Muslims follow a lunar calendar that is in the 1400s instead of the 2000s….

Throughout history people have used all sorts of calendars for farming and for remembering important dates. There are many examples such as the Christian (Gregorian) calendar, the Ethiopian Calendar, the Chinese Calendar, the Hindu Calendar, the Persian Calendar and many more. They all have different dates and systems and some also have their own celebrations, such as the Iranian New Year, which is celebrated with Navroz (roughly around April), the Chinese New Year, which normally occurs around February and the Hindu New Year, which is celebrated with the Diwali normally around November.

For those who do not know, there is an Islamic Calendar that is based on the moon so it is a lunar calendar. It has 12 months that are either 29 or 30 days and among them are “Ramadan” (month of fasting) and “Thul Hijjah” (during which time Muslims go for Hajj /pilgrimage to Makkah). The calendar is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, which is why Ramadan always occurs earlier each year. For example, if Ramadan occurred on 6 May in 2019, then the following year in 2020 Ramadan would occur around 24 April 2020. You can find out more about the names of the months and their significance from here. The Islamic calendar however is not the only lunar calendar that has varying dates. The dates for the Christian celebration of Easter for example changes every year between March and April.

Some people might wonder how differences in years will affect people who follow the Islamic calendar. From an Islamic point of view, the year is irrelevant. At first, this might seem strange but when looking at other calendars such as the Chinese calendar, it can be seen that the Chinese calendar does not measure years either as there is the “Years of the Dragon”, “Year of the Ox”, Year of the Snake” and other years that repeat every few years after completing each cycle. Likewise, the Islamic calendar did not have a year and in pre Islamic times people measured the year based on key events so the Prophet PBUH (Peace Be Upon Him) was born in the “Year of the Elephant”, when Abraha from Yemen attacked the Kaaba in Makkah with elephants but did not succeed. This story is explained in the Quran:

Have you not considered, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant? Did He not make their plan into misguidance? And He sent against them birds in flocks, Striking them with stones of hard clay, And He made them like eaten straw. (Surah Al Fil)

For administrative purposes, a year was used later after the death of the Prophet PBUH based on the Hijra (migration of the Prophet PBUH to Medina), which was also a significant event in Islamic History so as of 2020, the Islamic year was 1441. That does not mean that everything before Islam should be rejected and /or any other calendar should not be used. Only things that contradict the religion such as the monotheistic beliefs were rejected. There are many examples of this such as names that were used in pre Islamic times such as Khalid, Omar and Sufyan, which are still used today (names such as “Abdul Kaaba” /Slave of the Kaaba are not permissible). Also, the Prophet PBUH noticed Jews in Medina fasting on the “Day of Ashura”, in memory of Prophet Musa (Moses) PBUH when he was saved from Pharaoh. He then encouraged his companions to fast that day as well. You can find out more about the “Day of Ashura” and its significance from an article that I translated from here.

The Gregorian year seems to have become universally recognised around the world so it is much easier to continue using it. If you visit a doctor for example and they ask your age, it is expected that they are referring to your age according to the Gregorian calendar and likewise, growth charts for children are based on their age according to the Gregorian calendar. It would be too complicated and unnecessary to try to convert all of this information into the Hijri calendar.

I have not come across a specific reason why the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar rather than a solar calendar but perhaps something to think about is that it allows people to appreciate what they have. For example, when Ramadan occurs in the winter months, people might feel that 9 hours of fasting is too difficult but when Ramadan occurs during the summer when people need to fast about 18-19 hours, they would be more appreciative and grateful when it is time to break the fast. It is mentioned in the Quran:

وَلَوْ بَسَطَ اللَّهُ الرِّزْقَ لِعِبَادِهِ لَبَغَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِن يُنَزِّلُ بِقَدَرٍ مَّا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّهُ بِعِبَادِهِ خَبِيرٌ بَصِيرٌ

And if Allah had extended [excessively] provision for His servants, they would have committed tyranny throughout the earth. But He sends [it] down in an amount which He wills. Indeed He is, of His servants, Acquainted and Seeing (Surah Al Shura 27)

I hope this has given you some insight into the Islamic calendar. If you are still confused, there are also websites for converting dates between Gregorian and Hijri calendars, such as from here. 

By Mahir Gazdar