The Islamic Calendar

 

• The Islamic Calendar is a lunar Calendar, and is based on the cycle of the moon.
• An Islamic year has 12 months, each of either 29 or 30 days, so the number of days in the year is about 354, 11 days shorter than the Western solar year. This is why Islamic events and festivals cycle through the seasons, and appear to be earlier each year compared to the Western calendar.
• Islamic year dates from the Hijrah (Migration) of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in 622 A.C.E.
• The start of each month depends on the sighting of the new moon. If, after 29 days, the new moon is sighted the new month begins. If the new moon is not sighted, the current month continues for one further day before the next month begins. So a month will have either 29 or 30 days.
• The Islamic day is also based on the lunar sightings. The reference point is sunset (Maghrib Time). The Islamic date begins from sunset, so that the night precedes the day. For example, the month of Ramadhan begins with Taraweeh, The first day of the Islamic week is Saturday and the last day Friday (Jumu’ah). Note that since the night precedes the day, the Islamic week begins at sunset of the conventional Friday. Friday is the ‘weekly Eid’, marked by the Jumu’ah salaat.

(What does Islam say? Ibrahim Hewitt Page 14-15 & The Islamic Calendar by Siraaj bin Yoosuf Lambat)