The Holy Quran 2:189 — Surah Al-Baqarah

Arabic text

۞ يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْأَهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلْ هِىَ مَوَٰقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَٱلْحَجِّ ۗ وَلَيْسَ ٱلْبِرُّ بِأَن تَأْتُوا۟ ٱلْبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلْبِرَّ مَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ ۗ وَأْتُوا۟ ٱلْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَٰبِهَا ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

Translation

They ask you (O Muhammad ﷺ) about the new moons (why it waxes and wanes), tell them that these are a means for people to determine time (months) and the Hajj. Righteousness is not that you enter your homes from the back, but (a person of) righteousness is the person who has Taqwa. Enter your homes from their (front) doors and fear Allaah so that you may be successful. (This verse makes reference to the practice of the early Arabs who believed that after performing Hajj it was an act of righteousness to enter their homes from the back or from the roof and sinful to enter from the front door.)

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

The importance of sighting the new moon: the sun always remains in one form and one state, while the form of the moon changes and its size keeps waxing and waning. Therefore people asked the Prophet ﷺ the reason for the moon's waxing and waning, and thereupon this verse was revealed.

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