What is Islamic Calendar

Syed Khalid Shaukat

The Islamic calendar is based on lunar months, which begin when a thin new crescent Moon is
actually sighted in the western sky after sunset within a day or so after the New Moon. Hence, the
month is either 29 days or 30 days. There are 12 months in an Islamic year, which is either 354
days long or 355 days long, compared to (Gregorian) civil calendar year of 365 or 366 days.
Since the Islamic Lunar year has 12 lunar months, it is on an average, 11 days shorter than the
(Gregorian) civil year, the Islamic year shifts earlier in each civil year by about 11 days. The 12
months of the Islamic calendar are:

1. Muharram
2. Safar
3. Rabi' al-Awwal
4. Rabi' al-Thaani
5. Jumada al-Ooola (also known as Jumada al-Awwal)
6. Jumada al-Ukhra (also known as Jumada al-Thaani)
7. Rajab
8. Sha'ban
9. Ramadan
10. Shawwal
11. Dhu al-Qa'dah
12. Dhu al-Hijjah

The Islamic (Hijri) calendar year is usually abbreviated A.H. in Western languages from the
latinized "Anno Hegirae" or more commonly known as "After Hijrah."

It was during the Messenger Muhammad's (peace be upon him) last pilgrimage in the 10th year of
Hijrah (10th year of his migration from Makkah to Medinah), that the decision to introduce a purely
lunar Islamic Calendar was made. The word Hijrah has often been misrepresented by many
writers Muslims and non-Muslim alike. It means neither flight nor fleeing. The Arabic word Hajara
means: to break off from the relations or abandon one's own tribe.

Although, the Islamic calendar was introduced in the Christian Era of 632 AD by the Messenger
Muhammad (peace be upon him), the beginning of the Islamic era for the count of Islamic years
was considered and discussed during 639 AD, the time of the 4th year of the Caliphate of Umar
who declared that the most important event in establishing the roots of Islam in Medinah is Hijrah
(Messenger's migration from Makkah), therefore let it become the epoch of the era which
happened in 622 AD. The actual starting date for the Islamic Calendar was chosen (on the basis
of purely lunar years, counting backwards) to be the first day of the first month (1st Muharram) of
the year of the Hijrah. However, the era between 1st year to 10th year of the Hijrah was not
following this Islamic Calendar; instead the prevailing practices of various kinds of intercalation
was followed in Arabia at that time. Different tribes were following different intercalations, so there
was no uniform calendar. Accordingly, first day of Muharram, 1 A.H. as practiced in Arabia
corresponded either April 18 or May 18, 622 C.E. (Julian calendar). However, if one wants a
theoretical starting date for Islamic calendar (on the basis of purely lunar months without
intercalation, counting backwards) then the first day of the first month i.e. 1st Muharram, 1 A.H.
corresponds to July 16, 622 C.E.

The earliest date of Islamic calendar for which a Julian calendar date is exactly known is 9th Dhu
al-Hijjah, 10 AH, which corresponds to March 6, 632 C.E. (Friday), when the Messenger
Muhammad (peace be upon him) performed his last and farewell pilgrimage to Makkah