Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 189
| ۞ يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ ۗ وَلَيْسَ الْبِرُّ بِأَنْ تَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنِ اتَّقَىٰ ۗ وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ |
| Transliteration | : | yas'alon -ka can al- ahillah qul hiya mawaaqet li- an- naas wa- al- h.ajj wa- laysa al- birr bi- 'an ta'to al- buyot min z.uhor -haa wa- laakin al- birr man ittaqaa wa- i'to al- buyot min abwaab -haa wa- ittaqo 'allaah lacalla -kum tuflih.on |
| Pickthall | : | They ask thee, (O Muhammad), of new moons. Say: They are fixed seasons for mankind and for the pilgrimage. It is not righteousness that ye go to houses by the backs thereof (as do the idolaters at certain seasons), but the righteous man is he who wardeth off (evil). So go to houses by the gates thereof, and observe your duty to Allah, that ye may be successful |
| Asad | : | THEY WILL ASK thee about the new moons. Say: "They indicate the periods for [various doings of] mankind, including the pilgrimage."165 However, piety does not consist in your entering houses from the rear, [as it were,] but truly pious is he who is conscious of God.166 Hence, enter houses through their doors, and remain conscious of God, so that you might attain to a happy state. |
| Malik | : | They question you about the new moon. Tell them: it is to determine the periods of time for the benefit of mankind and for the Hajj (pilgrimage). It is not righteous to enter your houses from the back doors during Hajj times. Righteousness is to fear Allah. Enter your houses through the proper doors and fear Allah so that you may prosper. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | They ask thee concerning the new moons. Say: they are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men and for pilgrimage. It is no virtue if ye enter your houses from the back; it is virtue if ye fear Allah. Enter houses through the proper doors and fear Allah that ye may prosper. 202 203 |
Note - 165The reference, at this stage, to lunar months arises from
the fact that the observance of several of the religious
obligations instituted by Islam - like the fast of
Ramadan, or the pilgrimage to Mecca (which is dealt with
in verses {196-203}) - is based on the lunar calendar, in
which the months rotate through the seasons of the solar
year. This fixation on the lunar calendar results in a
continuous variation of the seasonal circumstances in
which those religious observances are performed (e.g.,
the length of the fasting-period between dawn and sunset,
heat or cold at the time of the fast or the pilgrimage),
and thus in a corresponding, periodical increase or
decrease of the hardship involved. In addition to this,
reckoning by lunar months has a bearing on the tide and
ebb of the oceans, as well as on human physiology (e.g.,
a woman's monthly courses - a subject dealt with later on
in this surah).
|
Note - 166I.e., true piety does not consist in approaching
questions of faith through a "back door", as it were -
that is, through mere observance of the forms and periods
set for the performance of variouLs religious duties (cf.
2:177). However important these forms and time-limits
may be in themselves, they do not fulfil their real
purpose unless every act is approached through its
spiritual "front door", that is, through
God-consciousness. Since, metonymically, the word bab
("door") signifies "a means of access to, or of
attainment of, a thing" (see Lane I, 272), the metaphor
of "entering a house through its door" is often used in
classical Arabic to denote a proper approach to a problem
(Razi).
|
Note - 202There were many superstitions connected with the New
Moon, as there are to the present day. We are told to
disregard such superstitions. As a measure of time,
where the lunar calendar is used, the New Moon is one
great sign, for which people watch with eagerness.
Muslim festivals, including the Pilgrimage, are fixed by
the appearance of the New Moon. The Arabs, among other
superstitions, had one which made them enter their houses
by the back door during or after the Pilgrimage. This is
disapproved, for there is no virtue in any such
artificial restrictions. All virtue proceeds from the
love and fear of God.
|
Note - 203This is a Muslim proverb now, and much might be written
about its manifold meanings. A few may be notes here.
(1) If you enter a society, respect its manners and
customs. (2) If you want to achieve an object
honourably, go about it openly and not "by a backdoor".
(3) Do not beat about the bush. (4) If you wish success
in an undertaking, provide all the necessary instruments
for it.
|
Share your thoughts about this with others by posting a comment. Visit our FAQ for some ideas.
Filter Comments 
 |
The reference, at this stage, to lunar months arises from the fact that the observance of several of the religious obligations instituted by Islam - like the fast of Ramadan, or the pilgrimage to Mecca (which is dealt with in verses {196-203}) - is based on the lunar calendar, in which the months rotate through the seasons of the solar year. This fixation on the lunar calendar results in a continuous variation of the seasonal circumstances in which those religious observances are performed (e.g., the length of the fasting-period between dawn and sunset, heat or cold at the time of the fast or the pilgrimage), and thus in a corresponding, periodical increase or decrease of the hardship involved. In addition to this, reckoning by lunar months has a bearing on the tide and ebb of the oceans, as well as on human physiology (e.g., a woman's monthly courses - a subject dealt with later on in this surah). |
| |
I.e., true piety does not consist in approaching questions of faith through a "back door", as it were - that is, through mere observance of the forms and periods set for the performance of variouLs religious duties (cf. 2:177). However important these forms and time-limits may be in themselves, they do not fulfil their real purpose unless every act is approached through its spiritual "front door", that is, through God-consciousness. Since, metonymically, the word bab ("door") signifies "a means of access to, or of attainment of, a thing" (see Lane I, 272), the metaphor of "entering a house through its door" is often used in classical Arabic to denote a proper approach to a problem (Razi). |
| |
There were many superstitions connected with the New Moon, as there are to the present day. We are told to disregard such superstitions. As a measure of time, where the lunar calendar is used, the New Moon is one great sign, for which people watch with eagerness. Muslim festivals, including the Pilgrimage, are fixed by the appearance of the New Moon. The Arabs, among other superstitions, had one which made them enter their houses by the back door during or after the Pilgrimage. This is disapproved, for there is no virtue in any such artificial restrictions. All virtue proceeds from the love and fear of God. |
| |
This is a Muslim proverb now, and much might be written about its manifold meanings. A few may be notes here. (1) If you enter a society, respect its manners and customs. (2) If you want to achieve an object honourably, go about it openly and not "by a backdoor". (3) Do not beat about the bush. (4) If you wish success in an undertaking, provide all the necessary instruments for it. |
