Fasting During Rajab & Honor Killings
Historically, one of the virtuous religious practices of Muslims is voluntary fasting during the month of Rajab. Unfortunately, there are a growing number of Muslims that consider this practice a blameworthy innovation. The following discussion, taken from Lata’if al Ma’rif fi ma li Mawasim al-‘Amm min al-Wadha’if (The Subtleties of Knowledge Concerning the Religious Duties Associated with Each Month of the Year), by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, helps to shed light on this increasingly contentious issue.
Whatever your view, i’d like everyone to take special note of the penultimate paragraph [emphasis mine]:
On the other hand, fasting during Rajab, or any month other than Ramadan, is not an obligation. Therefore, those choosing not to fast, rather they substantiate their position with some of the narrations mentioned above or not, should be respected for their choice.
You heard the man!
While i’m here, i’d also like to highlight another entry from Imam Zaid, written in July, about the impermissibility of ‘honor killings’ in Islam:
One of the gravest charges levied against Islam, in terms of its alleged antipathy towards women, is the charge that it encourages a phenomenon known as honor killings. This un-Islamic practice consists of the murder of female family members who are seen as dishonoring their families through real or perceived acts, such as premarital sexual relations or unapproved dating. This practice has absolutely no sanction in the Qur’an, the Prophetic practice, or in the evolved systems of Islamic law.
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