Islamic Calendar 2024

Islamic Calendar 2024: Months and Their Significance

The current Islamic year 2024 falls in the AH (After Hijrah) era and is denoted as 1445 AH. The Muslim Calendar 2024, like every year, includes 12 Islamic months. Each of these months contains 29 to 30 days, depending on the activity of the Moon or lunar cycle. After the sunset that occurs on the third day of the New Moon, the partial visibility of the Moon marks the beginning of the new month. And if the Moon is not spotted during this time, the month is extended to 30 days.

Let’s have a look into how the Months in a year are distributed in the Islamic calendar 2024 India and what they mean or signify. These are the same months that we see in the Gregorian Calendar, but the first Islamic month may or may not be January, depending on the count of the New Moon.

Major Islamic Holidays / Festivals

Muhammad conveyed important Islamic events and festivals in the Muslim calendar, giving them religious and spiritual significance for Muslims. Later, these major festivals were declared as Islamic holidays. These important festivals and events help bring together Muslim communities worldwide. They serve as a reminder of shared beliefs, values and the teachings of the Quran.

Schools and offices are closed during this time. Some of the most significant holidays in the Islamic calendar 2024 India include:

Al-Hijra (Muharram)

Al-Hijra (Muharram) marks the start of the Islamic New Year and celebrates the Hijra. Here, Muslims fast during daylight hours for the first 10 days. Moreover, it observes the Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. Muharram is also a month of mourning for Shia Muslims, who grieve the sacrifice and death of Hussein ibn Ali during the Battle of Karbala.

Milad-un-Nabi

Milad-un-Nabi celebrates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims recite stories of Muhammad’s life and donate food and charity to the poor during this time. Muslims view Muhammad as the last prophet of God, sent to present the message of Islam. Milad un Nabi is a joyous festival where Muslims gather to honour Muhammad's life and teachings.

Ramadan

Ramadan is the month of fasting when Muslims do not eat or drink from morning to evening. Here, Muslims focus on increased prayer, charity, and community. It is a holy month of spiritual purification for Muslims. During Ramadan, Muslims stay away from bad activities and fully involve themselves in the ritual so that Allah blesses them and forgives them for their mistakes. Moreover, Muslims believe the Quran was first revealed to Muhammad during Ramadan. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

Eid-ul-Fitr

Eid-ul-Fitr is the festival of breaking the fast that marks the end of Ramadan. It is a joyous three-day celebration where Muslims gather together, pray, exchange gifts, and share meals. Food is also offered to the poor and the needy. New clothes are donated to charity. After a month of fasting, Eid al-Fitr marks a time of enjoying community feasts and celebrations. It is one of the most celebrated times in all festival of Muslim religion.

Eid-ul-Azha

Eid-ul-Azha is a festival that honours the sacrifice that Abraham was willing to make when God commanded him to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Muslims who can manage to sacrifice animals distribute the meat to the poor during the festival in the name of the prophet. Hence, Eid al-Adha is also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, and Muslims consider it an important event in the Muslim festival list.

History Behind The Islamic Calendar

The Islamic calendar has a long and rich history dating back to the time of Prophet Mohammad in the 7th century. The Islamic calendar began around 622 CE when Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina, an event known as the Hijra. This journey marked the beginning of the spread of Islam, so the early Muslim community adopted it as the start of their calendar. This year was known as 1 epoch ( epoch stands for an instant in time chosen to mark the origin of an era).

Prophet Muhammad played an essential role in the establishment and development of the Islamic calendar. Upon migrating to Medina, Muhammad realised that the Arab tribes did not follow a common calendar. Therefore, he introduced a standardised lunar calendar for the Muslim community based on the Islamic lunar months. The Prophet Muhammad’s contribution to establishing the Muslim calendar helped unite the early Muslim community and provided a structured framework for Muslims to follow Islamic practices and traditions together.

Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the Islamic calendar is based on the Moon’s rotation, not the Earth’s. This results in the Islamic year being about 11 days shorter, so Islamic holidays fall on different Gregorian calendar dates each year.

Significance Of The Muslim Calendar

Moreover, what makes the Muslim calendar different is that it marks the birth and teachings of Islam, started by the Muslim leader, highly regarded as Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). So, all his journeys towards preaching and establishing Islam are celebrated as Muslim festivals in India and abroad. In fact, the Islamic New Year starts on the 7th or 8th of July, when the Prophet travelled from Mecca to Medina to establish the first Islamic state (called the Hijrah). Muslims worship the Prophet and pray to “Allah - the God” through his spiritual texts and teachings.

If you happen to observe the Islamic Calendar 2024 India, you will notice that the 12 months are mentioned in different terms other than the one we see in English. The name of each month is based on the Arabic script, and the whole arrangement is also known as the Hijri Calendar. Astronomically, it is observed that a partly visible Moon is seen shortly after Sunset. This stage of the Moon is called the Waxing Crescent Moon, which occurs only after the arrival of the New Moon. So, this observation marks a new month.

The Hijri calendar / Islamic months played an important role in the daily lives of early Muslims. They used it to determine times for prayer, fasting, and festivals, as well as for agriculture and trade. Today, Muslims around the world still use the Islamic calendar to observe religious holidays and festivals.

The Muslim calendar provides structure and guidance for Muslims in following Islamic traditions and customs. Understanding its history and major festivals is key to appreciating the role that faith plays in the daily lives of Muslims. Over time, the Muslim calendar has been refined and standardised to ensure accuracy in determining the start of Ramadan and other holy days based on the sighting of the new crescent (lightly visible) moon.

Most Muslims use calculated calendars to determine these dates in advance for planning purposes and to know any tomorrow Muslim festival. The Islamic calendar shapes Muslim lives by informing religious rituals, festivals and worship. Its lunar-based rhythm gives Muslim life a distinctive rhythm and flow, connecting Muslims to the cycles of nature and the universe, as well as to the history of disclosing in the Quran. For Muslims, the Islamic calendar is truly a holy measure of time.