Since ancient times, the religious laws of those who came before us, Jews and Christians, have relied on lunar months for their rites, as mentioned in the Old Testament, the Book of Psalms, Chapter 104, Verse 19:

"He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting."

Similarly, the religious laws of those before us established the ninth lunar month (the month of Ramadan) as a month for fasting, as mentioned in the Old Testament, the Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 36, Verse 9:

"In the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting before the Lord was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the towns of Judah to Jerusalem."

It is worth noting that the previous quotations confirm what is mentioned in the Holy Quran regarding the similarity between the legislation of fasting for Muslims and those People of the Book who preceded them, as stated in Verse 183 of Surah Al-Baqarah:

"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous."

And also Verse 36 of Surah At-Tawbah:

"Indeed, the number of months ordained by Allah is twelve—in Allah's Record since the day He created the heavens and the earth—of which four are sacred..." (Quran 9:36)

We understand from the above that the months referred to in the previous verse are the lunar (Hijri) months, and that Allah, since He created the heavens and the earth, decreed for Muslims (from Adam, peace be upon him, to Muhammad, peace be upon him) the number of months to be twelve, of which four are sacred, and that all believers in Allah's divine laws must follow these lunar months, and that the month of Ramadan is the ninth month in the lunar calendar, and Allah prescribed its fasting for us and for those before us.

Here, the esteemed reader might ask: These are the practices of those before us, and circumstances have changed! What prevents us from making it easier for Muslims and fixing the fast in a month from the Gregorian months, such as February, when the weather is mild?

In response to this excellent question, I refer the esteemed reader to Verse 37 of Surah At-Tawbah:

"Reallocating the sanctity of [these] months is an increase in disbelief, by which the disbelievers are led astray. They adjust the sanctity one year and uphold it in another, only to maintain the number of months sanctified by Allah, violating the very months Allah has made sacred. Their evil deeds have been made appealing to them. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people." (Quran 9:37)

In Islamic law, "An-Nasī" (the postponement) refers to tampering with the sacred months. In the pre-Islamic era, the tribe of Quraysh would make a sacred month profane and replace it with another month for worldly reasons and interests. For example, they would postpone the sanctity of the month of Muharram to Safar and declare Safar sacred instead, while making Muharram profane. The verse considered "An-Nasī" an increase in disbelief because it distorts the religion and manipulates Allah's command. Therefore, it can be confidently stated that fasting a month other than Ramadan instead of Ramadan itself constitutes a form of "An-Nasī" and tampering with the religion.

Blessed is the month upon you. May Allah bring it back to you with goodness and joys.