Islamic Calendar............

What does the Quran say about measurement of time?

They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the new moons. Say, "They are measurements of time for the people and for Hajj." And it is not righteousness to enter houses from the back, but righteousness is [in] one who fears Allah. And enter houses from their doors. And fear Allah that you may succeed.2:189

Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred.........96:36

Do you not see that Allah causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term, and that Allah , with whatever you do, is Acquainted?
31:29

[He is] the cleaver of daybreak and has made the night for rest and the sun and moon for calculation. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.6:96

It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time]. Allah has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know10:5

And the moon - We have determined for it phases, until it returns [appearing] like the old date stalk.36:39

Beginning of Hijri Calendar
The Islamic calendar was first standardized in the year 638 C.E. by the Second Caliph, `Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) (592-644 AD.) as there were conflicting, dating systems being used. Hazrat Umar consulted the senior companions of the Holy Prophet (sws) on the starting date of the Islamic chronology. It was agreed that the most appropriate starting point for the Islamic calendar was the Hijrah on Monday the 1st of Rabi Al-Awal, corresponding to 13 September 622 AD. The actual starting date for the Calendar was chosen (on the basis of purely lunar years, counting backwards) to be the first day of the first month (1 Muharram) of the year of the Hijrah.

The Islamic calendar (or Hijri calendar) is a lunar calendar. It contains 12 months that are based on the motion of the moon, and because 12 lunar months is 12 x 29.53=354.36 days, the Islamic calendar is consistently shorter (11 Days) than a solar year, and therefore it shifts with respect to the Gregorian calendar.

The Islamic calendar is the official calendar in countries around the Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia. But other Muslim countries use the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes and turn to the Islamic calendar for religious purposes.

What does an Islamic year look like?

1. Muharram ["Forbidden" - it is one of the four months
during which time it is forbidden to wage war or fight]
2. Safar ["Empty" or "Yellow"]
3. Rabi' al-awwal (Rabi' I) ["First spring"]
4. Rabi' al-thani (Rabi' II) ["Second spring"]
5. Jumada al-awwal (Jumada I) ["First freezing"]
6. Jumada al-thani (Jumada II) ["Second freezing"]
7. Rajab ["To respect" - this is another holy month when
fighting is prohibited]
8. Sha'ban ["To spread and distribute"]
9. Ramadan ["Parched thirst" - this is the month of
Islamic daytime fasting]
10. Shawwal ["To be light and vigorous"]
11. Dhu al-Qi'dah ["The month of rest" - another month
when no warfare or fighting is allowed]
12. Dhu al-Hijjah ["The month of Hajj" - this is the month of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, again when no warfare or fighting is allowed]
How is an Islamic month determined:

Each month starts when the lunar crescent is first seen after a new moon. Islamic months begin at sunset, on the day when the lunar crescent is visually sighted. Because of centuries old practice of looking for the lunar crescent to determine if the new month has begun, different months begin and end on different weekdays in different countries/communities and usually a gap of one to three days occurs.

The number of days in each month is adjusted throughout the year in accordance with each lunar cycle. The beginning of the Muslim year retrogresses through the solar year, completing a full cycle every 32 1/2 years.

A month consists of 29 days or 30 days depending upon appearance of crescent. The old traditional way, which is also mentioned in hadiths, to determine, if a new month has begun was and still is in many communities, to look for crescent every 29 days. If the crescent is seen the month ends on 29th day and the new month is begun from the same evening. If the crescent is not seen the month is regarded to have 30 days and the month ends the after sunset in the evening of 30th day.

Although new moons may be calculated quite precisely, the actual visibility of the crescent is difficult to predict. It depends on factors such as weather, the optical properties of the atmosphere, and the location of the observer. Therefore in some cases it may be difficult to give accurate information in advance about when a new month will start.

Furthermore, in some areas Muslims depend on a local sighting of the moon, whereas in other areas a universal sighting is accepted. (i.e. if a new crescent is seen anywhere in the world it is accepted for communities the world over). Both are valid Islamic practices, but they may lead to different starting days for the months.

How does one count years?

Years are counted since the Hijra, that is, Prophet Mohammed's (Peace be upon him) migration to Medina, which is assumed to have taken place 622 (Julian calendar). Which will be Monday, 12th of Rabi'ul- Awwal, in the thireenth year following the start of his mission. On that date AH 1 started (AH = Anno Hegirae = year of the Hijra).

Note that although only 2002 - 622 = 1380 years have passed in the Christian calendar, 1423 years have passed in the Islamic calendar, because its year is consistently shorter (by about 11 days) than the tropical year used by the Christian calendar.


When will the Islamic calendar overtake the Gregorian calendar?

As the year in the Islamic calendar is about 11 days shorter than the year in the Christian calendar, the Islamic years are slowly gaining in on the Christian years. But it will be many years before the two coincide. The 1st day of the 5th month of C.E. 20,874 in the Gregorian calendar will also be (approximately) the 1st day of the 5th month of AH 20,874 of the Islamic calendar!

To be more clear........ The moon moves around the earth. One month of lunar phases is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds. The measurement of a solar year is based on one revolution of the earth around the sun. A solar or seasonal year contains 365 days, 5 hr, 48 min, and 45.5 sec. a little over 11 days more than the lunar year.

Islamic calendar does not conform to seasons like the Gregorian calendar. Thus the month of Ramazan as also other months fall in every season as the Islamic year retrogresses through the solar year, completing a full cycle every 32 1/2 years.

As the year in the Islamic calendar is about 11 days shorter than the year in the Christian calendar, the Islamic years are slowly gaining in on the Christian years. But it will take thousands of years before the two coincide. The 1st May of the year 20874 AD under the Gregorian calendar is estimated to be the 1st day of Jumaada Awal of the year 20874 of the Islamic calendar. Let us hope the dooms day does not occur before that.
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And in his final sermon before his death, the Prophet Muhammad said, among other things, "With Allah the months are twelve; four of them are holy; three of these are successive and one occurs singly between the months of Jumaada and Sha'ban."