Dhul-Qi'dah

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What is Dhul-Qi'dah?

Dhul-Qi'dah is the eleventh month of the Hijri calendar and one of the four sacred months named in the Qur'an, alongside Rajab, Muharram, and Dhul-Hijjah. It marks the beginning of what is traditionally regarded as the Hajj season, leading directly into Dhul-Hijjah, the month of pilgrimage.

The name "Dhul-Qi'dah" means "the month of sitting" or "the possessor of truce," from the Arabic root q-'-d, related to sitting or abstaining. Pre-Islamic Arabs would "sit out" from warfare and travel during this month, observing a period of rest and truce before the intensive activity of the Hajj season that followed.

Historically, Dhul-Qi'dah is remembered as the month in which the Prophet ﷺ performed three of his four recorded Umrahs (the lesser pilgrimage): the Umrah of Hudaybiyyah, the Umrah of fulfillment (Qada) the following year, and the Umrah he performed alongside his Farewell Hajj. This pattern reflects how central this quiet month became to the Prophet's ﷺ acts of worship in Makkah.

Religiously, as one of the four sacred months, Dhul-Qi'dah calls for heightened restraint from fighting and wrongdoing, alongside increased mindfulness of Allah. Its position immediately before Dhul-Hijjah also makes it a natural time for those intending to perform Hajj to begin their spiritual and logistical preparations.

There is no single act of worship uniquely prescribed for Dhul-Qi'dah beyond the general sanctity shared by all four sacred months. Muslims are encouraged to use this quieter month to prepare — spiritually, physically, and financially — for the pilgrimage season that begins in the following month, and pilgrims performing Hajj at-Tamattu' often enter the state of Ihram for Umrah during this time.

Significance of Dhul-Qi'dah

• Eleventh month of the Hijri calendar: Dhul-Qi'dah directly precedes Dhul-Hijjah, the month of Hajj.
• One of the four sacred months: Dhul-Qi'dah is named in the Qur'an as a month of special sanctity, alongside Rajab, Muharram, and Dhul-Hijjah.
• A month of truce: Its name reflects the pre-Islamic custom of "sitting out" from warfare during this period.
• Site of most of the Prophet's ﷺ Umrahs: Three of his four recorded Umrahs took place in Dhul-Qi'dah.

References in Qur'an & Hadith

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The year is twelve months, four of which are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhul-Qa'dah, Dhul-Hijjah, and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar, which is between Jumada and Sha'ban." — Sahih al-Bukhari 4406

"Hajj is [during] well-known months, so whoever has made Hajj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of Ihram], there is [to be for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during Hajj." — Surah Al-Baqarah 2:197