When And How Did Hijrah Announce The Start Of The Islamic Calendar Year?

By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 22 July 2023 Main Points 1. How did the Islamic year begin with Hijra? 2. Why was Muharram the first month of the Islamic calendar? 3. When did the Islamic date first start to appear on letters and other items? ----- In his book "Kamil fi al-Tarikh," Allama Ibn Athir provided some sayings that demonstrate that the correct and preferred opinion is that Hazrat Umar Farooq commanded over the writing of Islamic dates on letters and other materials during his Khilafah, and this is what caused the Islamic year to begin with Hijrah. Another tradition claims that the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered the Islamic calendar to be written when he arrived in Madinah. The former tradition, which is true, states that Hazrat Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) gave the command to establish the Islamic calendar. According to scholars, the need to find an Islamic calendar of Muslims arose after Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari, the Emir of Basra, received a letter in the seventeenth year of Hazrat Umar's caliphate that was dated in the month of "Sha'ban." He wrote in a letter to Caliph Hazrat Umar, "O Commander of the Faithful, the books came to us, it was dated in Sha'ban, and we do not know if it was in the past year or the present year." Actually, the main argument was that writing date and year has a lot of advantages. Anything that can be recorded is incredibly useful. The process of learning things is halted upon entering the date, including when the letter arrived and the day it was issued, etc. When Hazrat Umar determined that Hazrat Abu Musa Ash'ari's remarks were exceedingly rational, the illustrious Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were convened for advice. When should the Islamic calendar begin? All the Companions were interviewed by Hazrat Umar Farooq on this issue. The responses of the Companions to this came from four different angles. A group of Companions proposed starting the Islamic calendar year with the Prophet's auspicious birth year. The second party proposed starting the Islamic calendar year with the year in which the declaration of Prophethood occurred, and the third party proposed starting the Islamic calendar year with the Hijrah year. The fourth group proposed beginning the Islamic year in the year of the Prophet's passing. There was a discussion among the Companions to determine which of the four sorts of ideas presented in the Majlis-e-Shura should take its final shape. After some thought, Hazrat Umar Farooq concluded that Hijrah would be a better way to start the Islamic calendar year. The explanation for this is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions started to worship Allah in a serene and peaceful manner beginning in the year of Hijrah, and the same year the foundation of the Prophet's Mosque (Masjid-e-Nabwi) was built, acting as a centre for the spread of Islam. Muslims value the beginning of the Hijrah year because it brings to mind a significant period in their history. In this period, the Muslims were liberated from the oppression and torment at the hands of the polytheists and unbelievers in Mecca and were able to establish a solid and secure way of life. The subject of when the Hijrah year should begin was also brought up in the same Majlis-e- Shura that Hazrat Umar presided over. Additionally, a number of viewpoints were presented on this subject. A group of Companions suggested starting the Islamic calendar’s month from the month of Rajab. The second group suggested that since Ramadan is the best and most fortunate month, the year should begin with that month. The third group of Companions proposed that the Islamic calendar should begin with the month of Muharram because it is during this month that pilgrims return from the Hajj. The fourth group argued that Rabi-ul-Awwal should be the first month of the year because it was during this month that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) migrated from Makkah to Madinah. After hearing these four arguments, Hazrat Umar Farooq decided he favoured the month of Muharram, and all the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) thereafter concurred. Notably, the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar, saw the martyrdom of Hazrat Ameerul Momineen Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him). In the closing days of Dhul-Hijjah, he was attacked by a radical murderer. Unable to withstand the pain of his injuries, he passed away on the first day of Muharram. ----- Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. URL: https://newageislam.com/the-war-within-islam/hijrah-islamic-calendar-year/d/130279 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism