbah. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says: [At-Tawbah 9:37]?
The Shaykh : Nasī' means postponement. The Arabs, in their pre-Islamic age of ignorance, due to their manipulation, would sometimes make Muharram Safar, and Safar a forbidden month. The month of Muharram is known as a month in which fighting is not permissible. So how did they reconcile this with their desires? If their desire was to fight in Muharram, they would fight and postpone its prohibition to Safar, thus postponing the prohibition to another month after it. He, Mighty and Majestic, says that this is:[At-Tawbah 9:37] meaning: they would bring one forbidden month [At-Tawbah 9:37].
And in the noble verse is evidence that disbelief increases and decreases, just as faith increases and decreases. Faith increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience, and disbelief increases with the additional sins beyond the foundation of disbelief. For this reason, the disbeliever is punished for them—meaning, for the additional sins beyond disbelief—as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:[Al-Muddaththir 74:38-42] meaning, they say to them: "What brought you into the Fire?" [Al-Muddaththir 74:43-47], and this is evidence that their leaving off prayer and feeding the poor had an effect in their torment in Saqar.
Indeed, the postponing [of restriction within sacred months] is an increase in disbelief by which those who have disbelieved are led [further] astray. They make it lawful one year and unlawful another year to correspond to the number made unlawful by Allah
إنما النسيء زيادة في الكفر يضل به الذين كفروا يحلونه عاما ويحرمونه عاما ليواطئوا عدة ما حرم اللهThe Shaykh : Nasī' means postponement. The Arabs, in their pre-Islamic age of ignorance, due to their manipulation, would sometimes make Muharram Safar, and Safar a forbidden month. The month of Muharram is known as a month in which fighting is not permissible. So how did they reconcile this with their desires? If their desire was to fight in Muharram, they would fight and postpone its prohibition to Safar, thus postponing the prohibition to another month after it. He, Mighty and Majestic, says that this is:
an increase in disbelief by which those who have disbelieved are led [further] astray. They make it lawful one year and unlawful another year to correspond to the number made unlawful by Allah
زيادة في الكفر يضل به الذين كفروا يحلونه عاما ويحرمونه عاما ليواطئوا عدة ما حرم اللهmake lawful what Allah has made unlawful
فيحلوا ما حرم اللهAnd in the noble verse is evidence that disbelief increases and decreases, just as faith increases and decreases. Faith increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience, and disbelief increases with the additional sins beyond the foundation of disbelief. For this reason, the disbeliever is punished for them—meaning, for the additional sins beyond disbelief—as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: