The new Islamic Year 1426 A.H. will begin on the 8th of Feburary 2005. A.H. stands for After Hijrah, which means after migration. The Hijrah refers to the Prophet’s migration from Mecca to Madinah. This journey took place in the twelfth year of his mission (622 A.D.)
This is the beginning of the Muslim calendar, with Muharam Alharam as the first month of the New Year. The word hijrah means to leave a place to seek sanctuary or freedom from persecution or freedom of religion or any other purpose. Hijrah can also mean to leave a bad way of life for a good or more righteous way.
May Allah make this year a year of blessing for all mankind and may help us overcome our difference as Muslims so that we can stand side by side for justice. Amen.
Minime Bhaijan, whomever came up with AH was dumb as a twig… ‘After’ an English term and ‘Hijrah’ an Arabic. Why couldn’t it be PM (post migrato) or MP (migratory e la Prophito) or HR (Hijra-e-Rasool). What is this business of mixing Urdu and English? Are you Muslim enough to stand up for this correction and write letters to the Colonial Arbi Thaykedars of Islam to make this correction? This is totally ridiculous. It is downright embarrassing. After Hijrah???
Make correcting this your new year Resolution for Year 1426 PM.
I stand corrected, A.H. stands for Anno Hegirae in latin which means Year of Hijrah.
Originally in Arabic only one letter *ﻫ **after the years represents the Hijri years, but this is not the case in English.
Its almost same as *Anno Domini (AD) which means Year of the Lord.
So, sir ji I am sorry to burst your bubble, so now we know where the A.H. comes from.
It was during the Messenger Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) last pilgrimage in the 10th year of Hijrah (10th year of his migration from Makkah to Medinah), that the decision to introduce a purely lunar Islamic Calendar was made. The word Hijrah has often been misrepresented by many writers Muslims and non-Muslim alike. It means neither flight nor fleeing. The Arabic word Hajara means: to break off from the relations or abandon one’s own tribe.
Although, the Islamic calendar was introduced in the Christian Era of 632 AD by the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him), the beginning of the Islamic era for the count of Islamic years was considered and discussed during 639 AD, the time of the 4th year of the Caliphate of Umar who declared that the most important event in establishing the roots of Islam in Medinah is Hijrah (Messenger’s migration from Makkah), therefore let it become the epoch of the era which happened in 622 AD. The actual starting date for the Islamic Calendar was chosen (on the basis of purely lunar years, counting backwards) to be the first day of the first month (1st Muharram) of the year of the Hijrah. However, the era between 1st year to 10th year of the Hijrah was not following this Islamic Calendar; instead the prevailing practices of various kinds of intercalation was followed in Arabia at that time. Different tribes were following different intercalations, so there was no uniform calendar. Accordingly, first day of Muharram, 1 A.H. as practiced in Arabia corresponded either April 18 or May 18, 622 C.E. (Julian calendar). However, if one wants a theoretical starting date for Islamic calendar (on the basis of purely lunar months without intercalation, counting backwards) then the first day of the first month i.e. 1st Muharram, 1 A.H. corresponds to July 16, 622 C.E. The earliest date of Islamic calendar for which a Julian calendar date is exactly known is 9th Dhu al-Hijjah, 10 AH, which corresponds to March 6, 632 C.E. (Friday), when the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) performed his last and farewell pilgrimage to Makkah. LINK
Minime Bhaijan, Jewish calendar is also Lunar, but they add one whole month after 3 years to synchronize it with the Solar one. Lunar dating system has existed long before Hijrah calendar.
Sir ji there is no competition here, the Hijri calendar was not created because there were Julian or Jewish calendars already, but for better administration and functioning of the Islamic state at that time with single a calendar.
for sharing.