Hijrah: The Islamic New Year

IN the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Almighty Allah announces in Qur’an, Taubah, 9:36, on the true reckoning of dates that, “The number of months in the sight of God is twelve (in a year)— So ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; Of them four are sacred: That is the straight usage. So wrong not yourselves therein, and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together. But know that God is with those who restrain themselves.”

Another 12 full calendar months have rolled by for the Muslim faithful in the world. Another 50 weeks are gone by in the Islamic calendar. Another rotation of full moon within its orbit for 354 days is complete in the account of dates among Muslims. Another divine year is complete. The Hijra calendar New Year is here.

Another commemoration of the holy flight of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) from Makkah to Madinah is here (Q.8:30; 9:40). Another joyful moment for the Muslim faithful is here when the Prophet triumphed over all persecutions, humiliation and attempted murder by the pagans in Makkah after preaching the worship of Allah for 13 years in Makkah. Another reflection moment over the victorious incident of 622 AD is here when the conveyor of the Message escaped death with his followers for delivering the divine message (Qur’an 36:1-9). Another period to ponder the miraculous victory of Islam over all religions as the divine religion named by Allah for mankind is here when it escaped elimination as its leader survived extinction.

Almighty Allah reminds Prophet Muhammad (SAW) how he saved him on the day of emigration from Makkah to Madinah on 13th Rabiul-Awwal, 1 in Holy Qur’an, Anfal, 8:30: “Remember how the unbelievers plotted against thee to keep thee in bonds or slay thee or get thee out (of thy home). They plot and plan and God too plans but the best of planners is God.”

Also, God Almighty testifies that the only companion of the Prophet (SAW) on the day of the emigration (Hijrah) from Makkah to Madinah, from the persecutors, killers and tormentors is Abu-Bakr Siddique.

It was truly miraculous (mujiza), how Almighty Allah saved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) when the killer-idolaters stormed his house to murder him on emigration day (Hijrah). The invaders slept off as Prophet Muhammad (SAW) placed his cousin Alli Bin Abu-Talib on his bed and walked past them.

We are heralding the first lunar month, Muharram of the New Year, which is one of the four sacred months when wars, battles and all forms of hostilities and wrangling are forbidden. It is the blessed month of istijabah in which we have the blessed night of Ashura (10th day of Muharram) when prayers of Prophets, great sheikhs, and ulama were answered. For Sunnis, Ashura commemorates the exodus of Moses from Egypt, and is usually observed by completing an optional fast as practised by the Prophet Muhammad. This day also marks the anniversary of the tragic death of the Prophet’s grandson, Husain, at the hands of the Umayyad ruler, Yazid. For Shi’as, the day is marked with mourning and often with enactments of the tragic event.

However, the use of the Islamic lunar month calendar in the reckoning of dates is as old as the creation of the heavens and the earth more than four million years ago (Quran 9:36), whereas the non-Islamic or Gregorian January-to-December calendar was initiated by the Romans about 400 years ago. It was Pope Gregory XIII that actually adopted January 1st as the New Year’s Day for the Christians in 1582 A.D. It used to be March 25 for more than 15 centuries.

The other types of calendars used around the world are:

1. Julian calendar: The Julian calendar was the first major calendar to move away from the lunisolar method. It was based on the Roman calendar and introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. It utilises a 365-day, 12-month model and adds an extra day in February every four years.
2. The ancient Egyptian calendar – a civil calendar – was a solar calendar with a 365-day year. The year consisted of three seasons of 120 days each, plus an intercalary month of five epagomenal days treated as outside of the year proper. Each season was divided into four months of 30 days. These 12 months were initially numbered within each season but came to also be known by the names of their principal festivals. Each month was divided into three 10-day periods known as decans or decades. It has been suggested that during the 17th Dynasty and the 20th Dynasty, the last two days of each decan were usually treated as a kind of weekend for the royal craftsmen, with royal artisans free from work (Clagett, Marshall; 1995).
3. Hebrew calendar: The Hebrew calendar, also known as the Jewish calendar, was originally created before the year 10 AD. It first utilised lunar months and calendar years, adding an extra month every three to four years in order to make up for the difference between the two. Over time, mathematical calculations replaced that system. Today, it is used to determine the dates for Jewish religious holidays to select appropriate religious readings for the day, and to conduct ceremonial events.
4. Hijri calendar: The Hijri calendar is also referred to as the Islamic calendar. Based on lunar phases, it uses a system of 12 months and either 354 or 355 days every year. The first Islamic year was 622 AD when Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina. This system means that the current Islamic year is 1443 AH (between August 9, 2021 and July 29, 2022 on the Gregorian calendar). The Hijri calendar is used to identify Islamic holidays and festivals.
5. Iranian Muslim calendar: The Iranian calendar has been used for over 2,000 years in Iran, previously known as Persia. Over the last two centuries, it has been changed on several occasions in order to incorporate political, religious, and seasonal needs. Today, it is the official calendar of Iran and begins around March 21st on the Gregorian calendar.
6. Buddhist calendar: The Buddhist calendar is used throughout Southeast Asia and is based on an older Hindu calendar. This uses the sidereal year, the time it takes Earth to orbit the sun, as the solar year. However, the calendar does not try to stay in sync with this time measurement, similar to others that include a leap year. Because of this, it is slowly moving out of alignment at a pace of around one day every century. Although it is not used as an official calendar, the Buddhist calendar is used to mark important festivals.
7. Vikram Samvat, Shaka Samvat and Kali Yuga: These three calendars are Hindu calendars. The Vikram Samvat is used in Nepal and some Indian states. It uses lunar months and the previously mentioned sidereal year to track time. The Shaka Samvat is used officially in India and by Hindus in Java and Bali. Its months are based around the tropical zodiac signs rather than the sidereal year. The Kali Yuga is the final cycle within the four-cycle Yuga era. The first cycle is the age of truth and perfection, the second cycle is the age of emperors and war, the third stage is the age of disease and discontent, and the fourth stage (the Kali Yuga) is the age of ignorance and darkness. According to the calendar, the world is currently in the Kali Yuga. It began about 5,000 years ago and is thought to have 472,000-year duration.
8. Japanese calendar: Since 1873, the Japanese calendar has used the solar year of the Gregorian calendar. The country also uses era names, a system adopted from Chinese practice. Under this system, the rule of each emperor begins a new era. It has been used since 701 AD, although before 1873, eras were distinguished by events other than the emperor’s reign.
9. Chinese calendars: The Chinese calendar is based on a lunisolar system. According to this system, each month begins on the day when the moon is in the “new moon” phase. The beginning of a new year is also marked by the position of the moon and occurs when the moon is midway between the winter solstice and spring equinox. Officially, the country uses the Gregorian calendar although the Chinese calendar is used to celebrate holidays.
10. Other Notable calendars with widespread usage: The previously mentioned Gregorian calendar is another notable calendar widely used around the world. This calendar replaced the Julian calendar, improving the accuracy of the year’s length by .002 per cent. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in the 16th Century AD. This new calendar helped stop the year from drifting away from the solstice and equinox, allowing Easter to be celebrated around the vernal equinox. Although associated with Christianity, the Gregorian calendar is now the most widely used civil calendar in the world (WorldAtlas.com, 2021).

But the adoption of the great event of Hijra, i.e., emigration of Prophet Muhammad and his companions from Makkah to Madinah as the beginning of the Muslim era took place in the Caliphate of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, the second Caliph after Muhammad (SAW). We are now heralding the year 1444 After Hijra (July 30, 2022). Significantly, it heralds a new epoch for humanity.

This is wishing the over two billion Muslims worldwide Happy Islamic New Year.

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