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The Islamic Calendar |
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Muslim Holidays and the Islamic Calendar |
Eid al-Fitr |
Eid al-Fitr, also known as The Celebration of the Feast celebrates the end of Ramadan, a holy month for Islam, which is the ninth month on the Islamic Calendar. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset. This fasting is intended to remind adherents of their good fortune and teach them humility and to help the less fortunate. |
Eid al-Adha |
Eid al-Adha, The Festival of The Sacrifice, honors the Proohet Ibrahim, or Abraham in English, who sacrificed his son as proof of his loyatly to Allah. This festival is celebrated with the sacrifice of a sheep or cow, followed by a sharing of its meat among family and friends, as well as the less fortunate. In addition, this festival marks the end of the Hajj, the holy pilgrimage to Mecca. |
Ramadan |
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Islam observes Ramadan with a month of fasting. The Holy Qur'an is said to have been revealed to the Prophet Muhammed. The night marking the revelation of the Qur'an, the most holy night of the year, is known as Laylat al-Qadr. Ramadan ends with the celebrations and feasts of Eid al-Fitr. |
Laylat al-Qadr |
Laylat al-Qadr, The Night of the Decree, is observed as the night when the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet, Muhammad. |
Jumu'ah (Friday) |
Friday, or Yaum al-Jumu'ah in Arabic, is the weekly holy day of Islam. It is said that this holy day was selected because this is the day that Adam was created. Believers attend Sermons and the congregation recites prayers at their local mosques. |
Ashura |
The literal translation of Ashura is the tenth. Ashura falls on the tenth day of the sacred month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic Calendar. This day is celebrated by the Shi'a sect of Islam as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husain ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The Sunni observe this day as the day that Moses fasted in gratitude to Allah for the Israelites liberation from Egypt. |
Laylat al-Isra wa Miraj, or Night of the Journey and Ascension in Arabic, is observed on the 27th day of the month of Rajab. This night is said to be the night when Muhammad was taken to Jerusalem on a winged horse, then ascended to Heaven. |
Laylat al-Isra wa Miraj |
Laylat al-Bara'ah |
The Night of Freedom from Fire, Laylat al-Bara'ah in Arabic, occurs on the night of the 14th of Sha'aban |
The Islamic New Year, known in the Muslim world as R'as as-Sana in Arabic, similar to the Hebrew Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. While this day is not generally observed as a holiday, it is observed as a festive day. |
The 1st of Muharram |
Hajj |
The Hajj, the Fifth Pillar of Islam, is the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, which must be made by every able-bodied Muslim at least once in their lives. The Hajj occurs on the 7th through the tenth of the twelfth month of the Islamic Calendar, Dhu al-Hijjah. |
Umrah |
The Umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca that can be made at any time of the year. |
The Islamic Calendar |
The Islamic Calendar is a lunar calender consisting of twelve months. Each of these months begins when the lunar crescent is observed after a new moon. For this reason, it is impossible to accurately predict when one month will end and another will begin. This means that the Islamic calendar cannot be printed in advance. |
These months of the Islamic Calendar, in chronological order, are as follows: 1. Muharram 2. Safar 3. Rabi' al-awwal 4. Rabi' al-thani 5. Jumada al-awwal 6. Jumada al-thani 7. Rajab 8. Sha'ban 9. Ramadan 10. Shawwal 11. Dhu al-Qi'dah 12. Dhu al-Hijjah |
Months of the Islamic Calendar |
Years of the Islamic Calendar |
The Islamic Calendar counts years since the Hijra, which marks the Prophet Muhammad's emigration to Medina in 622 AD. In the Islamic Calendar, this year is referred to as AH1, or Anno Higrae (year of the Hijra). The current year in the Islamic calendar is AH1430. |
The Gregorian Calendar |
The Gregorian Calendar, used in the Western World, is also observed in the Arab world for business and civil purposes. The names for these months in Arabic vary by region. |
There are many Christian communities in the Arab world, the largest of which can be found in Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. In Egypt, the majority of Christians are of the Coptic sect. In Lebanon, Christians are primarily Maronites or Levantine Greek Orthodox. |
Christians in the Arab World |
Jews in the Arab World |
While Jews in the Middle East are predominantly reside in Israel, Jewish communities do exist throughout the region. Morocco currently has the largest population of Jews in the Arab world, with around 7,ooo adherents living in the North African country. Iran, while technically not part of the Arab world, is home to just under 40,000 people of the Jewish faith. |
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