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Fatwa CenterWhy Hajj rites are limited to the days of Thul Hijjah
Question
Assalam alaikum. Regarding the ayat about Hajj, in which it says the "MONTHS" of Hajj , can u explain why then is Hajj limited to only the days of dhul hijjah. Jazak allahu kheir.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Allaah Says (what means): {Hajj is [during] well-known months, so whoever has made hajj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of ihram], there is [to be for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during hajj.} [Quran 2:197]
According to the view of the majority of the scholars, the months of Hajj are Shawwaal, Thul-Qi’dah and the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah. This means that its time begins on the first of Shawwaal.
However, the Hajj is limited to the ten days of Thul-Hijjah because most of its rituals are performed during this period. For instance, the day of ‘Arafah is the ninth day of Thul Hijjah and by the break of dawn on the Day of Sacrifice (i.e. the tenth day of Thul Hijjah) one’s Hajj would be void if he/she misses the rite of standing on Arafah (i.e. between the dawn of the Day of Arafah till the dawn of the Day of Sacrifice). In addition to this, most of the rituals of Hajj are done on the Day of Sacrifice which is the day of the greater Hajj.
Nevertheless, some scholars 
are of the view that the months of Hajj are Shawwaal, Thul-Qi’dah and the entire month of Thul-Hijjah; this is the view of Imaam Maalik 
. Shaykh Ad-Dardeer when interpreting the statement of Khaleel: “And among their pillars – i.e. the pillar of Hajj and ‘Umrah – is Ihraam (i.e. assuming the state of Ihraam). Its time, in case of Hajj, is Shawwaal until the end of Thul Hijjah”, he said: “That’s to say the starting of its time for Hajj is Shawwaal until the Fajr of the Day of Sacrifice and the time of coming out of the state of Ihraam is until the last day of Thul-Hijjah. What is meant here is not that the entire period which he mentioned is a time for the permissibility of assuming the state of Ihraam as it might be understood from his statement, but what it meant is that some of this time is a time for the permissibility of commencing Ihraam for Hajj, i.e. from Shawwaal until the break of dawn on the Day of Sacrifice, whereas some of its time is a time for the permissibility of coming out of Ihraam, i.e. from the Fajr of the Day of Sacrifice until the end of the month of Thul-Hijjah. However, it is better for the inhabitants of Makkah to assume Ihraam (for Hajj) from the beginning of Thul-Hijjah according to the reliable opinion (in the Maaliki School) and before the Day of Tarwiyah (i.e. the 8th day of Thul-Hijjah)."
Based on this, the reason why the Hajj rituals are limited to the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah is that most of its acts are done during this period and because Hajj would be void if one misses the rite of standing on Arafah before the dawn breaks on the Day of Sacrifice.
Thus, the reason behind the statement of those scholars who considered the entire month of Thul-Hijjah as one of the months of Hajj is the aforementioned explanation of Shaykh Ad-Dirdeer .
Allaah Knows best.
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