Muslims worldwide welcome Islamic New Year, 1441 Hijri

The Islamic calender, Hijri, officially starts a new year today, August 31, 2019. Saudi Arabia which is usually a reference point for when an Islamic month ends or starts declared that a new moon had been sighted.

The United Arab Emirates also confirmed same and announced officially the start of the year 1441. Today is 1st Muharram, 1441. Muharram is the name of the first month according to the Islamic calendar.

Muslims around the world are marking the entry into an Islamic New Year. The Hijri calendar is used across most of the Arab world.

It is referred to as the Hijri Calendar because it began with the Hijra, or hegira, i.e. the Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina (in present day Saudi Arabia).

Muhammad and a number of Muslims at the time migrated to Medina due to persecution by the disbelievers. The first Muslim state was established in Medina till he returned to Makkah after a conquest years later.

The occasion comes with very little celebration as compared to January 1st in the case of the Gregorian calendar. Except for Muslim dominant nations, it is a normal day across most secular countries.

In parts of northern Nigeria for instance, state governments usually declare the day a holiday to allow residents observe the day as such.

Difference between Hijri and Gregorian calendars

Unlike the Gregorian which has 365/366 days, the Islamic year has minimum 354 days. This is because the Hijri Calendar follows the movements of the moon. The Hijri Calendar is consistently less by 11 days comparative to the Gregorian.

Gregorian calendars, which are most widely used across the world and even alongside the Islamic one in most of the Arab world, on the other hand measure time beginning with the year 0 A.D.

A.D. stands for Anno Domini, which means “In the year of our Lord.” The Hijri Calendar has years marked by A.H., which stands for Anno Hegirae, “In the Year of the Hijra.” The hegira took place in A.H. 1.

The Hijri Calendar is the official calendar in many predominantly Muslim countries, most notably Saudi Arabia. In other countries, Muslims refer to the Gregorian Calendar for most dates and consult the Hijri Calendar only for religious purposes.

The similarities between the Islamic and Gregorian calendar are that; both have 12 months each of seven days in a week. The slight day variations are that the first day of the week is Sunday (Yawmul Ahad) whiles Monday is seen as the first on the other side.