The Sacred Month of Rajab — First of the Holy Months

Rajab — The Month of Allah

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) called Rajab “the month of Allah” (shahr Allah):

رَجَبٌ شَهرُ اللَّه، وَشَعبَانُ شَهرِي، وَرَمَضَانُ شَهرُ أُمَّتِي “Rajab is the month of Allah, Sha’ban is my month, and Ramadan is the month of my community.”

This hadith positions the three months before and including Ramadan as a continuous arc of spiritual elevation — Rajab, Sha’ban, and Ramadan together forming the great season of renewal in the Islamic year.

Rajab is also one of the four sacred months (أَشهُرُ الحُرُم — ashhur al-hurum) mentioned in the Quran:

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ “Indeed, the number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve months, in the record of Allah, from the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these, four are sacred.” (Quran 9:36)

The four sacred months are: Rajab (7), Dhul Qa’da (11), Dhul Hijja (12), and Muharram (1). In these months, fighting was traditionally prohibited in pre-Islamic Arabia — a tradition the Quran confirmed and spiritualized.

Key Dates in Rajab

1 Rajab — Wiladat of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (AS)

The first day of Rajab is the wiladat (birthday) of the 5th Imam, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (AS), born in 57 AH in Madinah. “Al-Baqir” means “the one who splits open knowledge” — a title reflecting his encyclopedic learning and his role in opening the esoteric sciences of the religion to his students.

Imam al-Baqir (AS) transmitted the chain of ta’wil from his father Imam Zainul Abidin (AS) to his son Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (AS). Many of the foundational texts of Ismaili ta’wil are attributed to him or trace through him. The first of Rajab is thus a day of joy and remembrance.

13 Rajab — Wiladat of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS)

The 13th of Rajab is the wiladat of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) — the 1st Imam, the Commander of the Faithful, the Door to the City of the Prophet’s Knowledge.

Imam Ali (AS) was born inside the sacred Ka’ba in Mecca — the only person in recorded Islamic history to have been born within its walls. This birth inside the House of Allah was considered a sign of his unique station from the very beginning of his life.

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said of him:

أَنَا مَدِينَةُ العِلمِ وَعَلِيٌّ بَابُهَا، فَمَن أَرَادَ العِلمَ فَليَأتِ البَاب “I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate. Whoever seeks knowledge, let him come through the gate.”

The 13th of Rajab is one of the great joyful occasions of the Bohra calendar — a day of salawat, celebration, and gratitude for the gift of walayah through Imam Ali (AS).

25 Rajab — Shahadat of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (AS)

The 25th of Rajab is the day the 7th Imam, Musa al-Kadhim (AS), attained shahadat — martyred by poison in the prison of Harun al-Rashid in Baghdad. Known as “al-Kadhim” (the one who restrains his anger), he spent years in Abbasid prisons, yet maintained the dignity and composure of an Imam throughout. He died in 183 AH and is buried in the Kadhimiyya shrine in Baghdad.

27 Rajab — Laylat al-Mi’raj (Night of Ascension)

The most sacred night of Rajab is the 27th — Laylat al-Mi’raj, the night of the Prophet’s (SAW) miraculous Night Journey (Isra’) from Mecca to Jerusalem, and his Ascent (Mi’raj) through the seven heavens to the Divine Presence.

This is one of the most spiritually significant events in all of Islamic history: the night the Prophet (SAW) was taken beyond the farthest point any created being had reached, and was given the gift of the five daily prayers for the Muslim community.

The Quran records this night in Surah al-Isra’ (17:1) and Surah al-Najm (53:1-18). The tradition describes the Prophet meeting the previous Prophets in each of the seven heavens — Ibrahim (AS) in the seventh — and being presented before the Divine Presence.

In Ismaili ta’wil, Laylat al-Mi’raj is deeply significant: the Prophet’s ascent is understood as the supreme example of suluk (spiritual journey), and al-salatu mi’raj al-mu’min — “prayer is the believer’s mi’raj” — establishes that every Namaz is the mumin’s own participation in this journey. The Imam mediates between the Divine and the mumin, just as the Prophet mediated between the Divine Presence and the Companions on the night of Mi’raj.

Rajab Observances in the Bohra Community

The Rajab Fast

Fasting in Rajab is highly recommended (mustahab). The Prophet (SAW) encouraged fasting in the sacred months, and Rajab in particular has a tradition of fasting associated with spiritual preparation for Ramadan. Even fasting one day in Rajab is considered meritorious.

In Bohra practice, some mumineen fast on specific days:

• The first Thursday of Rajab (Roz Salawaat)
• Rajab 1 (wiladat of Imam al-Baqir)
• Rajab 13 (wiladat of Imam Ali)
• Rajab 27 (Laylat al-Mi’raj)

Salawat and Du’a on the 13th

The wiladat of Imam Ali (AS) is marked in Bohra communities with special salawat gatherings, qasaid (poetic verses) in praise of the Imam, and communal celebration. Given the central place of Imam Ali (AS) in Ismaili theology — as the first Imam, the first male believer, the repository of the Prophet’s esoteric knowledge — his birthday is one of the highest occasions of Bohra religious joy.

Laylat al-Mi’raj Observance (27 Rajab)

The 27th night of Rajab is observed with:

• Evening of worship (shab-e-ibadah): prayers, Quran recitation, salawat on the Prophet (SAW)
• Communal gathering: many Bohra communities hold a majlis or gathering on this night
• Special du’a: du’as specific to the night of Mi’raj are recited
• Reflection on the gift of Namaz: the five daily prayers were a gift from Allah to the Prophet on this night — and Bohra tradition connects every Namaz back to this moment

The night before 27 Rajab (i.e., the 26th-to-27th night) is considered the Laylat al-Mi’raj. Bohra mumineen often spend this night in prayer.

Dua for the Start of Rajab

A well-known supplication for the beginning of Rajab — traditionally recited at the sighting of the new moon:

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِك لَنَا فِي رَجَبٍ وَشَعبَانَ وَبَلِّغنَا رَمَضَان “O Allah, bless us in Rajab and Sha’ban, and bring us to Ramadan.”

This dua is a reminder that Rajab is not complete in itself — it is the beginning of a journey whose fullest expression is the blessed month of Ramadan.

Rajab in the Three-Month Arc

The months of Rajab, Sha’ban, and Ramadan form a continuous arc of spiritual preparation:

Each month builds toward the next. The mumin who enters Rajab with intention and devotion — fasting, making salawat, keeping the special nights — finds themselves spiritually elevated by the time they cross into Sha’ban, and from there into the fullness of Ramadan.

See also: Isra Wal Miraj, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Imam Muhammad Al Baqir, Shab E Baraat, Ramadan Guide, Laylat Al Qadr, Bohra Calendar