Dhu al-Qa'dah (Arabic: ذُو ٱلْقَعْدَة, Ḏū al-Qa ʿdah, IPA:[ðu‿l.qaʕ.dah]), also spelled Dhu al-Qi'dah or Zu al-Qa'dah, is the eleventh month in the Islamic calendar.
It could possibly mean "possessor or owner of the sitting and seating place" - the space occupied while sitting or the manner of the sitting, pose or posture.
It is one of the four sacred months in Islam during which warfare is prohibited, hence the name "Master of Truces".
In Ottoman times, the name in Ottoman Turkish was Zi'l-ka'dé,[1] abbreviation Za.[2] In modern Turkish, it is Zilkade.
Transliteration
The most correct and most traditionally widespread transliteration of the month according to the thirteenth century Syrian jurist al-Nawawi is Dhu'l Qa'dah. Al-Nawawi also mentions that a smaller group of linguists allow the transliteration Dhu'l-Qi'dah, however.[3] In modern times, it is most commonly referred to as Dhu'l Qi'dah although this is neither linguistically nor historically the strongest position.
The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the tropical year, Dhu'l-Qi'dah migrates throughout the seasons. The estimated start and end dates for Dhu'l-Qi'dah, based on the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia, are:[4]
^Youssof, R. (1890). Dictionnaire portatif turc-français de la langue usuelle en caractères latins et turcs. Constantinople. p. 642.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Youssof, R. (1890). Dictionnaire portatif turc-français de la langue usuelle en caractères latins et turcs. Constantinople. p. 632.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Sharh Sahih Muslim, Kitab al Qisama wal Muharibeen wal Qisas wal Diyyaat, باب تغليظ تحريم الدماء والأعراض والأموال
