The Months of the Hijra Calendar

The Hijra Months

We only just have to study the meanings of the Arabic months to know that it was originally a lunisolar calendar and not purely lunar. The meaning of the months clearly indicated the seasonal activities associated with the months.  We can conclude that Muhammad was following a lunisolar calendar and not the purely lunar as Muslims currently use.  There is no evidence that Muhammad started a new calendar for Islam. The clues are in the names of the months themselves:

Rabi' I	- first spring
Rabi' II	- second spring
Jumada I	- first month of parched land
Jumada II	- second month of parched land
Sha'ban	- Arabs "dispersed" to find water
Ramadan	- scorched
Shawwal	- female camels "raised" their tails after calving
Dhu Al-Qa’ida	- month when young camels were broken for riding

According to Islamic traditions, the removal of intercalation month was done after the final Khutbah of the Prophet :

He (i.e. Hudhaifa) had taken this system of intercalation from the Jews nearly 200 years before Islam; the Jews, however, intercalated 9 months in 24 lunar years. In consequence their months were fixed, and came always in at their proper times, wandering in a uniform course through the year without retrograding and without advancing. This state of things remained till the Prophet made his Farewell pilgrimage, and the following verse was revealed to him: " Intercalation is only an increase of infidelity, by which the infidels lead astray (people), admitting it one year and prohibiting it in another." (Sura 9:37.) The Prophet delivered an address to the people, and said : " Time has come around as it was on the day of God's creating the heavens and the earth” and, continuing, he recited to them the (just mentioned) verse of the Koran on the prohibition of the Nasi', i.e. intercalation. 

Ever since they have neglected intercalation, so that their months have receded from their original places, and the names of the months are no longer in conformity with their original meanings.  As to the other nations, their opinions on this subject are well known. They are likely to have no other systems besides those we have mentioned, and each nation seems to follow the example of the system of their neighbours.  

Al-Biruni : The Chronology of Ancient Nations ( Athar-Ul-Bakiya )

Chapter II – On The Nature of that which is Composed of Days, viz, Months and Years

If we read the the quoted verse of the quran, this understanding or narrative appears to be inaccurate to make allegations that it was the Prophet that ordered the abandonment of the intercalation month.  It was unlikely for the Prophet to make incorrect interpretation of the Quran, rather it was the people after him that probably made the incorrect interpretation of verse 9:37.   This issue will be further elaborated later in the exposition of the verse regarding Al-Nasee-u. 

Names of Jahili and Hijra Months and its meanings.

	Jahili	Islamic	Meaning  (*)
1	Mu’tamir مُؤْتَمِر	Muharram مُحَرَّم	*Al-muharram, e.g. was called so, because it was one of the Hurum, i.e. the four sacred months.
2	Najir نَاجِر	Safar صَفَر	* Safar was called so, because in it people used to procure their pro- visions, going out in a company of men which was called Safariyya.
3	Khawwan / Khuwwan خَوَّان أو خُوَّان	Rabi al-Awwal الأول ربيع	The First Spring * The two months Rabi’ were called so on account of the coming forth of the flowers and blossoms and of the continual fall of dew and rain. All of which refers to the nature of that season which we call " autumn," but which the Arabs called " spring" (Rabi').
4	Wabsan وَبْصَان	Rabi al-Akhir الآخر ربيع	The Ending Spring
5	Hanin حَنِين	Jumada al-Awwal الأولى جمادى	The First Parched Land - Often considered the pre-Islamic summer  * The two months Jumada were called so, because in them the water froze.
6	Rubba رُبَّى	Jumada al-Akhirah الآخرة جمادى	The Second Parched Land
7	Al-Asamm / Munsil Al-‘Asinnah / Al-Muharram الأَصَمّ الأَسِنّـَة مُنْصِل  المُحَرَّم	Rajab رجب	Respect / Honour –  * Rajab was called so, because in it people formed the intention of travelling, there being no fear of the evils of war.   For "rujba" means sustentaculum (a thing by means of which a tree is propped up), and hence people say, " a propped up (murajjah) palm-tree which hears a heavy load of fruit."
8	‘Adhil عَإذِل	Sha’ban شعبان	Scattered –  * Sha'ban was called so, because in it the tribes were dispersed.
9	Natiq نَاتِق	Ramadhan رمضان	Burning Heat * Ramadan was called so, because of the stones being roasted by the intense heat
10	Wa’l / Wa’il وَعْل / وَعِل	Shawwal شَوّال	Shawwal was called so, because of the increasing and the decreasing of the heat.
11	Warnah وَرْنَة	Dhu Al-Qi’dah القعدة ذو	The One of Truce / Sitting –  -Dhu-alka'da was called so, because in it people stayed in their homes -Young camels broken for riding
12	Burak / Maymun بُمَيْمُون / رَك	Dhu Al-Hijjah الحجّة ذو	The One of Pilgrimage –  * Dhu-alhijja was called so, because in it people performed the Hajj, i.e. the pilgrimage.

* Al-Biruni : The Chronology of Ancient Nations ( Athar-Ul-Bakiya ) - Chapter V – On The Nature of Months Which are used in the Preceding Era, page 70-71

Positioning the Hijra Months

Below are some of the historical accounts based on the weather or seasons recorded over the important events.  Some of these events were recorded in the Julian Calendar by the Christians under the Byzantine rule.  

	Events	Hijra Months	Meanings	Corresponding Julian Calendar Months
1		Muharam		February /March
2		Safar		March /April
3	In AH 1 Muhammad noted the Jews of Yathrib observing a festival when he arrived on Monday, 8 Rabi'I.  Rabi'I is the third month and if it coincided with the third month of the Jewish calendar the festival would have been the Feast of Weeks, which is observed on the 6th and 7th days of that month.	Rabi’ul Awal	First Spring	April / May
4		Rabi’ul Akhir	Ending Spring	May/ June
5		Jamadil Awal	First Parched Land	June / July
6		Jamadil Akhir	Ending Parched Land	July / August
7	The invasion of Tabak in Rajab AH 9 was hampered by "too much hot weather" and "drought".	Rajab	Respect / Honour - All fighting was forbidden during Rajab, at the height of summer	August / September
8		Syaaban	Scattered	September / October
9	Military campaigns clustered round Ramadan, when the summer heat had dissipated	Ramadhan	Intense or burning heat – either from the effects of fasting or the intensity of military campaign.	October / November
10	The Battle of the Trench in Shawwal and Dhu'l Qi'dah of AH 5 coincided with "harsh winter weather" of December 626CE and January 627CE	Shawal		November / December
11	The Battle of the Trench in Shawwal and Dhu'l Qi'dah of AH 5 coincided with "harsh winter weather" of December 626CE and January 627CE	Dhu'l Qi'dah		December  / January
12	In the intercalated calendar's last year (632 CE), Dhu al-Hijjah corresponded to February	Dhu’l Hijjah		January / February

Even if this repositioning of the calendar is done and corrected, it merely reinstate the pagan Arab calendar that was followed by Prophet Muhammad for his daily life activities.  We do not know if there was another religious calendar followed privately by Prophet Muhammad.

Hijra Months Correlations with Julian Calendar

The assumption here was that the pilgrimage had always occurred during winter months, and from this graphic interpolation, we can assume the intercalation could have taken place between year 8AH and 9AH based on dates given for the last khutbah in 10AH  and death of the Prophet in 11 AH.

The timings of the Hajj pilgrimage is now no longer similar to the times of the Prophet when he returned to Makkah in December 629CE ( Ramadhan 8AH), 3 years before his death.  From the diagram on the previous page, we know that there were at least three pilgrimage sessions during the last years of the Prophet in Makkah.  And it was during the last pilgrimage attended by the Prophet, that was led by Abu Bakar, whereby on this year, the pagans Arab were prevented to perform naked tawaf around the Kaabah.  There were two matters for us to ponder based on the time line shown on the previous page. 

 

Firstly, the last last khutbah that was presented by the prophet allegedly contained the order to remove the intercalation month, based on verse 9:37.  We will elaborate this later to show that this was false and Prophet Muhammad did not order to remove the intercalation month.  Whoever made the changes later to the Arabic calendar ( later known as Hijra ) by removing the intercalation month from the Arabic lunisolar calendar had made a mistake and misinterpretation of the text.

 

Secondly, this also suggest that in the previous years, the pagan Arabs were still performing their naked tawaf around the Kaabah ( not alongside the Muslims but separate session ).  It was unclear for how many years the polytheist Arabs were still performing their rituals and pilgrimage, sharing the Kaabah and the Black Stone with the Muslims.  We can also assume there were polytheist Arabs living in Makkah and naturally it will take several years for the whole residents of Makkah to fully convert into Islam.

A model depiction of Ancient Kaaba with Idols

Young Muhammad assisting the Pagan Arabs tribe leaders to peacefully restore their venerated Black Stone onto the Kaaba

Conclusion:

i.                The Arabic Calendar was originally based on the season and the Prophet was following the prevailing calender of his time.

ii.               There were no records showing Prophet Muhammad was following a calendar of similar format to the present Hijra calendar.

iii.              There were no records showing Prophet Muhammad created an Islamic calendar. 

iv.             Caliph Umar started the Hijra calendar and the Prophet had no knowledge of this calendar and the the current format of purely lunar.