10021 - Hajjaj ibn Hamzah narrated to us, Shababah narrated to us, Warqa' narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid, who said: They would drop al-Muharram, then say: 'Two Safars,' for Safar and the month of Rabi' al-Awwal. Then they would say: 'Two months of Rabi',' for the month of Rabi' al-Akhir and Jumada al-Ula. Then they would say for Ramadan: 'Sha'ban,' and say for Shawwal: 'Ramadan,' and say for Dhu al-Qa'dah: 'Shawwal,' then say for Dhu al-Hijjah: 'Dhu al-Qa'dah,' then say for al-Muharram: 'Dhu al-Hijjah.' Thus, they would perform the Hajj during al-Muharram. Then they would start over and count accordingly, following a fixed sequence as they had begun, so they would say: 'al-Muharram,' and perform the Hajj in al-Muharram, and they would perform the Hajj in every month twice. Then they would drop another month, and then they would count based on the first sequence, saying: 'Safar and the month of Rabi' al-Awwal,' in the same way they counted when they first dropped a month (1).

10022 - 'Abd Allah ibn Sulayman narrated to us, al-Husayn ibn 'Ali Mihran narrated to us, 'Amir ibn al-Furat narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi regarding His saying: 'Indeed, the postponement is an increase in disbelief by which those who have disbelieved are led astray; they declare it lawful one year and prohibit it one year to match the number of what Allah has prohibited,' he said: There was a man from the tribe of Malik ibn Kinanah called Junadah ibn 'Awf, nicknamed Abu Umamah, who would postpone the months. It was difficult for the Arabs to remain for three months without raiding one another. So, when he wanted to raid someone, he would stand at Mina and declare: 'I have made al-Muharram lawful, and I have prohibited Safar in its place.' People would then fight during al-Muharram, and when Safar came, they would sheath their swords and put down their spears. Then, the following year, he would stand and say: 'I have made Safar lawful, and I have prohibited al-Muharram.'

His saying, Exalted is He: 'To match.'

10023 - My father narrated to us, Abu Salih narrated to us, Mu'awiyah ibn Salih narrated to us, from 'Ali ibn Abi Talhah, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding His saying: 'To match' [li-yuwati'u], he says: 'To correspond' [yushabbihu].

His saying, Exalted is He: 'The number of what Allah has prohibited.'

10024 - 'Abd Allah ibn Sulayman narrated to us, al-Husayn ibn 'Ali narrated to us, 'Amir ibn al-Furat narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi regarding His saying: 'To match the number of what Allah has prohibited,' [meaning] to make them correspond to four months.

His saying, Exalted is He: 'So they declare lawful what Allah has prohibited.'

And by the same chain from al-Suddi regarding His saying: 'So they declare lawful what Allah has prohibited,' meaning they declare al-Muharram lawful.