The Muharram, Islamic New Year

Sunday, 27 November 2011 ·

The Islamic New Year occurs on the first day of Muharram, first month of Islamic calendar. Muharram is one of the four months, especially sacred to Muslims, Dhu al-Qadah, Dhu al-Hijjah (when the pilgrimage to Mecca takes place), and Rajab (when Laylat al-Miraj is held). The month name means "sacred."

The Muharram (meaning respect in Islam) festival is observed for 10 days and begins with the appearance of the new moon of the month on which it falls. This year, the Islamic New Year will be celebrated on November 26.

Muslims do not traditionally "celebrate" the beginning of a new year, but we do acknowledge the passing of time, and take time to reflect on our own mortality.


Muslims measure the passage of time by using the Islamic (Hijri) calendar. This calendar has twelve lunar months, the beginnings and endings, which is determined by observing the crescent moon. Years are counted since the Hijra, which is when the Prophet Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina (about 622 AD in July).

Calendar that Islam directs the trajectory of the Moon. For calendar year consists of 354 days, which is eleven days shorter than the solar calendar. This makes New Year's Eve also vary each year. The Muslim New Year is celebrated on the first day of Muharram, which is the first month of Islamic calendar. New Year's Eve used to remind the Muslims Hijra, or migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina. The Islamic calendar was created after the migration itself.

The event also commemorates the death of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Imam Hussein who, along with his family and followers, was killed in the battle of Karbala in 680 which took place on the tenth day of the month of Muharram.

The Prophet’s son-in-law Ali and Ali’s elder son Hassan are also remembered during this period as having suffered and died for righteous causes. Shia Muslims and the Sunni. The Shias celebrate the day with public enactments of grief while the Sunnis celebrate the occasion on a quieter note with silent offerings.

Today, the Festival of Muharram, we greet our Muslim brothers and sisters, when they meet in the mosques and offer special prayers, listen to recordings of the Quran a special, reflect on their lives and how they lead their lives, and their mortality.


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