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The Islamic calendar is based on a lunar year of
12 full lunar (monthly) cycles, taking 354 days. Each
new year in the Islamic calendar thus falls 10 or
11 days earlier according to the 364 day solar calendar.
The 12 months of the Islamic year are:
| 1- |
Muharram |
| 2- |
Safar |
| 3- |
Rabi' al-Awwal ("Rabi' 1") |
| 4- |
Rabi' al-Thani ("Rabi 2") |
| 5- |
Jumada al-Ula ("Jumada I") |
| 6- |
Jumada al-Akhirah (Jumada II) |
| 7- |
Rajab |
| 8- |
Sha'ban |
| 9- |
Ramadan |
| 10- |
Shawwal |
| 11- |
Dhu al-Qa'dah |
| 12- |
Dhi al-Hijjah |
The first day of Year One of the Islamic calendar
was set as the first day of the Hijrah, the Prophet's
migration from Makkah to Madinah on July 26, 622 C.E.
The western convention in designating Islamic dates
is thus by the abbreviation AH, which stands for the
Latin anno hegirae, or "Year of the Hijrah."
To roughly convert an
Islamic calendar year (AH) into a Gregorian equivalent
(A.D./C.E.), or vice versa, use one of the following
equations.
AD = 622 + (32/33 x AH)
AH = 33/32 x (AD - 622)
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