By Haruna Razaq

ALLAMA Ibn al-Qayyim said: Section of hadiths which gives the dates of future events. This includes hadith in which it mentions such and such a date, for example, “In the year such and such, such and such will happen” or “In the month such and such, such and such will happen.”

This is like the words of the big liar: “When the moon is eclipsed in Muharram, there will be a rise in prices, fighting, and the ruler will be distracted from public affairs, and when it is eclipsed in Safar, such and such will happen… “ and so on, as the liar said concerning all the months.

All the hadiths of this type are false and fabricated. (al-Manaar al-Muneef, p.64) Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymiin (RA) said: … Times have no effect (on people’s lives) and Allah never decreed that it should have any effect. Like any other month, both good and bad may be decreed during this month.

If a particular action is completed on the twenty-fifth of Safar – for example – some people note the date and say, “It has been finished on the twenty-fifth of this good month of Safar.”

This is like refuting one innovation with another, because there are no good or bad months. Hence some of the salaf denounced those who, when they hear the hooting of an owl, say, “It is good, in sha Allah.” It cannot be said that this is good or bad, it is simply the sound of a bird, like any other bird.

The Standing Committee was asked: concerning the claim of some of the scholars that in the Islamic religion there is a naafil (supererogatory) prayer which is prayed on the last Wednesday of the month of Safar, at the time of Duha (mid-morning) prayer, (consisting of) four rak’ahs with one tasliim.

And sadaqah, attached to it, for warding off the calamities which come down on the last Wednesday of the month of Safar that whoever prays this prayer in manner described, Allah will protect him by His generosity from all the calamities that come down on that day, and they will not come around him, but they will affect those who could not do this prayer, like small children.