IN the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
The Holy Qur’an, 70:4-6 says, “The angels and The Spirit ascend Unto Him in a Day The measure whereof Is (as) fifty thousand years: Therefore, do thou hold Patience, —a Patience Of beautiful (contentment). They see the (Day) indeed as a far-off (event):But We see it (Quite) near.”
The Muslim calendar is lunar and its months are determined by the various positions of the moon. Qur’an 2:189 says, “They ask thee concerning the new moons. Say: they are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men and for pilgrimage. It is no virtue if ye enter your houses from the back; it is virtue if ye fear God. Enter houses through the proper doors and fear God that ye may prosper.”
In every year, there are 12 months, and each month is either 29 or 30 days, depending on the position of the moon. This differs from the man-made calendar which has 30 or 31 days per month and 365 days in a year.
That is why there is a remarkable difference of 578 years between the two calendars so far since the formal adoption of the Hijrah calendar in 622 A.D. We cannot get the required number of years if we subtract the Hijrah calendar year from the Gregorian calendar year because of the 11 days difference every year.
Thus, the solar astronomical year differs from the lunar ecclesiastical year. The months in the latter travels all-round the season and the solar year calendar whose dates indicate the season or almost equivalently the apparent position of the sun relative to the stars. The Gregorian calendar, widely accepted as a standard in the world, is an example of a solar calendar. The main other type of calendar is the lunar calendar whose months correspond to cycles of moon phases. The months of the Gregorian calendar do not correspond to the cycles of the moon phase. The lunar year remains the ecclesiastical year. Apart from the lunar and solar calendars, we also have lunisolar or solli-lunar calendar.
As named by Allah (SWT), the 12 months of the Hijrah calendar include Muharram, the period of material provision and renewal of divine faith; Rabiul-Awwal, the first season of harvesting of fruit of faith and the month of birth of Prophet Muhammad (Maolud Nabiyyi); Robiul-Thanni, the second season for harvesting of fruit of faith; Jumadal-Awwal, the first season for introspective self-appraisal and hope in Allah; and Jumada-al-Thanni, the second season for introspective self-appraisal and hope in Allah.
Others are Rajab, the unique month for active pursuance of peace and prohibition of all forms of retaliation and one of the sacred months; Sha’ban is the month in which the Night of Record for mankind occurs; Ramadan is characterised by spiritual discipline and elevation through compulsory fasting, Lailatul-Qadr, the night of first revelation of the Holy Qur’an; Shawwal is the 10th month in which Eid-l-Fitr occurs and first month of Hajj; Dhul-Qa’da is the 11th month; and Dhul-Hijjah is the 12th and one of the sacred months in which Hajj rites are performed.
Really, the first day of Muharram is our New Year. It is a joyous moment to reflect on the past year. It is a time to take stock. It is a period to ponder over our relationship with Allah (SWT). It is a time to express determination for more spiritual development. It is a day of inspired efforts for more disciplined life in the new year. It is a time for the Muslim Ummah to re-examine their propagation strategies.
It is a moment to show concern for the Islamic education of the youths and the future of Islam. It is a time to surrender ourselves totally in the service of Allah as done by the Emigrants (Muhajiruns) who left all their properties and even families in Makkah during Hijrah. It is a period to ponder and resolve to use our wealth, knowledge, and power or authority in the propagation of Islam (jihad). It is a time to be our brother’s keeper, give a helping hand and be nice to strangers as done by the Helpers (Ansar) in Madinah. It is a time for leaders to have determination and resolve to lead by example as Prophet Muhammad (SAW) did during the tortuous journey from Makkah to Madinah during Hijrah.
As the Prophet (SAW) put it in an authentic Hadith, “Muharram is an honoured and distinguished month before Allah. Therefore, pious and fortunate is he who takes cognizance of his thoughts and action before his trivial and insignificant deeds are taken into account (on the Day of Judgment) and unfortunate is he who turned aside from the right path and followed the wrong one. (Bukhari and Muslim).
The rightful path is the divine path where laws are specified by Allah on acts of worship, good deeds and charity to the poor and the needy (Qur’an 9:60). And the divine law of reckoning dates is by the lunar system where dates or days cannot be fixed or determined by human memory or measure of counting. That is why the moon is expected to be sighted for the major dates in Islam as against others being fixed on particular dates.
Such important dates in Islam include the Hijrah which falls on the eve of the first day of Muharram; the 10th day of Muharram (Ashura); the Prophet’s birthday which falls on the eve of the 12th day of Rabiul-Awwal (Maolud Nabiyyi); the Night of Record for all mankind which falls on the 15th day of Sha’ban (Nisfu-Sha’ban); the fasting month of Ramadan in which the Holy Qur’an was revealed, the special Night of Power of Qadr worth more than one thousand months which may be celebrated with prayers on the odd-number days of the last 10 days of Ramadan. Others are Eid-l-Fir, the feast of breaking the fast of Ramadan which falls on the first day of Shawwal; Arafat Day of the world convention of Muslims which falls on ninth of Dhul-Hijjah; Eid-l-Adha, the feast of sacrifice which falls on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah.
This Hijrah calendar further demonstrates the disparity between Islam’s reckoning of dates and others. As the months are named by God, they represent beauty, good meanings and reasonable concepts, ideas and events.
Muharram, which is named by Allah (SWT) as the first month of the year, is divine and honourable.
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