The reasons behind naming the Hijri months (in the Islamic calendar) are as follows:

Muharram: because Arabs banned fighting in that month and considered it as 'Haram.'

Safar: Because Arab tribes used to invade other lands in that month and leave them devastated and empty (Sofran). They also used to leave their own houses empty whenever they went out to invade the others.

Rabi' Al-Awwal and Rabi' Al-Thani (Akhar): Because the land became very fertile in these two months and Rabi' means spring.

Jumada Al-Awwal and Jumada Al-Thani: Because the water froze (Yatajammad in Arabic) due to extreme cold weather in these two months.

Rajab: Because Arabs used to trim their tree branches then. It is a glorified month and people stopped fighting in it. The Arabic verb 'Rajab' means feared and glorified.

Sha'ban: Because Arab tribes used to divide into teams (Yatasha'ab) in preparation to raid others following a no-war period during Rajab.

Ramadan: Because the weather got extremely hot during this month. 'Ramdha' means extreme heat. Linguistically, when we say 'Ramdhat Al-Hijarah', this means that rocks turned very hot because of the sun's heat.

Shawwal: That is when female camels raise their ears declaring the start of their mating season. 'Shalat' means raised or lifted.

Du Al-Qi'dah: It was the time when Arabs stopped fighting. It might have been also used to refer to camel calf (Qi'dan in Arabic and the singular is Qo'oud). It also meant taming and riding camel's calves.

Du Al-Hijjah: It was when Arabs went on pilgrimage (Hajj).--Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Anbaa

By Dr Saleh Al-Ojairi