Lunar Hijri Calendar: Difference between revisions

The lunar hijri calendar begins its count from the year the Prophet (s) emigrated from Mecca to Medina. However, there is disagreement as to when this year was chosen as the beginning of the Muslim calendar. According to some reports, the decision was made during the caliphate of [[ʿUmar]] in 17/638 or 18 AH/639. According to these reports [[Abu Musa Ashʿari]] wrote a letter to ʿUmar complaining about the lack of fixed dates on the letters he received from Umar, which made him confused about the order of the letters. Thus, ʿUmar established a council to set a starting point for the Muslim calendar. In this council, three dates in the Prophet’s (s) life were suggested: the beginning of his mission, his demise, and his emigration. The latter suggestion put forward by [[Imam Ali (a)]] was accepted and set as the starting point of the Muslim calendar.  

According to another view, it was the Prophet (s) himself who set the year of his emigration as the starting point of the Islamic calendar, because in some texts dating back to the time of the Prophet (s), such as the text of the pact between the Prophet (s) and the [[Christians]] of [[Najran]] and the Prophet’s written advice to [[Salman al-Farsi]], the Hijri dates are written.