Being Familiar with Islamic Calendar

The Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar [Arabic: التقويم الهجري‎ ; at-taqwīm al-hijrī; Persian: تقویم هجری قمری ‎ taqwīm-e hejri-ye qamari; Turkish: Hicri Takvim] is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries [concurrently with the Gregorian calendar], and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic Holy days and festivals. The first year was the year during which the emigration of the Prophet [S.A.W.S] from Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijra [Emigrant], occurred. Each numbered year is designated either H for Hijra or AH for the Latin anno Hegirae [in the year of the Hijra]. A limited number of years before Hijra [BH] are used to date events related to Islam, such as the birth of Prophet [S.A.W.S] in 53 BH.

Being a purely lunar calendar, it is not synchronized with the seasons. With an annual drift of 11 or 12 days, the seasonal relation is repeated approximately each 33 Islamic years.

Each month has either 29 or 30 days, but usually in no discernible order. Traditionally, the first day of each month is the day [beginning at sunset] of the first sighting of the hilal shortly after sunset. If the hilal is not observed immediately after the 29th day of a month [either because clouds block its view or because the western sky is still too bright when the moon sets], then the day that begins at that sunset is the 30th.

 

The Islamic Month

	Month Name	Significant Date	Events Name
1	Muharram محرّم or [Muharram al Haram]	1st	Islamic Year Begin
		10th	Day of Aashura
2	Ṣafar صفر or [Safar al Muzaffar]
3	Rabiy al-Awwal ربيع الأوّل or [Rabiy I]	12th	Mawlid-al-Nabi
4	Rabiy al-Shany ربيع الثاني or [Rabiy II]
5	Jumada al-Ula جمادى الأولى or [Jumada I]
6	Jumada al-Shany جمادى الثانية or [Jumada II]
7	Rajab رجب or [Rajab al-Murajab]	27th	Lailat-ul-Miraj [Night of Ascent]
8	Shabaan شعبان or [Shabaan al-Muaazzam]	15th	Lailat-ul-Barat [Night of Forgiveness]
9	Ramadan رمضان or [Ramadan al-Mubarak]	1st	Fasting Begin
		27th	Lailat-ul-Qadar [Night of Decree]
10	Shawwal شوّال or [Shawwal al-Mukarram]	1st	‘Id–ul-Fitr
11	DhU al-Qaida ذو القعدة
12	DhU al-Hijja ذو الحجة or [DhU al-Hajja]	9th	Yaum-al-Arafah [Day of Arafaat]
		10th	‘Id–ul-Adha

 

The Islamic Day of the Week

	Day Name in Arabic	Day Name in English
1	Yawm as-Sabt يوم السبت [Sabbath day]	Saturday
2	Yawm al-Aḥad يوم الأحد [First day]	Sunday
3	Yawm al-Ithnayn يوم الاثنين [Second day]	Monday
4	Yawm ath-Thalaathaa يوم الثلاثاء [Third day]	Tuesday
5	Yawm al-Arba’aa’ يوم الأربعاء [Fourth day]	Wednesday
6	Yawm al-Khamīs يوم الخميس [Fifth day]	Thursday
7	Yawm al-Jumu’ah يوم الجمعة [Gathering day]	Friday

 

Formula for Convert Gregorian to Hijri year

To convert from a Gregorian year to a Hijri year:

H = (G − 621.57)/0.97023

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Tags: Beginning, Convert, Hijri, Inspiration