Islamic Calendar Months, Definition, & Facts

Due to the Islamic calendar's reliance on certain variable methods of observation to determine its month-start-dates, these dates sometimes vary slightly from the month-start-dates of the astronomical lunar calendar,[which? Still, the Islamic calendar seldom varies by more than three days from the astronomical-lunar-calendar system, and roughly approximates it. Both the Islamic calendar and the astronomical-lunar-calendar take no account of the solar year in their calculations, and thus both of these strictly lunar based calendar systems have no ability to reckon the timing of the four seasons of the year. In the case of Muslim holidays or sacred dates, Muslim Americans may be reticent to acknowledge them due to Islamophobia or anti-Muslim bigotry that is now pervasive in the country. Additionally, since Muslims use a lunar calendar, the dates move days earlier each year on the solar calendar, which means that the actual dates may vary between different sources. Although days in the Islamic calendar begin at sunset, and some sources list them as such, all dates below are for the day(s) the event is observed.

This is the phase of the Moon which marks the new Islamic month. As it orbits our planet, different portions of the Moon's surface are lit up by sunlight. Looking up at the Moon from here on Earth, throughout the month the Moon appears to change shape. Like the Persian calendar, Islamic time reckoning begins in 622 CE when the Muslim prophet Muhammad migrated to Medina.

The timing of the months in the Islamic calendar is based on astronomical observation. A new month can only begin after a Waxing Crescent Moon is observed shortly after sunset. The Waxing Crescent Moon is the Moon phase which starts right after a New Moon. A tabular Islamic calendar has been established for some non-religiouspurposes in which the lengths of the months alternate between 29 and 30 days. Thiscalendar consists of a 30-year cycle in which 11 of the 30 years are leap years.

In Sunni Islam, the calendar year is entirely determined by solar observation or calculation. The months of Rajab, Dhū al-Qa‘dah, Dhu al-Ḥijjah, and Muḥarram Calendar are considered sacred. AshuraAshura falls on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. This day marks the anniversary of the tragic martyrdom of Husayn, the Prophet’s grandson, and many of his family members and companions. Shi‘ah and many Sunnis commemorate the day by mourning them and reflecting on how their example can inspire them today.

Eid ul-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast)This holiday commemorates the completion of Ramadan and lasts for three days during which Muslims celebrate with special prayers, sweets, presents for children, and community festivities. Using the Islamic calendar has made it much easier for me to meet deadlines and complete assignments. If your platform supplied it, I'd prefer to know the measuring rate of Zakat ul Fitr this year. The most significant month in the Islamic calendar is Ramadan, during which Muslims fast from dawn until sunset and engage in additional prayer and worship. The first day of Year One of the Islamic calendar was set as the first day of the Hijrah, the Prophet’s migration from Makkah to Madinah on July 26, 622 C.E. The western convention in designating Islamic dates is thus by the abbreviation AH, which stands for the Latin Anno Hegirae, or ‘Year of the Hijrah’.

According to Islamic tradition, the cube-shaped Kabba dates back to the time of Abraham. It is the most sacred Muslim site, and the location towards which all Muslims face during prayer. In the Islamic calendar, the new crescent Moon marks the start of a new month. Given that the Islamic New Year does not begin January 1 and that a Hijri calendar year is about 11 days shorter than a Gregorian calendar year,[13][c] there is no direct correspondence between years of the two eras.