ISLAMIC CALENDAR
To understand Muslim holidays, it is helpful to understand their calendar system. The Islamic calendar started in the Western year 622 A.D. Its starting point was the date on which Muhammad and his closest companions moved from Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijra.
The Muslim calendar is lunar-based, comprising of 12 months and a year of 354 days. Each month can be either 29 or 30 days long. The Islamic lunar calendar differs from the moon's actual cycle by one day every 2,570 years, which means that it is only a little bit less accurate than the solar calendar. Originally the months were regulated based upon the sighting of the moon, but today more sophisticated astronomical calculations are employed.
Because the months are based on the moon, the dates of the new year and the holy days change every year on our Gregorian calendar. Because the lunar year is shorter than the solar year, Muslim holy days cycle backwards through our calendar.
The names of the 12 lunar 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 |
Islamic Holy Dates for the current year 1429
[all dates are approximate, and spellings of holy days with roman characters vary greatly]
| Al-Hijra (New Year) | 9-Jan-2008 |
| 'Ashura | 18-Jan-2008 |
| Mawlid al-Nabi | 20-Mar-2008 |
| Laylat Al-Isra wa Al-Miraj | 29-Jul-2008 |
| Laylat Al-Baraa | 15-Aug-2008 |
| Ramadan month begins | 1-Sep-2008 |
| Laylat Al-Qadr | 26-Sep-2008 |
| Eid al-Fitr | 30-Sep-2008 |
| Yom Arafat | 7-Dec-2008 |
| Eid Al-Adhha | 8-Dec-2008 |
Descriptions of Islamic Holy Days
Al-Hijra
This holiday marks the beginning of the Islamic New Year on the first day of the month of Muharram. In addition to being the start of the New Year, Al-Hijra is also the anniversary of Muhammad's hijra to Medina, an important event theologically. Sometimes this is also called Rabi Al-Awwal.
Muhammad left Mecca just as his enemies were preparing to murder him, and he arrived in Medina eight days later. His emigration became known as the Hegira (Arabic hijrah) and marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
'Ashura
Taking place on the tenth day of Muharram, 'Ashura marks the anniversary of the death of Imam Husain, the grandson of Muhammad. This is a holy day celebrated more by Shi'ite Muslims than by Sunni Muslims, because Sunnis don't recognize Husain's claim to being the proper successor to Muhammad.
For Shi'ites, 'Ashura is the most sanctified day of the month, and celebrating it includes fasting and "passion plays" of his martyrdom. Because of this, the day is not "celebrated" in the way that holy days normally are. Some mourners beat their chests, lamenting and grieving over Husain's death, and replicas of his tomb are profusely decorated on this date.
However, for many Muslims there is joy in commemorating all of the wonderful events tradition has it that occurred on 'Ashura, including Noah's ark coming to rest, the Prophet Abraham being born, and the Kaaba being built.
The word ashura means "ten" and is a time of fasting, reflection and meditation. Jews of the city of Medina fasted on the tenth day in remembrance of their salvation from the Pharaoh, and the Prophet Muhammad pledged he would fast for two days instead of one in this same remembrance, but he died the following year and so never fasted as he had hoped.
Mawlid al-Nabi
This date marks the celebration of Muhammad's birth in 570 C.E., and has been fixed at the 12th day of the month Rabi’ al-Awwal. Mawlid al-Nabi appears to have been first celebrated in the thirteenth century and involved a month-long festival. Today, the focus is mostly on the actual date itself and includes sermons, gift giving, and a feast. Some of the most conservative sects, like the Wahhabis, regard such a celebration as idolatrous and condemn it. Thus, Saudi Arabia does not recognize Mawlid al-Nabi at all, but other countries (like Egypt and Turkey) have many celebrations.
Laylat Al-Isra wa Al-Miraj
This literally means "the night journey and ascension," although the day is sometimes called by the shorter form Isra wa Al-Miraj. It is celebrated on the twenty-seventh day of Rajab, and tradition has it that on this date Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Jerusalem, then ascended into the seven heavens, and returned to Mecca all in the same night. The rock from which he supposedly ascended to heaven can still be seen in the Dome of the Rock.
Muslims also believe that it was on the night or Laylat Al-Isra wa Al-Miraj that Muhammad was instructed to establish the current form of the five daily prayers which all believers must recite. The story also has it that Muhammad prayed together with Abraham, Moses and Jesus in the Al-Asqa mosque in Jerusalem, and because of that this date is also regarded as demonstrating that Muslims, Christians and Jews all follow the same god.
Laylat Al-Baraa
This term Laylat Al-Baraa means "night of repentance" and it commemorates the night when all who repent are granted forgiveness. Muslims believe that it is on this night that God sets each person's path for the coming year. Thus, Muslims ask God for forgiveness for past sins and for blessings in the coming year on Laylat Al-Baraa.
Ramadan
Also known as Ramadhan or Ramazan, this is a month when Muslims are expected to fast all day long. It is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The much-anticipated start of the month is based on a combination of physical sightings of the moon and astronomical calculations. The practice varies from place to place, some places relying heavily on sighting reports and others totally on calculations.
Fasting during Ramadan - the holiest month of the Islamic calendar - is one of Islam's five pillars. Muslims believe that it was during Ramadan that the Quran, their holy book, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad some 1,400 years ago. During the month, devout Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex between sunrise and sunset. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. Learn more about the nature of Ramadan, exemptions, what is forbidden, and special days which fall during this month at this site: Ramadan.
Laylat Al-Qadr
Sometime during the last ten days of Ramadan, there is Laylat Al-Qadr (variously called the Night of Power, the Night of Revelation, among other names) in which every precise matter of wisdom is made distinct and all events of the coming year are decreed. It is on this night that angels descend from the heavens and blessings become abundant. Whoever prays its nights, believing in it, and hoping for its reward from God, he will forgive all their previous sins. God did not specify its order among the ten nights so that people may exert their utmost efforts during all ten days in worship, performing optional night prayer, reciting the Holy Qur’aan and doing righteous deeds. This can be a means of distinction between those who are active in devotion and those who are not; if Laylat Al-Qadr were identified in advance, it is felt that many people would limit themselves to devotion on that night only, neglecting other nights. Muslims seek the reward of Laylat Al-Qadr by doing good deeds consistently and sincerely during these ten days, so as to not come out of Ramadan empty-handed.
The term Eid is the Arabic term for festivity or celebration, and is only attached to a couple of holy days in the Muslim year (two of the following three), signifying their importance:
Eid al-Fitr
This is the termination of the Ramadan fast. Just as festivity becomes the atmosphere when the fast is broken each day at sunset, happiness becomes doublefold when the month of fasting is finally completed and the Eid Al-Fitr is celebrated with the Feast of the Breaking of the Fast
The most elaborate dishes are served at large banquets to which relatives and friends are invited. These colorful celebrations are the climax of the sense of fulfillment that characterizes a month of fasting and hardships, increasing the bonds of connectedness among humankind and between humankind and God.
Yom Arafat
Also known as the Day of Haj, this holy day takes place on the ninth of Dhu Al-Hijja, just before the celebration of Eid Al-Adhha. People on the Haj (pilgrimage) assemble for the "standing" on the plain of Arafat, which is located near Mecca. Muslims elsewhere in the world gather at a local mosque for prayer and solidarity with those at Arafat.
Eid Al-Adhha
This holy day is the "feast of sacrifice" and is celebrated from the tenth through the thirteenth days of Zul-Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Muslim calendar. Eid Al-Adhha marks the anniversary of Abraham's willingness and obedient attempt to sacrifice his son Ishmael on God's orders. (In the Jewish and Christian traditions, Abraham attempted to sacrifice Isaac.) At this time special prayers are said either in mosques or in fields designated for that purpose.
It is during this time of the year that people generally make the Haj, or the pilgrimage to Mecca. Whether on the Haj or at home, people celebrating this begin the first day with sacrificing an animal as a commemoration of the Angel Gabriel providing Abraham with a lamb as a substitute for Ishmael at the last moment. Most of the meat is shared with family and neighbors, but one-third is given to the poor.
The holiday is then celebrated in much the same way as Eid Al-Fitr - with good food, gifts for children and general merrymaking.