Muhammadan calendar
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Definition
- Proper noun:
- The Islamic lunar calendar: The Muhammadan calendar is the calendar system used in Islam for religious purposes. It is a purely lunar calendar, meaning its months are based on the cycles of the Moon. Its epoch is the Hijrah (the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina) in 622 CE. Because a lunar year is shorter than a solar year, Islamic months and holidays occur approximately 11 days earlier each solar year, completing a full cycle through the seasons roughly every 32 solar years.
Usage Examples
- Proper noun:
- The date of Ramadan is determined by the Muhammadan calendar.
- Many historical events in the Muslim world are recorded according to the Muhammadan calendar.
- Converting a date from the Gregorian calendar to the Muhammadan calendar requires a specific calculation.
Advanced Usage
- The term "Muhammadan calendar" is an older, non-Muslim term. In contemporary academic and interfaith contexts, the terms "Islamic calendar" or "Hijri calendar" are preferred and more widely used, as they are the terms used by Muslims themselves.
- The calendar is strictly observational in some traditions, meaning a new month begins only with the confirmed sighting of the new crescent moon, which can lead to slight variations in start dates between different regions.
Variants and Related Words
- Islamic calendar (n): The preferred modern term for the same calendar system.
- Hijri calendar (n): Another common name, derived from the Hijrah (Hegira).
- Lunar calendar (n): A general term for any calendar based on the Moon's phases, of which the Muhammadan calendar is one example.
Synonyms
- Islamic calendar
- Hijri calendar
- Muslim calendar
Related Phrases
- Hijrah / Hegira: The migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, which marks year 1 of the Muhammadan calendar.
- Lunar month: A synodic month (approximately 29.5 days), the basis for each month in this calendar.
- Ramadan: The ninth month of the Muhammadan calendar, observed as a month of fasting.
Noun
- the lunar calendar used by Muslims; dates from 622 AD (the year of the Hegira); the beginning of the Muslim year retrogresses through the solar year completing the cycle every 32 years