The Islamic Calendar

"Praise be to Allah,
The Lord of the Worlds,
And Peace be upon,
The Leader of the Apostles,
His family and companions."

The Ancient Arabian Calendar

The ancient Arabian calendar was roughly Luni-Solar before the Farewell Pilgrimage of the Noble Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him). The pagan Arabs used to count months by the appearance of the moon, but this intercalated a month once in about three years to bring the calendar in conformity with various seasons. They followed this system, mainly in order to suit their festivals and traditions. After Prophet's adoption of the purely Lunar Calendar for all religious purposes, there was no ambiguity or confusion left in the course of time-calculations.

The Early Muslim Calendar

The early Muslim astronomers fully realised the necessity of methodical observation and, in practical astronomy, they excelled the Indians and Europeans of their time. In the Middle Ages, the Muslim astronomers were the foremost astronomers of the world.

Since the turn of the 8th century A.H., Muslim astronomers have made a number of estimates of sighting the crescent after the conjunction in order to determine in advance the beginning of a lunar month. At present, we have different criteria for the first visibility of the lunar crescent. Although increasing interest towards the usage of astronomical calculations for the two most important dates, the Idds (Idd-ul-Fitri and Idd ul-Hajj), is evident in Muslim communities, there has been relatively little interest concerning the adoption of the Islamic Calendar for general usage. As a result very little work and thought has been devoted to considerations of a proper, scientifically based Systematic International Islamic Calendar that could interrelate dates in a proper and fixed way world-wide.

Many good Muslim leaders from the Islamic countries call for the unification of Muslim dates on the basis of astronomical findings, especially now that science has advanced so much as to put man on the face of the moon. The need for a comprehensive islamic Calendar, based on the astronomical calculations, is more vital, today, as the religion of Islam expands into almost all corners of the world - from China to Chile, Turkey to Tasmania, Algeria to Alaska, Nigeria to Nova Scotia, and even Siberia and the Arctic regions, where even the Eskimos are Muslims.

In recent times a comprehensive work has been carried out by Dr Mohammad Ilyas, a Professor of Physics at the University Science Malaysia, in Penang. His work, "A Modern Guide To Astronomical Calculations Of Islamic calendar, Times and Qibla" (1984), published by Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd, 22, Jalan Liku, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a monumental research-based work, which brings together all segments of information from various avenues pertaining to the three aspects of Islamic mathematical astronomy - Calendar, Times, Qibla.

In the Islamic World, despite the rather sad situation of Islamic astronomical practices, there is obviously no shortage of suitable academics and professionals pertaining to various relevant disciplines, such as astronomy, physics, mathematics, geography, celestial navigation, computational science, and astro-physics, who can help improve the current situation.

A Thought For Ideological Reawakening

It is very essential for us to adopt Islamic ways and practices, which we as a nation gave up either due to our own slackness or under pressure of foreign domination. It is suggested that the Islamic nations adopt the usage of Islamic Era and the lunar months in their daily business. In their letters, talks and writings, the Muslims all over the world should write the Hijra year and the Islamic months and thus make a new start for ideological reawakening. In cases where the need of any other era becomes absolutely necessary, they can make casual use of them side by side with the Hijra years. Let the start be made in office correspondence for a few months. This may lead to setting up the convention or tradition in course of time. It would be helpful if table diaries, wall and table calendars, prominently displaying the Hijra months, are printed in bulk and supplied to offices, schools, colleges, farms, factories, shops, homes and barracks to facilitate acquintance with the Hijra Calendar...click.

What is then needed is to activate a sizeable number of such individuals from various disciplines. The work on the International Islamic Calendar has so far been a relatively singular effort of the dedicated and concerned Muslims like Dr Ilyas, but it needs to be transformed into an activity on international level.

Click here for...The Origins Of Hijra Calendar

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