The Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar, is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to determine the proper days of Islamic holidays and rituals, such as the annual period of fasting and the proper time for the pilgrimage to Mecca. The Islamic calendar began in AD 622 when the Prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina, an event known as the Hijra. The first month of the Islamic calendar is Muharram, and the twelfth month is Dhu al-Hijjah, which is significant as it is the month of the Hajj pilgrimage. The Islamic calendar does not have leap years, so it is shorter than the Gregorian calendar used in the Western world, which has 365 or 366 days in a year.
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Certainly! The Islamic or Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar, meaning it is based on the cycles of the moon. Each month begins with the sighting of the new moon. Because the lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, Islamic months “move” throughout the seasons. This is why Ramadan, the month of fasting, can fall in different seasons over the years.
The Islamic calendar has 12 months, just like the Gregorian calendar, but the number of days in each month can vary. The months are:
- Muharram (29 or 30 days)
- Safar (29 or 30 days)
- Rabi’ al-awwal (29 or 30 days)
- Rabi’ al-thani (29 or 30 days)
- Jumada al-awwal (29 or 30 days)
- Jumada al-thani (29 or 30 days)
- Rajab (29 or 30 days)
- Sha’ban (29 or 30 days)
- Ramadan (29 or 30 days)
- Shawwal (29 or 30 days)
- Dhu al-Qi’dah (29 or 30 days)
- Dhu al-Hijjah (29 or 30 days)
The Islamic year is typically shorter than the Gregorian year by about 10 to 12 days. To align the Islamic calendar with the solar year more closely, some Muslim countries use astronomical calculations to determine the beginning of lunar months and the dates of Islamic holidays. Despite these adjustments, the Islamic calendar remains based on the moon’s phases.