For the purpose of determining the time of the peace of God and of the gathering in Mecca unity must prevail as to the position of the months, and for this the above-mentioned occasional correction of the position is quite inadequate. Mohammed prescribed the strictly lunar year: by this means the time of every month was definitely fixed, but in about 33 years the months would pass through the circle of a whole solar year. The question is whether before Mohammed an ordered intercalation, which he abolished, or the lunar year existed. For although it lies in the nature of things that the market should originally be connected with a definite time of the year, it cannot of course be denied that later, when the fairs had already attained this predominating position, the date could be fixed by reference to the purely lunar year. It is certain that in the years just before the prescription of the lunar year by Mohammed the months were inverted in relation to the year, so that the spring months fell in autumn and the autumn months came in the spring[910]. The passage in the Koran 9, 36 ff. is often adduced as evidence that Mohammed abolished the intercalation:--“Truly the number of the months with God is twelve months in the book of God, on the day when He created the heavens and the earth. Of these four (i. e. _rajab_, _dhu-l-qa’da_, _dhu-l-hijja_, _muharram_) are holy. This is the right religion. Be not unjust therein towards yourselves, but fight against the heathen without distinction, since they make no distinction in fighting against you, and know that God is on the side of the faithful. The _nasî_ is in truth an addition to unbelief (or, in unbelief), in which the unbelievers go astray. They allow it one year, and one year they explain it as unlawful, in order to equalise (bring into agreement) the number of that (i. e. the months) which God has commanded to keep holy. But they declare lawful what God has forbidden.” It is claimed that the emphasis laid upon the fact that there are twelve months is directed against the intercalation, but this is no proof. The sense depends entirely upon what is implied by _nasî_. Etymologically the word is derived from _nasaa_, ‘to push aside, away’.