Hijri Calendar Introduction

HIJRI INTRODUCTION

What is the Hijri Calendar?

The Hijri calendar is how Muslims keep track of the time and dates.

We start counting the years from the year that the Prophet (saw) and his followers made Hijra from Makkah to Madinah. It has been 1431 since the Hijra, so the current year is 1431 AH (after Hijri)

Why do we start counting the years from the Hijra?

Once the Prophet (saw) migrated to Madinah, the Muslims established the first Islamic state and society.

How many months are in each Hijri year? How many days?

There are twelve months in each Hijri year.

Allah Most High tells us in the Holy Qur’an: “Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein…”[al-Tawbah 9:36]

The Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar. Each month is one complete lunar cycle. Lunar cycles (the time it takes from hilal to hilal) is 29.5 days. So lunar months are either 29 or 30 days.

12 months X 29.5 days = 354 days

What are the names of twelve Hijri months? Which names do you know already? What are the four holy months?

The four Holy months are: Dhu’l-Qi’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab.

Why is it important to keep track of the hijri months?

Not all times are the same. Allah Most High has made some days and months special. Can you think of any examples?

-Ramadan, Layltul Qadr, the two Eids, the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, the day of Arafat, Ashura, etc.

Know your Birth date!

Some Islamic rulings are related to your age. But the ruling applies to your age by the Hijri calendar, not the solar calendar. To keep track of your age by the Hijri calendar, you need to know your Hijri birth date.

You can find your Hijri birth date very easily online by logging on to http://www.islamicfinder.org/Hcal/hdate_gr.php

Go to the year you were born in the Gregorian calendar and find out what day that was in the Hijri calendar.

For more of a challenge, try to figure it out without the converter. Each lunar year is 11 days shorter than each solar year. Can you figure it out?