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Select any of the 12 months and open the reading planned for that day.
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍA daily journey through the Seerah
Daily Seerah Calendar
Browse the editorial reading schedule by Hijri month and day. Choose your language to read the full entry and see its sources.
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Calendar guide
Hijri Calendar: Questions & Answers
Learn about its beginnings, lunar months and how this reading calendar works.
How did Hazrat Umar (RA) establish the Hijri calendar?
A practical need
Historical accounts describe confusion over official letters naming a month without its year. Abu Musa al-Ashari (RA) raised this problem with Umar (RA).
Consultation and the Hijrah
Umar consulted the Sahaba about a shared starting point. TDV records Ali’s (RA) proposal; the Hijrah year was chosen as a defining event for the Muslim community.
Counting the years
The Hijrah year, 622 CE, became 1 AH, and Muharram was the first month. This reference was applied retrospectively; the Prophet’s ﷺ arrival in Madinah was in Rabi al-Awwal.
The lunar basis
The calendar uses 12 lunar months of 29 or 30 days. Umar’s reform standardised the numbering of years around a common Hijrah reference.
Sources differ on the exact adoption year: some give 16 AH, others 17 AH, around 637–638 CE. Both distinguish this later adoption from the starting year, 1 AH / 622 CE.
When did the Hijri calendar begin?
Its years count from the Prophet’s ﷺ migration from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE. It was formally adopted under Caliph Umar (RA), traditionally dated to 17 AH.
Did the Hijrah take place on 1 Muharram?
No. Muharram begins the calendar year, but the Prophet’s ﷺ arrival in Madinah was in Rabi al-Awwal. The year of the Hijrah is the calendar’s starting reference.
ReferencesDiyanet
How many months and days are in a Hijri year?
There are 12 lunar months. Each month has 29 or 30 days, and a Hijri year normally has 354 or 355 days.
Why can Hijri dates differ between countries?
Crescent visibility differs by location, and communities use different sighting or calculation methods. This can produce different dates for the start of a month, including Ramadan and Shawwal.
ReferencesRoyal Observatory Greenwich
Why does Ramadan move earlier each solar year?
The lunar Hijri year is about 10–11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. Hijri months therefore move through the seasons rather than remaining in one season.
ReferencesDiyanet
Why are there 360 reading slots on this page?
This reading plan arranges 355 distinct daily readings in 12 × 30 positions. Extra day-30 positions are planning slots; actual Hijri months may end on day 29. Readings do not claim event anniversaries.
ReferencesReading plan on this page
A thoughtful way to learn
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Each reading has source information; historical events are shown separately when relevant.