Time is not a reality hupostasis but a

Time is not a reality [hupostasis], but a concept [noêma] or a measure [metron]… Antiphon the Sophist (480 BC-411 BC) 1

Islamic (Hijra) Calendar 2

Calendars calendars are a system of measuring time based either on lunar cycles http: //timbeauchamp. tripod. com/mooninfo. htm OR the Earth's orbit around the Sun http: //www. uwsp. edu/ge o/faculty/ritter/geog 101/ uwsp_lectures/lecture_e arth_sun_relations. html 3

The Islamic calendar is a religious calendar calculated using the cycle of the phases of the Moon http: //www. nmm. ac. uk/upload/img/phases. gif 4

An Islamic month the length of each month lasts from the sighting of one crescent moon to the sighting of the next crescent moon 5 http: //www. skyandtelescope. com/observing/objects/projects/3308686. html

An Islamic month 6 http: //www. hijracalendar. com/Hijra. Calendar 1428. xls

The Islamic Months ﻡ Muharram The Sacred Month ﺏ Rajab The Honoured Month ﺭ Safar The Void Month ﺍﻥ Sha'ban The Month of Separation ﻝ ﺍﻷ ﻳﻊ Rabi al-Awwal The First Month of Spring ﺍﻥ Ramadan The Month of Intense Heat ﺍﻧﻲ ﺍﻟ ﻳﻊ Rabi ath-Thani The Second Month of Spring ﺍﻝ Shawwal The Hunting Month ﻝ ﺍﻷ ﺍﺩ Jumad al-Ula The First Dry Month ﺍﺓ ﻭ Dhul Qa'dah The Resting Month ﺍﻧﻲ ﺍﻟ ﺍﺩ Jumad ath-Thani The Second Dry Month ﺓ ﺍ ﻭ Dhul Hijjah The Month of Pilgrimage http: //www. geocities. com/mutmainaa/kids/islam/months. html 7

an Islamic day begins at sunset and ends the following sunset http: //www. zain. madressa. net/Wallpaper%20 Sunset%20 Screen%20 size%201024 x 768. JPG 8

Islamic Days of the Week ﺍﻷﺩ Al-Ahad - Day One (Sunday) ﺍﻹﻥ Al-‘Ithnayn - Day Two (Monday) ﻻﺍﺀ ﺍﻟ Ath-Thulatha - Day Three (Tuesday) ﺍﻷﺍﺀ Al-'Arba'aa - Day Four (Wednesday) ﺍﻳﺲ Al-Khamees - Day Five (Thursday) ﺍﺓ Al-Jum'ah - Day of Gathering (Friday) ﺕ ﺍﻟ As-Sabt – Day of Rest (Saturday) http: //www. geocities. com/mutmainaa/kids/islam/days. html 9

What year is it now? The use of an “H” following an Islamic year number signifies that the dating system begins from the Hijra i. e. the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. According to the Islamic calendar this year (2007) is 1428 H. 10

Some important dates in the Islamic calendar • 1 Muharram (Islamic New Year) • 1 Ramadan (first day of fasting) • Last third of Ramadan which includes Laylat al-Qadr • 1 Shawwal (Eid-Ul-Fitr) • 8 -10 Dhul Hijjah (the Hajj to Mecca) • 10 Dhul Hijjah (Eid-Ul-Adha) 11

And their corresponding dates in the Gregorian calendar (this year)… Islamic Calendar Gregorian Calendar 1428 H 2007 -2008 1 Muharram- 30 Dhul Hijjah 20 January 2007 - 9 January 2008 1 Muharram (Islamic New Year) 20 January 2007 1 Ramadan (first day of fasting) 14 September 2007 1 Shawwal (Eid-Ul-Fitr) 13 October 2007 8 -10 Dhul Hijjah (the Hajj to Mecca) 18 - 20 December 2007 10 Dhul Hijjah (Eid-Ul-Adha) 20 December 2007 12

Some interesting trivia… every 32. 5 years, the Islamic year retrogresses through the entire seasonal year therefore in 1495 H (2072 - 2073 CE) these dates should fall on approximately the same dates as they have this year 13

Some more interesting trivia… An Islamic year will be entirely within a Gregorian year of the same number in the year 20874 http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Muslim_calendar 14

Some more interesting trivia… once every 33 or 34 Islamic years (32 or 33 Gregorian years) the Islamic calendar year occurs entirely within the Gregorian calendar year http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Muslim_calendar Islamic year within Gregorian year Islamic Gregorian Difference 1228 1813 585 1261 1845 584 1295 1878 583 1329 1911 582 1362 1943 581 1396 1976 580 1429 2008 579 1463 2041 578 1496 2073 577 1530 2106 576 1564 2139 575 15

In summary…A quick comparison! Islamic Calendar Gregorian Calendar lunar seasonal 12 months per year 29 -30 days per month 28 -31 days per month 354 -355 days per 365 -366 days per year 7 days per week 16