Muharram was then announced as the first month of the Islamic Hijri calendar given that it comes after Muslims conclude the annual pilgrimage season to Mecca for Hajj during the month of Dhul Hijjah. The event of the Hijrah, the migration of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE, was chosen to begin the Islamic Calendar because it was the first major sacrifice made by the whole Ummah for the preservation of Islam in its formative period. The month is defined as the average duration of a rotation of the Moon around the Earth (29. Each lunar month begins at the time of the monthly 'conjunction', when the Moon is located on a straight line between the Earth and the Sun. The latter is based on a year of 12 months adding up to 354.37 days. The Hijra to Medina was a turning point in Islamic history, marking the beginning of the Muslim state, and where the Prophet established the first civil Muslim society.Īt first, there were discussions on whether the first month of the year should be Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month, or Muharram. The Islamic Calendar was started by the second Caliph Umar in 16 AH/ 637 CE 2. The Islamic calendar is not to be confused with the lunar calendar.
The agreement on this matter was reached in the year 17 of the Hijra, the fourth year of the Omar ibn al-Khattab’s caliphate which corresponds to year 622 on the Julian calendar. During that year, Muhammad and his followers migrated. The Islamic New Year starts off with Muharram followed by Safar, Rabi al-awwal, Rabi al-Thani, Jumada al-awwal, Jumada al-Thani, Rajab, Shaban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhul Qadah and Dhul Hijjah. This calendar enumerates the Hijri era, whose epoch was established as the Islamic New Year in 622 CE. The cycle of years is divided into segments of 30 years. Based on this lunar year, the festivals of the Muslims travel through each season at every few years interval. However, it consists of 354-355 days unlike the 365-366 days in the regular calendar. Thus the Islamic year falls short of the international Gregorian one by 11 days. UAE announces Islamic New Year holiday for all private sector employees The Islamic calendar consists of 12 months similar to the Gregorian calendar.