Mohammedan calendar

A lunar calendar reckoning from the year of the hegira (hejira), 622 a. d. Thirty of its years constitute a cycle, of which the 2d, 5th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 24th, 26th, and 29th are leap years, having 355 days; the others are common, having 354 days.

By the following tables any Mohammedan date may be changed into the Christian date, or vice versa, for the years 1900-1935 a. d. Months of the Mohammedan year.


 1 Muharram . . . .. 30
 2 Safar . . . . . . .. 29
 3 Rabia I . . . . . . 30
 4 Rabia II . . . .. 29
 5 Jumada I . . . .. 30
 6 Jumada II . . . . 29
 7 Rajab . . . . . . .. 30
 8 Shaban . . . . . . . 29
 9 Ramadan . . . . . . 30
10 Shawwal . . . . . . 29
11 Zu'lkadah . . . . 30
12 Zu'lhijjah . . . 29*
* in leap year, 30 days


a. h. a. d.  a. h.   a. d.
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1317   begins May 12, 1899        1336*  begins  Oct.17, 1917
1318          May  1, 1900        1337           Oct. 7, 1918
1319*         Apr.20, 1901        1338*          Sept.26,1919
1320          Apr.10, 1902        1339           Sept.15,1920
1321+         Mar.30, 1903        1340           Sept.4, 1921
1322*         Mar.18, 1904        1341*          Aug.24, 1922
1323          Mar. 8, 1905        1342           Aug.14, 1923
1324          Feb.25, 1906        1343           Aug. 2, 1924
1325*         Feb.14, 1907        1344*          July 22,1925
1326          Feb. 4, 1908        1345           July 12,1926
1327*         Jan.23, 1909        1346*          July 1, 1927
1328          Jan.13, 1910        1347           June 20,1928
1329          Jan. 2, 1911        1348           June 9, 1929
1330*         Dec.22, 1911        1349*          May 29, 1930
1331          Dec.11, 1912        1350           May 19, 1931
1332          Nov.30, 1913        1351++         May  7, 1932
1333*         Nov.19, 1914        1352*          Apr.26, 1933
1334          Nov. 9, 1915        1353           Apr.16, 1934
1335          Oct.28, 1916        1354           Apr. 5, 1935
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* Leap year  + First year of the 45th cycle
++ First year of the 46th cycle

The following general rule for finding the date of commencement of any Mohammedan year has a maximum error of a day: Multiply 970,224 by the Mohammedan year, point off six decimal places, and add 621.5774. The whole number will be the year a. d., and the decimal multiplied by 365 will give the day of the year.

The Mohammedan calendar is one of the most primitive. It is strictly a Lunar calendar, the year consisting of twelve lunar months, which retrograde through the seasons in about 321/2 years. To reconcile the lunar cycle to a given number of complete days, a leap year is introduced on the 2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 24th, 26th and 29th years of a thirty year cycle, making these years consist of 355 days instead of 354. The names of the months and the number of days are: 1, Muharram (30); 2, Saphar (29); 3, Rabia I (30); 4, Rabia II (29); 5, Jomada I (30); 6, Jomada II (29); 7, Rajah (30); 8, Shaaban (29); 9, Ramadan (30); 10, Shawaal (29); 11, Dulkasda (30); and 12, Dulheggia (29 or 30). The years are calculated from July 16, 622 A.D., the day following the Hegira, the flight of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina after an attempted assassination. The beginning of the 46th cycle, with the first day of Muharram, in the year 1351, compares to May 7, 1932 of the Gregorian calendar; continuing: 1365 Dec. 6, 1945 1366 Nov. 25, 1946 1367 Nov. 15, 1947 1368 Nov. 3, 1948 1369 Oct. 24, 1949 1370 Oct. 13, 1950 1371 Oct. 2, 1951 1372 Sept. 21, 1952 1373 Sept. 10, 1953 1374 Aug. 30, 1954 To find the Gregorian equivalent to any Mohammedan date multiply 970,224 by the Mohammedan year, point off six decimal places and add 621.5774. The whole number will be the year A.D., and the decimal multiplied by 365 will be the day of the year.