The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar (Arabic: التقويم الهجري; at-taqwīm al-hijrī; Persian: تقویم هجری قمری taqwīm-e hejri-ye qamari; also called the Hijri calendar) is a lunar calendar used to date events in many predominantly Muslim countries, and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic holy days. It is a lunar calendar having 12 lunar months in a year of about 354 days. Because this lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, Islamic holy days, although celebrated on fixed dates in their own calendar, usually shift 11 days earlier each successive solar year, such as a year of the Gregorian calendar. Islamic years are also called Hijra years because the first year was the year during which the Hijra occurred—Islamic prophet Muhammad's emigration from Mecca to Medina. Thus each numbered year is designated either H or AH, the latter being the initials of the Latin anno Hegirae (in the year of the Hijra).[1]
The current Islamic Year is 1429 AH.
History
Pre-Islamic calendar
The Arabian predecessor to the Islamic calendar was a lunisolar calendar which used lunar months, but was also synchronized with the seasons by the insertion of an additional, intercalary month, when required. Whether the intercalary month (nasi) was added in the spring like that of the Hebrew calendar or in autumn is debated. It is assumed that the intercalary month was added between the twelfth month (the month of the pre-Islamic Hajj) and the first month (Muharram) of this pre-Islamic yearcitation needed. The two Rabi' months denote grazing and the modern Meccan rainy season (only slightly less arid than normal), which would promote the growth of grasses for grazing, occurs during autumn. These imply a pre-Islamic year beginning near the autumnal equinox. However, the rainy season after which these months are named may have been different when the names originated (before Muhammad's time) or the calendar may have been imported from another region which did have such a rainy season. Moreover, Arabs had months in which fighting in them was forbidden. So they used the intercalary month to manipulate the time in which these months occur. This is the reason why the Qur'an forbids such manipulation. And the intercalary month was no longer allowed (releasing the calendar from the seasons) by Sura 9, verse 36 (believed to have been revealed about the end of Muhammad's lifetime), which implies a pre-Islamic year beginning near the vernal equinox because that is when the modern lunar year began during his last year.
Annulling intercalation
In the ninth year after the Hijra, as documented in the Qur'an (9:36-37), Muslims believe Allah revealed the prohibition of the intercalary month.
The number of months with Allah has been twelve months by Allah's ordinance since the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these four are known as forbidden [to fight in]; That is the straight usage, so do not wrong yourselves therein, and fight those who go astray. But know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves.
Verily the transposing (of a prohibited month) is an addition to Unbelief: The Unbelievers are led to wrong thereby: for they make it lawful one year, and forbidden another year, of months forbidden by Allah and make such forbidden ones lawful. The evil of their course seems pleasing to them. But Allah guideth not those who reject Faith.
This prohibition was repeated by Muhammad during the last sermon on Mount Arafat which was delivered during the Farewell Pilgrimage to Mecca on 9 Dhu al-Hijja 10 AH:
O People, intercalation is an addition to unbelief, through it [God, Allah] leads the unbelievers astray: they make it permissible one year and forbid it [at their mere convenience] the next one to elude the timing of what God forbade, so that they make permissible that which Allah forbade [fighting in the forbidden months], and forbid that which Allah has made permissible [fighting in other months]. And [now, this year] time has turned the way it was the day God created Heavens and Earth [The intercalary months since the creation of Heavens and Earth have all canceled out (summed up to whole years)]. The year is twelve months, four of them are forbidden, three successive: Dhu al-Qi'dah and Dhu al-Hijjah and Muharram; and the Rajab of Mudar which is between Jumada and Shaban.[2]
The three successive forbidden months mentioned by Muhammad (months in which battles are forbidden) are Dhu al-Qi'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and Muharram, thus excluding an intercalary month before Muharram. The single forbidden month is Rajab. These months were considered forbidden both within the new Islamic calendar and within the old pagan Meccan calendar, although whether they maintained their "forbidden" status after the conquest of Mecca has been disputed among Islamic scholars.citation needed
As the number and the position of the intercalary months between 1 AH and 10 AH are uncertain, western calendar dates commonly cited for key events in early Islam such as the Hijra, the Battle of Badr, the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of the Trench, should be viewed with caution as they can be in error by one, two or even three lunar months.
Months
The Islamic months are named as follows:[3]
- Muharram محرّم (long form: Muḥarram ul Ḥaram)
- Safar صفر (long form: Ṣafar ul Muzaffar)
- Rabi' al-awwal (Rabī' I) ربيع الأول
- Rabi' al-thani (or Rabī' al Thānī, or Rabī' al-Akhir) (Rabī' II) ربيع الآخر أو ربيع الثاني
- Jumada al-awwal (Jumādā I) جمادى الاولى
- Jumada al-thani (or Jumādā al-akhir) (Jumādā II) جمادى الآخر أو جمادى الثاني
- Rajab رجب (long form: Rajab al Murajab)
- Sha'aban شعبان (long form: Sha'abān ul Moazam)
- Ramadan رمضان (or Ramzān, long form: Ramaḍān ul Mubarak)
- Shawwal شوّال (long form: Shawwal ul Mukarram)
- Dhu al-Qi'dah ذو القعدة
- Dhu al-Hijjah ذو الحجة
Of all the months in the Islamic calendar, Ramaḍān is the most venerated. Muslims are supposed to abstain from eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse during the daylight hours of this month.
Days of the week
The Islamic week is similar to the Jewish week, as was the medieval Christian week, all of which have numbered weekdays in common. The "first day" of the Islamic week corresponds with Sunday of the planetary week. The Islamic and Jewish weekdays begin at sunset, whereas the medieval Christian and planetary weekdays begin at the following midnight.[4] Muslims gather for worship at a mosque at noon on "gathering day", which corresponds to the sixth day of the Jewish and medieval Christian weeks, and to Friday of the planetary week. ("yaum يوم" means day)
- yaum al-ahad يوم الأحد (first day - Sunday) (Urdu, Itwaar اتوار) (Persian: Yek-Shanbeh یکشنبه)
- yaum al-ithnayn يوم الإثنين (second day - Monday) (Urdu, Pîr پير) (Persian: Do-Shanbeh, دوشنبه)
- yaum ath-thulaathaa' يوم الثُّلَاثاء (third day - Tuesday) (Urdu, Mangl منگل) (Persian: Seh-Shanbeh, سه شنبه)
- yaum al-arbia`aa' يوم الأَرْبِعاء (fourth day - Wednesday) (Urdu, Budh بدھ) (Persian: Chahar-Shanbeh, چهارشنبه)
- yaum al-khamis يوم الخَمِيس (fifth day - Thursday) (Urdu, Jumahraat جمعرات) (Persian: Panj-Shanbeh, پنجشنبه)
- yaum al-jumu`a يوم الجُمُعَة (gathering day - Friday) (Urdu, Jumah جمعہ) (Persian: Jom'eh, جمعه or Adineh آدينه)
- yaum as-sabt يوم السَّبْت (sabbath day - Saturday) (Urdu, Hafta ہفتہ) (Persian: Shanbeh, شنبه)
Numbering the years
According to Islamic tradition, Abraha, governor of Yemen, then a province of the Christian Kingdom of Aksum (Ethiopia), attempted to destroy the Kaaba with an army which included several elephants. Although the raid was unsuccessful, because it was customary to name a year after a major event which occurred during it, that year became known as the Year of the Elephant, which was also the year that Muhammad was born. (See surat al-Fil.) Although most Muslims equate it with the Western year 570, a minority equate it with 571. Later years were numbered from the Year of the Elephant, whether for the years of the pre-Islamic lunisolar calendar, the lunisolar calendar used by Muhammad before he forbade the intercalary month, or the first few years of the lunar calendar thus created. In 638 (AH 17), the second Caliph Umar began numbering the years of the Islamic calendar from the year of the Hijra, which was postdated AH 1. The first day of the first month (1 Muharram) of that proleptic Islamic year, that is, after the removal of all intercalary months between the Hijra and Muhammad's prohibition of them nine years later, corresponded to July 16, 622 (the actual emigration took place in September).[1] The first surviving attested use of the Hijri calendar is on a papyrus from Egypt in 22 AH, PERF 558.
Upon Muhammad’s arrival at the city of Medina after his Hijra from Mecca, his companions named that year as their first year. It was one of the practices of the people of that time to start their calendar with a certain event. For example, when the army of the ruler Abraha marched to Mecca with elephants to destroy the Kaabah, and then the army was destroyed by Allah according to Islamic tradition, the Arabs named that year as the year of the elephant.
The arrival of Muhammad at the city of Medina was the first victory for Muslims. For the first time Muslims gained the right to run a country based on Islamic teachings led by Muhammad himself. It came naturally to the Muslims at that time to name the year of Muhammad’s arrival at Medina as the first year. This act was not forbidden by Muhammad, and they continued to count their years from the Hijra year onwards.
In the year 17 AH, Abu-Musa al-Asha'ari, one of the officials of the second Caliph Umar in Basrah, reported that a letter from Umar arrived without any date records. This report triggered Umar to introduce a calendar system for Muslims. Umar called the renowned companions such as Ali for a meeting to seek their views on a suitable calendar for Muslims. Some of them suggested to use the Messiah calendarcitation needed which was already followed by many people at that time. There were also some who suggested to start the calendar from the birth of Muhammad. These suggestions were rejected, because the starting dates of those two calendar systems were rather vague.
It was thought that the Islamic calendar should start on an unambiguous date, and a date that was known by many people. There was a suggestion to start on the date of the death of Muhammad, and there were some who suggested to begin with the date of the arrival of Muhammad at Medina. Umar chose to start the calendar with the date of Muhammad’s arrival at Medina, not only because it was a very significant event and was known by almost all Muslims at that time, but more importantly, the companions of Muhammad were already starting their calendar from that date, out of habit.
The second issue to be decided was what would be the first month of the calendar. Some suggested Ramadan, and some suggested the month of Rajab because it was a month much glorified by the Arabs before Islam came. Uthman Ibn Affan suggested to start the calendar with the month of Muharram, because it was already the customs of the Arabs at that time to start their year with the month of Muharram, after the return of the pilgrims from their Hajj. This suggestion was agreed by all who were present.
Thus the Islamic calendar started from the month of Muharram in the year of Muhammad’s arrival at the city of Medina, and because of the Hijra event the calendar was named the Hijra calendar.[5]
Understanding the Islamic calendar
For the modern user, the Islamic calendar’s shortcomings are severe, since the data it shows each month differs from one Muslim country to another, and the information it provides does not extend beyond the current month. For instance, the first day of « ramadan » 1427 corresponded to Saturday, September 23, 2006 in 20 countries ; Sunday, September 24 in 46 countries ; and Monday, September 25 in 5 countries. [6] This situation is in no way unusual, but can be observed every month.
People are puzzled at the inability of the Islamic calendar to predict precisely, well in advance, the day on which major Islamic events are to take place, such as the first day of ramadan, or eid al-fitr, or eid al-adha, or the first day of the new Islamic year. They realize that it is of no use to them when they want to manage their daily business, to make advance hotel or flight reservations or to program future events.
Nowadays, most Muslims use the Gregorian calendar to meet all their needs, and only care about Islamic dates on momentous Islamic occasions. But, the Islamic calendar only lost its usefulness when Muslim theologians disconnected it from its astronomical, conceptual and methodological moorings, early in the 7th century. It could fulfill all the basic functions of a calendar, and meet all the needs of modern man, within the Muslim community, on a worldwide basis, if it were prepared using the applicable scientific concepts, methods and parameters developed in astronomy.
Astronomical considerations
The lunar calendar is based on a year of 12 months adding up to 354.37 days. 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 month is defined as the average duration of a rotation of the Moon around the Earth (29.53 days). The astronomers formulated the convention, over two thousands years ago, that months of 30 days and 29 days would succeed each other, adding up over two successive months to 59 full days. This left only a small monthly variation of 44 mn to account for, which added up to a total of 24 hours (i.e. the equivalent of one full day) in 2.73 years. To settle accounts, it was sufficient to add one day every three years to the lunar calendar, in the same way that one adds one day to the Gregorian calendar, every four years.
The Islamic calendar, however, is based on a different set of conventions. When the Messenger was asked for a method to determine the beginning of the month of fasting, he recommended to the faithful to begin fasting with the observation of the new moon (on the evening of the 29th day of sha’aban) and to end fasting with the new moon (of the month of shawal). "If the crescent is not visible (because of the clouds), count to 30 days". Thereafter, each Islamic State proceeded with its own monthly observation of the new moon (or, failing that, awaited the completion of 30 days) before declaring the beginning of a new month on its territory, instead of using a pre-calculated calendar, as computed by professional astronomers.
But, the lunar crescent becomes really visible only some 18 hours after the conjunction, and only subject to the existence of a number of favourable conditions relative to weather, time, geographic location, as well as various astronomical parameters… According to the months and seasons, the favourable conditions of observation of the new moon will be met in different sites on Earth.
Observation of Hilal, date calculations, and nonuniform dates among regions
There is at least one recorded incident in the first Islamic century[6] where Muslims in Medina and al-Sham fasted independently upon their respective observations of the lunar crescent (Hilal).
Each month has either 29 or 30 days, but usually in no discernible order. Traditionally, the first day of each month was the day (beginning at sunset) of the first sighting of the lunar crescent (the hilāl) shortly after sunset. If the hilāl was not observed immediately after the 29th day of a month, either because clouds blocked its view or because the western sky was still too bright when the moon set, then the day that began at that sunset was the 30th. Such a sighting had to be made by one or more trustworthy men testifying before a committee of Muslim leaders. Determining the most likely day that the hilāl could be observed was a motivation for Muslim interest in astronomy, which put Islam in the forefront of that science for many centuries.
This traditional practice is still followed in a few parts of the world, like India, Pakistan and Jordan. However, in most Muslim countries astronomical rules are followed which allow the calendar to be determined in advance, which is not the case using the traditional method. Malaysia, Indonesia, and a few others begin each month at sunset on the first day that the moon sets after the sun (moonset after sunset). In Egypt, the month begins at sunset on the first day that the moon sets at least five minutes after the sun.
The moon sets progressively later than the sun for locations further west, thus western Muslim countries are more likely to celebrate some holy days one day earlier than eastern Muslim countries.
Umm al-Qura calendar
The official Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia used a substantially different astronomical method until recent years.[7] Before AH 1420 (before April 18, 1999), if the moon's age at sunset in Riyad was at least 12 hours, then the day ending at that sunset was the first day of the month. This often caused the Saudis to celebrate holy days one or even two days before other predominantly Muslim countries, including the dates for the Hajj, which can only be dated using Saudi dates because it is performed in Mecca. During one memorable year during the AH 1380s (the 1970s), different Muslim countries ended the fast of Ramadan on each of four successive days. The celebrations became more uniform beginning in AH 1420. For AH 1420-22, if moonset occurred after sunset at Mecca, then the day beginning at that sunset was the first day of a Saudi month, essentially the same rule used by Malaysia, Indonesia, and others (except for the location from which the hilal was observed). Since the beginning of AH 1423 (March 16, 2002), the rule has been clarified a little by requiring the geocentric conjunction of the sun and moon to occur before sunset, in addition to requiring moonset to occur after sunset at Mecca. This ensures that the moon has moved past the sun by sunset, even though the sky may still be too bright immediately before moonset to actually see the crescent. Strictly speaking, the Umm al-Qura calendar is intended for civil purposes only. Their makers are well aware of the fact that the first visual sighting of the lunar crescent (hilāl) can occur up to two days after the date calculated in the Umm al-Qura calendar. Since AH 1419 (1998/99) several official hilāl sighting committees have been set up by the government of Saudi Arabia to determine the first visual sighting of the lunar crescent at the begin of each lunar month. Nevertheless, the religious authorities of Saudi Arabia also allow the testimony of less experienced observers and thus often announce the sighting of the lunar crescent on a date when none of the official committees could see the lunar crescent.
This is particularly the case for the most important dates on the Islamic calendar - the beginning and end of Ramadan (the month of the fast) and the beginning of Dhu al-Hijja (the month of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca). If a Muslim male resident (two in the case of the end of Ramadan) sees the new moon on the 29th day of the preceding month, and if this sighting is accepted by the religious authorities, then the new month is judged to have arrived, even though the official Umm al-Qura calendar calls for a 30th day before the new month begins. This can change the actual beginning and/or end of the fast (in the case of Ramadan) or the timing of the pilgrimage to Mecca (in the case of Dhu al-Hijja). This happens occasionally, with the most recent occurrences being in AH 1428 (2007-2008), when the beginning of the months of both Shawwal and Dhu al-Hijja occurred a day earlier than called for in the official Umm al-Qura calendar.
Recently, the Islamic Society of North America, the Fiqh Council of North America and the European Council for Fatwa and Research have announced that they too in future will follow the Umm al-Qura calendar for regulating the Islamic days of observance.[8]
Tabular Islamic calendar
-
There exists a variation of the Islamic calendar known as the tabular Islamic calendar in which months are worked out by arithmetic rules rather than by observation or astronomical calculation. It has a 30-year cycle with 11 leap years of 355 days and 19 years of 354 days. In the long term, it is accurate to one day in about 2500 years. It also deviates up to about 1 or 2 days in the short term.
Kuwaiti algorithm
-
Microsoft uses the "Kuwaiti algorithm" to convert Gregorian dates to the Islamic ones. Microsoft claims that it is based on a statistical analysis of historical data from Kuwait[9] but it is in fact a variant of the tabular Islamic calendar.[10]
Theological considerations
The Qor’an prohibits nowhere the use of astronomical calculations for the establishment of a pre-calculated calendar. The procedure is therefore perfectly and undisputably licit. Numerous theologians in the early years of Islam saw no contradiction between the Messenger’s teachings and the use of astronomical calculations to determine the beginnings of lunar months. [11] The dynasty of Fatimids in Egypt used a pre-calculated calendar over a period of two centuries, between the 10th and 12th centuries, before a change of political regime reactivated the procedure of observation of the new moon.
But the majority of Muslim theologians insist nowadays that, no matter what, one can’t go against the Messenger’s teachings. They interpret his recommendation concerning the observation of Ramadan’s new moon as if it were part of the fundamental Islamic dogma. It would be utterly wrong, in their view, to use a calendar based on the conjunction, because one would start fasting, end fasting, and celebrate all other important Islamic events about two days earlier than would be the case, if the procedure of observation of the new moon were applied. However, many Islamic thinkers consider that the Messenger’s recommendation to the faithful was merely adapted to the culture of the times. It should not be confused with the acts of worship. [12]
The Saudi authorities must share this view somehow since, as has been indicated, the country gave up in 1999 the procedure of observation of the new moon, substituting a procedure based on the calculation of the schedules of sunset and moonset at the coordinates of Mecca, on the evening of the 29th day of each month. If the sun sets before the moon, this signals the beginning of the new month. In the opposite case, the month-in-progress lasts 30 days. This procedure has little to do with the observation of the new moon. [13]
One should also note that, during long periods of Islamic history, the hadith under discussion was not interpreted to mean the visual observation of a new moon, but only the acquisition of information, according to credible sources, that the month had begun. This opens entirely different vistas in the discussion of this question.
As for the hadith of the Prophet according to which the Bedouins can neither read nor count, and must thus avoid using (astronomical) calculations, Ibn Taymiya observes that the argument may have been justified at the beginning of the 7th century, but he questions whether it could still apply to Muslims centuries later, after they had been at the vanguard of development of scientific knowledge, including in the field of astronomy. Sheikh Abdul Muhsen Al-Obaikan, a councilor in the Ministry of Justice of Saudi Arabia, is clearly favourable to the use of modern technology to determine the beginning of months. He says, "Using the naked eye to determine the beginning and end of Ramadan is primitive in an age of modern science and technology. There is no other way to put it. It's pure backwardness." [14]
The legal opinion of Cadi Shakir
Egyptian cadi Ahmad Muhammad Shakir (who was to become President of the Egyptian Supreme Court of the Shariah at the end of his career, and who remains to this day an author of reference in the field of hadith), wrote a detailed legal opinion in 1939 on the subject of the Islamic calendar, entitled "The beginning of Arab months...is it legal to determine it using astronomical calculations?". [15] This is the most detailed modern study of the subject, endorsing the use of calculations, by a distinguished jurist, and warrants therefore some attention.
According to Shakir, the Messenger took into account the fact that the Muslim community of his time was "illiterate, not knowing how to write nor how to count". So, he recommended that its members observe the new moon to carry out their religious duties at the time of fasting and hajj. But the community evolved considerably over time, and some of its members even became experts in astronomy. According to the principle of Muslim law which states that "a rule is no longer applicable, when the factor which justified its existence has disappeared", the Messenger’s recommendation didn’t apply anymore to the Muslims, after they had learned to read and count and had ceased being illiterate. Therefore, according to Shakir, contemporary ulamas commit an error of interpretation when they give to the Messenger’s hadith the same interpretation that applied at the time of Revelation, as if the hadith prescribed immutable rules. But, it has stopped being applicable to the Muslim community long ago, based on the principles of the shari’ah themselves.
Furthermore, Shakir refers to the principle of Muslim law according to which "what is relative cannot refute what is absolute, nor can it be preferred to it, according to the consensus of the ulamas." The observation of the new moon with the naked eye is relative, and can be the subject of error, whereas the knowledge of the beginning of lunar months, based on astronomical calculations, is absolute, and belongs to the domain of certainty. Shakir reaches the conclusion that there is nothing in the shari’ah which opposes the use of calculations to determine the beginning of all lunar months, in all circumstances, and not only in special situations, as had been recommended by some ulamas. For him, there can exist only one lunar month applicable in all countries of the world, based on astronomical calculations. The use of the same pre-calculated calendar in all Muslim countries will give them an opportunity to celebrate all major Islamic events on the same day, throughout the world, thereby increasing their feeling of solidarity and unity.
In the 68 years since their publication, Shakir’s conclusions have not been refuted by any Muslim jurist. As a man of law, and as an expert on hadith, he continues to be highly considered by his peers, long after his death. [16] Thus, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the well-known theologian and jurist, has lavishly praised Shakir in a 2004 article entitled "Astronomical calculations and determination of the beginning of months" in which he expressed his full support of cadi Shakir's conclusions. [17]
The decision of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA)
The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) was also regularly confronted with the responsibility of telling its Muslim American audience when to start fasting, when to celebrate « eid al-fitr », etc. After several years of study of the legal issues involved, it reached a decision, which it announced in August 2006, to use henceforth a pre-calculated Islamic calendar, taking into consideration the sightability of the new moon anywhere on Earth. [18]
The decision of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) combines the theological requirements of the ulamas with the state of the art in the field of new moon observation. First, it retains the well-known principle of unicity of horizons (matali’e) which states that it is sufficient to observe the new moon anywhere on Earth, in order to declare the beginning of a new lunar month, applicable in all areas in which the information is received. [19] Second, it uses the International date line (IDL) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as its conventional point of reference to conduct its analysis.
Based on the maps of sightability of the new moon in the various regions of Earth, which are now regularly prepared by professional astronomers, [20] the FCNA reached the conclusion that when the conjunction took place before 12:00 noon (GMT), there was enough time left for the new moon to be seen in numerous areas on Earth where sunset took place long before sunset in North America. Since the criteria of sightability of the new moon were met in these areas, the new moon would be observed (or could have been observed if weather conditions had been adequate) long before sunset in North America. Therefore, the requirements of sightability of the new moon as set by the shari’ah would be respected, and the new lunar month could begin in North America on sunset of the same day. On the other hand, if the conjunction took place after 12:00 noon GMT, the month would begin in North America on sunset of the following day.
Notable dates
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Important dates in the Islamic (Hijri) year are:
Current correlations
For a very rough conversion, multiply the Islamic year number by 0.97, and then add 622 to get the Gregorian year number. An Islamic year will be entirely within a Gregorian year of the same number in the year 20874. The Islamic calendar year of 1429 occurs entirely within the Gregorian calendar year of 2008. Such years occur once every 33 or 34 Islamic years (32 or 33 Gregorian years). More are listed here:
| Islamic year within Gregorian year |
| Islamic |
Gregorian |
Difference |
| 1060 |
1650 |
590 |
| 1093 |
1682 |
589 |
| 1127 |
1715 |
588 |
| 1161 |
1748 |
587 |
| 1194 |
1780 |
586 |
| 1228 |
1813 |
585 |
| 1261 |
1845 |
584 |
| 1295 |
1878 |
583 |
| 1329 |
1911 |
582 |
| 1362 |
1943 |
581 |
| 1396 |
1976 |
580 |
| 1429 |
2008 |
579 |
| 1463 |
2041 |
578 |
| 1496 |
2073 |
577 |
| 1530 |
2106 |
576 |
| 1564 |
2139 |
575 |
Uses
Many middle eastern coins show the Islamic calendar date, such as this 1993 Egyptian coin which shows both Islamic and Gregorian (1993/1413 - written in Eastern Arabic numerals as ١٤١٣-١٩٩٣).
The Islamic calendar has been used primarily for religious purposes, and has sometimes been used for official purposes as well. Because of its nature as a purely lunar calendar, however, it cannot be used for agricultural purposes and historically Islamic communities have used other calendars for this purpose: the Egyptian calendar was formerly widespread in Islamic countries, and the Iranian calendar and the 1789 Ottoman calendar (a modified Julian calendar) were also used for agriculture in their countries. These local solar calendars have receded in importance with the near-universal adoption of the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes. Saudi Arabia is currently the only Muslim country to use the Islamic calendar as the calendar of daily government business.[21]
Towards a global Islamic calendar
The rulers, political leaders and religious authorities in each Muslim country realize that the Islamic calendar can adequately fulfill all the functions of a calendar, and meet all the needs of the Muslim community throughout the world, if it is set up using the concepts, methods and parameters developed by professional astronomers. They also know that it can fulfill none of these functions if it is based on the monthly observation of the new moon with the naked eye, carried out separately in each independent country.
But they find it difficult to go against the opinion of the majority of ulamas, who base themselves on tradition to state that one should respect the recommendation of the Messenger to observe the new moon in order to start fasting.
Cadi Shakir has shown a juridical way out of the dilemma, explaining that, from a purely legal point of view, this view isn’t defensible anymore. He very clearly stated, in his 1939 legal opinion, that there was no theological objection to the establishment of a pre-calculated Islamic calendar, based on astronomical calculations. Professor Al-Qaradawi, a very influential contemporary theologian, concurred with this conclusion in his 2004 article on the subject.
For its part, the Fiqh Council of North America, conscious of the intricacies of the issues involved, developed in 2006 a solution which meets the requirements of the shari’ah, while making use of the state-of-the art know how in the field of astronomy to respond to the needs of the modern age. This solution is applicable in all Muslim countries, and gives them a chance to adopt the same pre-calculated Islamic calendar (prepared on an annual basis, long in advance), in order to fulfill all the religious duties as well as to manage all other tasks.
Will the Muslim rulers, faced with this difficult situation, continue to perpetuate the status quo? Will they adopt the conclusions of Cadi Shakir, or will they endorse the solution developed by the Fiqh Council of North America?
According to a report entitled « Break through for Global Islamic Calendar » published on « Moonsighting.com » in late December 2006, a number of Muslim States were trying to develop a common stand on this issue in the autumn 2006: « In November 2006, there was an International Conference in Morocco about adopting a Global Islamic Calendar. Astronomers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Iran, Ginnea, Libya, Morocco, and USA participated. Overwhelming majority including Saudi, Egypt, and Irani astronomers agreed with the calendar (adopted by Fiqh Council of North America), that can be used as a Global Islamic Calendar. Morocco is willing to adopt it immediately. Further development on this issue will follow as time progresses. » [22] [23].
See also
References
- ^ a b Watt, W. Montgomery "Hidjra". Encyclopaedia of Islam Online. Ed. P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 1573-3912.
- ^ Sahih Muslim
- ^ B. van Dalen; R.S. Humphreys; A.K.S Lambton, et al. "Tarikh". Encyclopaedia of Islam Online. Ed. P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 1573-3912.
- ^ Trawicky (2000) p. 232
- ^ Appreciating Islamic History (Microsoft Word document, 569KB)
- ^ Sunan al-Tirmidhi
- ^ Crescent sighting using the Uml al Qura calendar in Saudi ArabiaPDF (268 KB)
- ^ Ramadan and Eid announcement by the Fiqh Council of North America (revised)
- ^ Hijri Dates in SQL Server 2000
- ^ The "Kuwaiti Algorithm" (Robert van Gent)
- ^ Abderrahman al-Haj : « The faqih, the politician and the determination of lunar months » (in arabic)
- ^ Allal el Fassi : « Aljawab assahih wannass-hi al-khaliss ‘an nazilati fas wama yata’allaqo bimabda-i acchouhouri al-islamiyati al-arabiyah », report prepared at the request of King Hassan II of Morocco, Rabat, 1965 (36 p.), with no indication of editor
- ^ Umm-al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia
- ^ Anver Saad, « The Untold Story of Ramadhan Moon Sighting » Daily muslims, October 07, 2005
- ^ Ahmad Shakir : « The beginning of arab months … is it legal to determine it using astronomical calculations? » (published in arabic in 1939) reproduced in the arab daily « al-madina », 13 october 2006 (n° 15878)
- ^ Ahmad Muhammad Shakir (biographical notice in arabic)
- ^ Yusuf al-Qaradawi : « Astronomical calculations and determination of the beginning of months » (in arabic)
- ^ Fiqh Council of North America
- ^ Abi alfayd Ahmad al-Ghomari : Tawjih alandhar litaw-hidi almouslimin fi assawmi wal iftar, 160p, 1960, Dar al bayareq, Beyrouth, 2nd ed. 1999
- ^ Moonsighting.com
- ^ Glassé, Cyril (2001). The New Encyclopedia of Islam, pp. 98-99. Rowman Altamira. ISBN 0759101906.
- ^ Moonsighting Dhul Hijjah 1427
- ^ Several paragraphs of this article are based on an article by Khalid Chraibi entitled: "Towards a global Islamic calendar", originally published by SaudiDebate. The author "authorizes the free reproduction of the article, in its entirety or in excerpts, for non-commercial purposes, on condition that the author and the source be clearly identified"
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