The Islamic Hijri Calendar
Ezz Al-Turkey
The Hijri calendar is considered one of four major calendars currently in use worldwide. These four include the Miladi, Hijri, Chinese, and Persian calendars. The Hijri calendar is the official calendar of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The term "Hijira," which describes the journey of Prophet Muhammad in 622 AD from Makkah to Al Madina El Monawara, is used to describe the Hijri Year.
The Hijri calendar, which consists of 12 months determined by the lunar cycle, is credited to Khalifa Umar ibn Al-Khattab. Even today, the beginning and end of each month are determined by the full and crescent moons, with special attention paid to marking the start of Ramadan, the beginning of Shawwal, and the dates of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr.
Am Al-Fil, the year of the Prophet Muhammad's birth, was one of the significant events in Muslim history that Muslims used to mark the passage of time before the adoption of the Hijri calendar. However, seventeen years after the Prophet's flight and during the third or fourth year of Khalifa Umar ibn al-Khattab's reign, an official in Basrah, Iraq, named Abu Musa al-Ash'ari complained that the dates on the letters he was receiving were inconsistent. In a letter to Khalifa Umar, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari requested that he devise a new method for calculating dates.
Khalifa Umar spoke with his counselors about the matter. Some proposed that the Prophet's birthdate should be the start of a new calendar, while others proposed his death date. The majority did agree, nevertheless, that his migration date should be the start of the calendar. After consulting Ali bin Abi Talib and Uthman ibn Affan, two of the Prophet's esteemed friends, Khalifa Umar made the decision.
Following all of the talks, Khalifa Umar declared that the Hijri calendar would start in the year that the Prophet Muhammad moved. The first day of Muharram would mark the start of the calendar, while Dhu Al Hijja would mark its conclusion. As a result, the Prophet's migration year, 622 AD, was made the first year in the Hijiri calendar.
The new moon cycle begins at the beginning of each Hijri month. Each Hijri calendar month has a different number of days based on how the moon moves over the planet. Every month has a duration of 29 to 30 days, except Dhu al-Hijjah. The 30-year cycle that determines the number of days in Dhu al-Hijjah indicates that the Hijri calendar is subject to variations based on the moon's long-term orbit around the Earth. The Hijri calendar indicates the dates of annual religious rituals that Muslims are obligated by Allah to do, such as the Hajj and fasting.
Many important Islamic holidays and occasions, including Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and the start of the Hajj season, are observed on the Hijri calendar. Muharram, Safar, Rabi 'Al-Awal, Rabee' Al-Akhir, Jumada Al Ula, Jumada Al-Akhirah, Rajab, Shaaban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhu Al Qa’da, and Dhu Al Hijja are the twelve months that make up the Hijri year.