The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar that plays an important role in the sanctification of time for Muslims. In order to gain a better understanding, it is helpful to understand the structure of the calendar and what distinguishes it from other calendars in use throughout history. To that end, we note that the Islamic calendar has three integral elements.<\/p>\n
First, there are twelve lunar months in which every month is determined by the arrival of the new moon. These months are: Mu\u1e25arram (the first month of the year), \u1e62afar, Rab\u012b\u02bf al-Awwal, Rab\u012b\u02bf al-Th\u0101n\u012b, Jum\u0101d\u00e1 al-\u016al\u00e1, Jum\u0101d\u00e1 al-Ukhra, Rajab, Sha\u02bfb\u0101n, Rama\u1e0d\u0101n, Shaww\u0101l, Dh\u016b al-Qa\u02bfdah, and Dh\u016b al-\u1e24ijjah.<\/p>\n
In his exegesis of the Qur\u2019an, al-J\u0101mi\u02bf li-a\u1e25k\u0101m al-Qur\u02be\u0101n, Allamah Qur\u1e6dub\u012b (RA) states that Allah decreed and determined the twelve months, the day He created the heavens and the earth, established and named these months, and revealed them to the Noble Prophets in their revealed books. The names and order of these months existed before Islam but were tampered with over time; however, it was according to Allah\u2019s divine will that they would be recalibrated by the time the Prophet \ufdfa gave his Farewell Sermon. The Prophet \ufdfa said:<\/p>\n
\u0639\u064e\u0646\u0652 \u0623\u064e\u0628\u0650\u064a \u0628\u064e\u0643\u0652\u0631\u064e\u0629\u064e\u060c \u0639\u064e\u0646\u0650 \u0627\u0644\u0646\u0651\u064e\u0628\u0650\u064a\u0651\u0650 \u0635\u0644\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0644\u064a\u0647 \u0648\u0633\u0644\u0645 \u0642\u064e\u0627\u0644\u064e \u200f “\u200f \u0625\u0650\u0646\u0651\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0632\u0651\u064e\u0645\u064e\u0627\u0646\u064e \u0642\u064e\u062f\u0650 \u0627\u0633\u0652\u062a\u064e\u062f\u064e\u0627\u0631\u064e \u0643\u064e\u0647\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0626\u064e\u062a\u0650\u0647\u0650 \u064a\u064e\u0648\u0652\u0645\u064e \u062e\u064e\u0644\u064e\u0642\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0647\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0633\u0651\u064e\u0645\u064e\u0648\u064e\u0627\u062a\u0650 \u0648\u064e\u0627\u0644\u0623\u064e\u0631\u0652\u0636\u064e\u060c
\n\u201cTime has come back to its original state which it had when Allah created the heavens and the earth.\u201d [Sahih al-Bukhari 4662]
\nIn addition, the Islamic lunar calendar runs ten to eleven days behind the Gregorian solar calendar yearly and as a result does not synchronize with the seasons, a feature that distinguishes it from the lunisolar Hebrew (Jewish) calendar, which offsets the difference every two or three years by inserting a 13th leap month to synchronize the lunar months with the seasons.<\/p>\n
Second, the Islamic calendar contains four sacred months: Mu\u1e25arram, Rajab, Dh\u016b al-Qa\u02bfdah, and Dh\u016b al-\u1e24ijjah. The Prophet \ufdfa said (in the same Hadith as above):<\/p>\n
\u0627\u0644\u0633\u0651\u064e\u0646\u064e\u0629\u064f \u0627\u062b\u0652\u0646\u064e\u0627 \u0639\u064e\u0634\u064e\u0631\u064e \u0634\u064e\u0647\u0652\u0631\u064b\u0627 \u0645\u0650\u0646\u0652\u0647\u064e\u0627\u060c \u0623\u064e\u0631\u0652\u0628\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0629\u064c \u062d\u064f\u0631\u064f\u0645\u064c\u060c \u062b\u064e\u0644\u0627\u064e\u062b\u064c \u0645\u064f\u062a\u064e\u0648\u064e\u0627\u0644\u0650\u064a\u064e\u0627\u062a\u064c\u060c \u0630\u064f\u0648 \u0627\u0644\u0652\u0642\u064e\u0639\u0652\u062f\u064e\u0629\u0650 \u0648\u064e\u0630\u064f\u0648 \u0627\u0644\u0652\u062d\u0650\u062c\u0651\u064e\u0629\u0650 \u0648\u064e\u0627\u0644\u0652\u0645\u064f\u062d\u064e\u0631\u0651\u064e\u0645\u064f \u0648\u064e\u0631\u064e\u062c\u064e\u0628\u064f \u0645\u064f\u0636\u064e\u0631\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0630\u0650\u064a \u0628\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0646\u064e \u062c\u064f\u0645\u064e\u0627\u062f\u064e\u0649 \u0648\u064e\u0634\u064e\u0639\u0652\u0628\u064e\u0627\u0646\u064e
\nThe year is twelve months, four of which are sacred. Three of them are in succession; Dhul-Qa’da, Dhul-Hijja and Al-Muharram, and (the fourth being) Rajab Mudar (named after the tribe of Mudar as they used to respect this month) which stands between Jumad (ath-thani) and Sha’ban.<\/p>\n
Lastly, it is a marker of the migration (Hijrah) of Prophet Mu\u1e25ammad \ufdfa from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, which marks the beginning of the Islamic era, and is a fixed point from which the first year of the calendar (1 AH) has been determined. Thus, another name given to it is the Hijr\u012b calendar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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