How does the Islamic calendar work and what year is 2024?
The Saudi Arabia Supreme Court declared that Sunday, July 7 will be the first day of Muharram and of the new year. How does the Islamic calendar work?
The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has announced that Sunday, July 7 will mark the first day of Muharram 1446, when Muslims celebrate the Islamic New Year, also known as the Hijiri New Year.
The Islamic calendar, also called the Hijiri calendar, is a dating system used by Muslims for religious purposes. It’s a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days.
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How does the Islamic calendar work?
Through this system, Muslims around the world determine the proper days for Islamic holidays and rituals, such as the annual period of fasting and the Hajj pilgrimage.
Each month begins with the sighting of the new moon. The crescent moon was not observed in Saudi Arabia on Friday, July 5, which corresponded to the 29th day of Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the year. This is why the new year 1446 will be celebrated on Sunday, July 7.
Because lunar months are shorter than solar months, the Islamic calendar is about 10 to 12 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar each year.
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The Islamic calendar’s months of the year
The calendar is made up of 12 months: Muharram, Safar, Rabi’ al-Awwal, Rabi’ al-Thani, Jumada al-Awwal, Jumada al-Thani, Rajab, Sha’ban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhu al-Qi’dah, and Dhu al-Hijjah.
This system originates from the year of the Hijra, the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. Islamic years are denoted as AH, which stands for Anno Hegirae, or “Year of the Hijra.”
Understanding the Islamic calendar involves recognizing its lunar basis and how it shifts relative to the Gregorian calendar. As the Islamic year is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year, you cannot directly equate the two without considering the accumulated difference over the centuries.
Sunday, July 7 marks the first day of the Islamic year 1446, and to convert the Gregorian date to the Islamic date involves some complicated calculation. There are websites you can visit to convert dates between the two calendars.