Islamic calendar

American  

[is-lam-ik kal-uhn-der, -lahmik, iz-] / ɪsˈlæm ɪk ˈkæl ən dər, -ˈlɑmɪk, ɪz- /

noun

1. the lunar calendar used by Muslims and reckoned from a.d. 622: the calendar year consists of 354 days and contains 12 months: Muharram, Safar, Rabi al-Awwal, Rabi al-Thani, Jumada al-Awwa, Jumada al-Thani, Rajab, Shaban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhu ʾl-Qaʿda, and Dhu ʾl-Hijjah. In leap years the month Dhu ʾl-Hijjah contains one extra day.

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Etymology

Origin of Islamic calendar

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

The war struck right it the middle of the holiest month on the Islamic calendar, Ramadan, which began Feb. 17 and ended March 19, when consumption is higher.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

"Yesterday marked one year" since disaster struck, said mosque leader Khin Maung Naing, counting by the Islamic calendar.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

It is the most important time in the Islamic calendar where Muslims fast and refrain from eating or drinking between dawn and sunset.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2025

The Islamic calendar is a lunar system that adds up to only 354 days and shifts some 11 days from the Gregorian calendar each year—though a single leap day is sometimes added.

From National Geographic • Feb. 26, 2024

It wasn’t immediately clear what health precautions would be taken for the hajj, which falls according to the lunar-based Islamic calendar this year at the end of June.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 9, 2023