How long are islamic months

The meanings of Hijiri month names are as follows:. The Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar, whose months begin and end depending on the movements of the moon.

The Hijri calendar was officially created during the reign of Khalifa Umar ibn al-Khattab. The Prophet's migration or hijra in AD marks the beginning of the Hijri year calendar and gives the calendar its name. The Hijri calendar is used to mark a number of significant Islamic events and dates like Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and the beginning of the Hajj season.

How and Why did the Hijiri Calendar Begin? Posted on: Sep 11, Related Posts. Any given month will have 29 days some years and 30 days in others. The new moon must also be visually sighted for the new month to start; mathematical calculation is not valid. Because of this requirement one can never be sure in advance precisely when the month of Ramadan will begin and one should start fasting. Because of this, although the Islamic lunar year has 12 months, it has only days on an average.

The Qur'an forbids the periodic insertion of a 13th month to keep it in line with the solar year. Hence, the Islamic calendar travels backward through the solar calendar about 11 days per year, returning to the same solar time in about 33 lunar years. Thus, 33 lunar years equal 32 solar years. Note that Muslims as in Biblical times reckon the "day" [24 hour period] to begin in the evening. It is also known as the Hijri calendar or the Muslim calendar. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar whose time reckoning is tied to the Moon phases.

Each month lasts for a full lunation , which is the time span from one New Moon to the next. This Moon cycle encompasses all the phases of the Moon. The timing of the months in the Islamic calendar is based on astronomical observation. A new month can only begin after a Waxing Crescent Moon is observed shortly after sunset. Unlike other calendar systems that use leap days or leap months to synchronize the calendar with the solar year , the Islamic calendar is completely detached from astronomical seasons , which are marked by the equinoxes and solstices.

An Islamic year consistently falls about 11 days short of the solar year. For that reason, the Islamic calendar cannot be used for agriculture or other activities traditionally linked to the seasons, and most Muslim countries officially use the Gregorian calendar as their civil calendar alongside the Hijri system.

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 The calendar is based on the Qur'an Sura IX, 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. Muharram 7.

Rajab 2. Safar 8. Sha'ban 3. Ramadan 4. Shawwal 5.