What kind of calendar do Muslims use?
The hijrah (migration of Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Madinah in 622 C.E.), marks the starting point of the Islamic calendar, comprised of twelve lunar months. Each lunar month begins when the new moon’s crescent becomes visible every 29 or 30 days. Muslims use such a Hijri calendar for various religious obligations such as fasting during Ramadan, celebrating the two Eid holidays, and performing the Hajj. Since the lunar year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year, dates in the Islamic calendar “move forward” eleven days every year in relation to the commonly-used Gregorian calendar. Consequently, over a period of about thirty-six years, the events in the Islamic calendar cycle through the various seasons. In this way, Islamic events do not acquire specific seasonal connotations, and Muslims around the world have the opportunity to experience these events under varying environmental conditions.
The hijrah (migration of Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Madinah in 622 C.E.), marks the starting point of the Islamic calendar, comprised of twelve lunar months. Each lunar month begins when the new moon’s crescent becomes visible every 29 or 30 days. Muslims use such a Hijri calendar for various religious obligations such as fasting during Ramadan, celebrating the two Eid holidays, and performing the Hajj. Since the lunar year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year, dates in the Islamic calendar “move forward” eleven days every year in relation to the commonly-used Gregorian calendar. Consequently, over a period of about thirty-six years, the events in the Islamic calendar cycle through the various seasons. In this way, Islamic events do not acquire specific seasonal connotations, and Muslims around the world have the opportunity to experience these events under varying environmental conditions.
