Happy Islamic New Year

We are in the month of Muharram and today (11th september 2018 = 1440 H) we are celebrating the new year, but as the calendar follows the lunar cycle, the day changes every year.

What is Islamic New Year?

The Islamic New Year begins with the sighting of the new moon at sunset. Its arrival signals the beginning of the month of Muharram – one of the four holy months of the Islamic calendar.

Muharram is the second most holy month of the Islamic year, after Ramadan, its name meaning “forbidden”, many followers of the faith choosing to fast on its ninth and tenth days.

The New Year honours the emigration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, which was known as the Hijrah and gives the first day of the year its name.

When is it?

Hijri New Year will fall on 11 September for most Muslims this year.

In some Islamic countries, astronomical calculations are used to determine the dates of the Islamic calendar and, for this reason, there are sometimes differences of up to two days as to precisely when the date falls depending on where you are.

What year is it?

Islamic years are usually followed by the letter “H”, for Hijrah, or “AH”, for the Latin term Anno Hegirae, meaning “in the year of the Hijrah”.