First Day of Muharram 1446 Announced by Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has announced the first day of Muharram 1446.

The kingdom’s Supreme Court proclaimed July 7^th, Sunday as the beginning of the Islamic New Year. Authorities had no sighting of the crescent moon on the evening of July 5^th, Friday.

The declaration marks July 7^th as an official holiday for both public and private sector workers. Muslims also refer to the Islamic New Year as the Arabic New Year or the Al Hijri.

In a statement, the Saudi Supreme Court remarked, “The Crescent Sighting Committee of the Supreme Court decided that Saturday, 30/12/1445 AH according to the Umm Al Qura calendar, corresponding to July 6, 2024 AD, will be the completion of the month of Dhul Hijjah for the year 1445 AH as thirty days, and that Sunday, 1/1/1446 AH according to the Umm al-Qura calendar, corresponding to July 7, 2024 AD, will be the first day of the month of Muharram for the year 1446 AH.”

The Islamic calendar and the lunar cycle

As mentioned, the Islamic calendar—and accordingly, the first day of Muharram—are based on the lunar months.

The Islamic calendar begins when the crescent moon is visible in the Western sky one or two days after the new moon. Authorities must use the naked eye to perform the sighting, without tools or special equipment.

12 lunar months make up the Islamic calendar. This is in a year of 354 or 355 days. These months are Muḥarram, Ṣafar, Rabīʿ al-Awwal, Rabīʿ al-Thānī, Jumādā al-Awwal, Jumādā al-Thānī, Rajab, Shaʿbān, Ramaḍān, Shawwāl, Dhū al-Qaʿdah, and Dhū al-Ḥijjah. Muslims also call the Islamic calendar the Arabic calendar.

While the Hijri calendar is based on the moon, the Gregorian calendar is based on the sun. A new moon signals the beginning of each Hijri month, while a crescent moon indicates the end of the month.

Because the Islamic calendar dates are governed by the lunar cycle, the crescent moon is typically sighted a day later. Hence, the first day of Muharram may be different for other Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Singapore. In line with this, the Islamic calendar also determines the dates of Hajj for the year.

The significance of the first day of Muharram

The first day of Muharram holds tremendous spiritual significance in Islam. The word “Muharram,” for instance, translates to “not permitted” or “forbidden.” This means that Muslims should avoid certain activities and instead use the time to pray or reflect. It also marks when the prophet Mohammed and his followers migrated to Yathrib (now known as Medina) to escape prosecution. This was in 622 CE.

The 10^th day of Muharram, however, marks a time of mourning in the Islamic community as the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Hussain Ibn Ali died at the Battle of Karbala. Muslims typically celebrate the Islamic New Year with simple, vegetarian food, while others fast as part of their mourning.

As Muharram is also considered one of Islam’s sacred months as ordained by Allah, good acts are multiplied in reward. Muslims may perform charitable acts or sadaqa, do voluntary prayers, do fasting, or recite passages from the Qur’an.

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