Lifestyle
The Muslim Era began in 622 with the Hijrah, or Emigration.
Muhammad
and his small band of followers left Makkah and
traveled to Medinah. This event was adopted as the beginning of the
Muslim Era in the Caliphate of 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, the second
Caliph after Muhammad. The Muslim calendar is Lunar, its months
being determined by the positions of the moon. Each year consists of
twelve months, each month being 29 or 30 days in length depending on
the position of the moon.
It is considered a divine command to use a (Hijra) calendar with 12 (purely) lunar months without intercalation, as evident from the following verses of the Holy Quran (Translation: A. Yusuf Ali)
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Al-Quran, Chapter 2 Al-Baqara, Verse 189 |
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They ask thee concerning the New Moons, Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men and for Pilgrimage. |
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The Islamic year has twelve months that are based on a lunar cycle. Allah says in the Quran:
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Al-Quran, Chapter 9 At-Tauba, Verse 36 |
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The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year) so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are sacred; that is the straight usage. So wrong not yourselves therein and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together. But know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves. |
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Al-Quran, Chapter 10 Yunus, Verse 5 |
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"It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory, and the moon to be a light of beauty, and measured out stages for it, that you might know the number of years and the count of time. Allah did not create this except in truth and righteousness. And He explains His signs in detail, for those who understand" |
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In his final sermon before his death, the Prophet Muhammad said, among other things, "With Allah the months are twelve; four of them
are holy; three of these are successive and one occurs singly between the months
of Jumaada and Sha'ban."
Islamic months begin at sunset, on the day when the lunar crescent is
visually sighted. The lunar year is approximately 354 days long, so the
months rotate backward through the seasons and are not fixed to the Gregorian
calendar. The months of the Islamic year are:
The Islamic calendar is named Hijri
calendar and is a lunar calendar. It contains 12 months that
are based on the motion of the moon, and because 12 lunar
months is 12 x 29.53=354.36 days, the Islamic calendar is
consistently shorter (11 Days) than a solar year, and
therefore it shifts with respect to the Gregorian
calendar. The Islamic calendar is the official
calendar in countries in the Middle East and North Africa ,
especially Saudi Arabia. But other Muslim countries use the
Gregorian calendar for civil purposes and turn to the Islamic
calendar for religious purposes.
Which months are
there in an Islamic year?
Muharram
7.
Rajab
Safar
8.
Sha'ban
Rabi' al-awwal
9.
Ramadan
Rabi' al-thani
10.
Shawwal
Jumada al-awwal
11.
Dhu
al-Qi'dah
Jumada
al-thani
12.
Dhu
al-Hijjah
What are the
days called in an Islamic Week? الْجُمْعَة Current
Islamic Month
Dates in blue are from the Gregorian calendar and the ones in red
are hijri (Islamic) dates.
Current Moon
Phase (Live)
How an Islamic
month develops Each month starts when the lunar crescent is
first seen after a new moon. Furthermore, in some areas Muslims depend on a
local sighting of the moon, whereas in other areas a universal
sighting is accepted. (i.e. if a new crescent is seen anywhere
in the world it is accepted for communities the world over).
Both are valid Islamic practices, but they may lead to
different starting days for the months. How can we calculate the Islamic era? Years are counted since the Hijra, that is,
Prophet
Mohammed's
migration to Medina, which is
assumed to have taken place 16 July C.E. 622 (Julian
calendar). On that date AH 1 started (AH = Anno Hegirae = year
of the Hijra).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
السَّبْت
As-Sabt - To rest
الأحَد
Al-Ahad - Day One
from the Arabic 'one' - wahid
الإثْنَيْن
Al- 'ithnayn - Day Two
from the Arabic 'two' -
ithnayn
الثُّلاثَاء
Ath-Thulatha - Day Three
from the Arabic 'three' -
thalatha
الأرْبِعَاء
Al-'Arba'aa - Day Four
from the Arabic 'four' -
arba'aa
الْخَمِيس
Al-Khamees
- Day Five
from the Arabic 'five' - khamsah
Al-Jum'ah - Day of
Gathering
CURRENT MOON
moon phase
Although new moons may be
calculated quite precisely, the actual visibility of the
crescent is difficult to predict. It depends on factors such
as weather, the optical properties of the atmosphere, and the
location of the observer. Therefore in some cases it may be
difficult to give accurate information in advance about when a
new month will start.
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