What is the Islamic New Year? A scholar of religion explains

By Iqbal Akhtar, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Florida International University

Much of the world today follows the Gregorian solar calendar, which has its origins in medieval Western Christianity. Conversely, the Islamic calendar or hijrī, is a lunar calendar. There are 12 months in the hijrī calendar, with each month being 29 or 30 days long.

It would be over 32 to 33 years that the lunar calendar will completely cycle the solar calendar. That’s why the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan can fall in October one year, and a few years…

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