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The hijri calendar is used to determine the start dates for events, such as the start of Ramadan, the celebrations of Eid, and the Hajj pilgrimage. To make Islamic time reckoning more predictable and universal, Muslim scholars developed the Tabular Islamic calendar in the 8th century CE. This system uses arithmetical rules to determine the length of each month and inserts leap days on a regular basis. If the Crescent Moon is visible shortly after sunset on the evening of day 29, the following day is the first day of the new month. If no sighting is made, a 30th day is added to the current month, which is then followed by the first day of the subsequent month. Muslims around the world use the Islamic calendar to determine the dates of religious events and observances.

This resulted in a division of the Muslim community of France, with some members following the new rule, and others following the Saudi announcement. This traditional practice for the determination of the start-date of the month is still followed in the overwhelming majority of Muslim countries. For instance, Saudi Arabia uses the sighting method to determine the beginning of each month of the Hijri calendar. Since AH 1419 (1998/99), several official hilal sighting committees have been set up by the government to determine the first visual sighting of the lunar crescent at the beginning of each lunar month. Nevertheless, the religious authorities also allow the testimony of less experienced observers and thus often announce the sighting of the lunar crescent on a date when none of the official committees could see it. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) emphasized the significance of the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, encouraging fasting and increased acts of worship.

However, calendars are printed for planning purposes, but such calendars are based on estimates of the visibility of the lunar crescent, and the actual month may start a day earlier or later than predicted in the printed calendar. A lunar month is about 29.5 days long and a lunar year is approximately 354 days. This means that every 33 years, there is a one-year lag between solar and lunar calendars. 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.

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. The Islamic calendar (also known as the Hijri calendar) consists of 354 or 355 days.

This event is referred to as Hegira or Hijrah, accounting Arabic date today for the name Hijri calendar. The traditional version of the Islamic calendar requires an authorized person or committee to make an actual sighting of the Crescent Moon to determine the length of each month. The days in the seven-day week are, with the exception of the last two days, named after their ordinal place in the week. The times for the setting of the sun and the moon are calculated for the coordinates of Mecca. The Gregorian calendar was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification to the Julian calendar, named after Julius Caesar, leader of ancient Rome.

In some Muslim-majority countries, the holiday is celebrated with festivals, lights, and decorations throughout cities and in homes. Muslims around the world use the Islamic calendar (also known as the Lunar or Hijri calendar) to determine the dates of religious events and observances. Before AH 1420 (before 18 April 1999), if the moon's age at sunset in Riyadh was at least 12 hours, then the day ending at that sunset was the first day of the month.

Ṣawm can be invalidated by eating or drinking at the wrong time, but the lost day can be made up with an extra day of fasting. For anyone who becomes ill during the month or for whom travel is required, extra fasting days may be substituted after Ramadan ends. Volunteering, performing righteous works, or feeding the poor can be substituted for fasting if necessary. Able-bodied adults and older children fast during the daylight hours from dawn to dusk.