In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

 

 

Islamic Calendar
The Islamic calendar (or Hijri calendar) is a purely lunar calendar.

It contains 12 months that are based on the motion of the moon, and because 12 synodic months is only 12 x 29.53=354.36 days, the Islamic calendar is consistently shorter than a tropical year, and therefore it shifts with respect to the Christian calendar.

The calendar is based on the Qur'an (Sura IX, 36-37) and its proper observance is a sacred duty for Muslims.

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 only turn to the Islamic calendar for religious purposes. The names of the 12 months that comprise the Islamic year are:
1. Muharram 7. Rajab
2. Safar 8. Sha'ban
3. Rabi' al-awwal (Rabi' I) 9. Ramadan
4. Rabi' al-thani (Rabi' II) 10. Shawwal
5. Jumada al-awwal (Jumada I)11. Dhu al-Qi'dah
6. Jumada al-thani (Jumada II)12. Dhu al-Hijjah
Years are counted since the Hijra, that is, Prophet Mohammed (SAW)'s emigration to Medina in AD 622. On 16 July (Julian calendar) of that year, AH 1 started (AH = Anno Hegirae = year of the Hijra).

In the year AD 2003 we have witnessed the start of Islamic year AH 1424.

Note that although only 2003-622=1381 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.