Islamic Calendar 2023 Pakistan – اسلامی کیلنڈر 2023

January 2023

Jumada Al-Akhirah 1444 – Rajab 1444

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1 07	2 08	3 09	4 10	5 11	6 12	7 13
8 14	9 15	10 16	11 17	12 18	13 19	14 20
15 21	16 22	17 23	18 24	19 25	20 26	21 27
22 28	23 29	24 01	25 02	26 03	27 04	28 05
29 06	30 07	31 08

February 2023

Rajab 1444 – Shaban 1444

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
			1 09	2 10	3 11	4 12
5 13	6 14	7 15	8 16	9 17	10 18	11 19
12 20	13 21	14 22	15 23	16 24	17 25	18 26
19 27	20 28	21 29	22 30	23 01	24 02	25 03
26 04	27 05	28 06

March 2023

Shaban 1444 – Ramadan 1444

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
			1 07	2 08	3 09	4 10
5 11	6 12	7 13	8 14	9 15	10 16	11 17
12 18	13 19	14 20	15 21	16 22	17 23	18 24
19 25	20 26	21 27	22 28	23 29	24 01	25 02
26 03	27 04	28 05	29 06	30 07	31 08

April 2023

Ramadan 1444 – Shawwal 1444

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
						1 09
2 10	3 11	4 12	5 13	6 14	7 15	8 16
9 17	10 18	11 19	12 20	13 21	14 22	15 23
16 24	17 25	18 26	19 27	20 28	21 29	22 30
23 01	24 02	25 03	26 04	27 05	28 06	29 07
30 08

May 2023

Shawwal 1444 – Dhul-Qadah 1444

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
	1 09	2 10	3 11	4 12	5 13	6 14
7 15	8 16	9 17	10 18	11 19	12 20	13 21
14 22	15 23	16 24	17 25	18 26	19 27	20 28
21 29	22 01	23 02	24 03	25 04	26 05	27 06
28 07	29 08	30 09	31 10

June 2023

Dhul-Qadah 1444 – Dhul-Hijjah 1444

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
				1 11	2 12	3 13
4 14	5 15	6 16	7 17	8 18	9 19	10 20
11 21	12 22	13 23	14 24	15 25	16 26	17 27
18 28	19 29	20 30	21 01	22 02	23 03	24 04
25 05	26 06	27 07	28 08	29 09	30 10

July 2023

Dhul-Hijjah 1444 – Muharram 1445

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
						1 11
2 12	3 13	4 14	5 15	6 16	7 17	8 18
9 19	10 20	11 21	12 22	13 23	14 24	15 25
16 26	17 27	18 28	19 29	20 01	21 02	22 03
23 04	24 05	25 06	26 07	27 08	28 09	29 10
30 11	31 12

August 2023

Muharram 1445 – Safar 1445

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
		1 13	2 14	3 15	4 16	5 17
6 18	7 19	8 20	9 21	10 22	11 23	12 24
13 25	14 26	15 27	16 28	17 29	18 30	19 01
20 02	21 03	22 04	23 05	24 06	25 07	26 08
27 09	28 10	29 11	30 12	31 13

September 2023

Safar 1445 – Rabi Ul Awal 1445

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
					1 14	2 15
3 16	4 17	5 18	6 19	7 20	8 21	9 22
10 23	11 24	12 25	13 26	14 27	15 28	16 29
17 01	18 02	19 03	20 04	21 05	22 06	23 07
24 08	25 09	26 10	27 11	28 12	29 13	30 14

October 2023

Rabi Ul Awal 1445 – Rabi Al-Akhar 1445

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1 15	2 16	3 17	4 18	5 19	6 20	7 21
8 22	9 23	10 24	11 25	12 26	13 27	14 28
15 29	16 30	17 01	18 02	19 03	20 04	21 05
22 06	23 07	24 08	25 09	26 10	27 11	28 12
29 13	30 14	31 15

November 2023

Rabi Al-Akhar 1445 – Jumada Al-Awwal 1445

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
			1 16	2 17	3 18	4 19
5 20	6 21	7 22	8 23	9 24	10 25	11 26
12 27	13 28	14 29	15 01	16 02	17 03	18 04
19 05	20 06	21 07	22 08	23 09	24 10	25 11
26 12	27 13	28 14	29 15	30 16

December 2023

Jumada Al-Awwal 1445 – Jumada Al-Akhirah 1445

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
					1 17	2 18
3 19	4 20	5 21	6 22	7 23	8 24	9 25
10 26	11 27	12 28	13 29	14 30	15 01	16 02
17 03	18 04	19 05	20 06	21 07	22 08	23 09
24 10	25 11	26 12	27 13	28 14	29 15	30 16
31 17

Everything you need to know about Islamic Calendar

We use a calendar in our daily life to keep track of dates, months, and years. All around the world, we usually follow the solar calendar based on months designed around the phases of the sun. However, Muslims have a specific calendar known as Islamic Calendar. Its lunar calendar with its specifications and background. Knowing everything about it is essential if you want to excel in it. Let’s dig deep to explore.

What is an Islamic Calendar?

The Islamic calendar also refers to the lunar calendar is also called Hijri and Muslim Calendar. It is largely used by Muslims to find the dates of religious events and festivals around the year. The calendar has 12 lunar months. The Start of each month is determined by the sighting of the new moon. Each Islamic month is calculated according to the moon cycles, which are about 29.5 days long. It is almost 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar.

With the help of Islamic calendar Muslims can determine the dates of prominent religious events. It lets the whole community observe these events altogether without disruption or differences.

However, it’s essential to know that moon dates are different in every region. So, Mulims observe their religious events on different Georgian dates but similar lunar dates based on geographical area.

Some significant markings that Muslims get from the Islamic Calendar 2023 are:

• Annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca
• The fast of Ramadan,
• Celebration of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha

The Islamic calendar is also used to determine the beginning and end of the Islamic year. It also calculates the dates of important events in Islamic history. These events include the birth of the Prophet Muhammad and the migration of the Prophet and his followers from Mecca to Medina.

How Islamic Calendar Formed?

Since muslims follow the lunar cycle, the Islamic calendar is formed based on the lunar cycle all around the year. with the help of moon patterns of birth, maturity and disappearance, it is possible to mark different dates. It helps to specify dates of different religious events and festivals.

It’s totally opposite to the Gregorian calendar, which is based on the solar year, the Islamic calendar is based on the moon’s cycles.

It means that the months in the Islamic calendar are shorter than those in the Gregorian calendar and is based on the sighting of the crescent moon.

The calendar was first introduced in the era of the Prophet Muhammad when Angel Gabriel was bringing him revelations from Allah (God). The Prophet and his followers used the sighting of the crescent moon to determine the start of each month.

It was important for determining the dates of religious observances such as Ramadan, the month of fasting, and the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Sighting of the New Moon

Since the determination of the new month begins with the sighting of the crescent moon, organized procedures follow it. The practice is carried out by the local committees of observers, who go out to look for the crescent moon on the 29th day of the current month.

If the committee cannot see the moon on the 29th, they will declare the month 30 days. However, if there is a confirmed moon sighting, the committee will declare the start of the new month the next day.

Calendar Structure

The Hijri calendar comprises 12 months, each lasting 29 or 30 days. Just like the Gregorian calendar, it does have a distribution of months by names to indicate and mark different events and dates.

Here is a list of Islamic months

• Muharram
• Safar
• Rabi’ al-awwal
• Rabi’ al-thani
• Jumada al-awwal
• Jumada al-Thani
• Rajab
• Sha’aban
• Ramadan
• Shawwal
• Dhu al-Qi’dah
• Dhu al-Hijjah

Unlike many other calendar systems followed in South Korea, China, and Japan, these months are not named after any gods or idols. However, these are named after significant events in Islamic history or after nature.

Importance of Islamic Calendar

There is no doubt that a calendar is essential for our daily life. Similarly, it is important for Muslims all across the globe. It is a source that helps Muslims to mark the passage of time to celebrate many important events.

It is also essential for determining the dates of religious observances and festivals. The calendar helps Muslims to connect with their rich cultural heritage.

Muslims can keep track of important religious events and festivals throughout the year using the calendar.

In addition to its religious significance, the Islamic calendar is also important for cultural reasons. It helps Muslims mark the passage of time and celebrate important events and milestones in their lives. The Islamic calendar helps to strengthen the sense of community among Muslims as they come together to observe critical religious events and festivals.

When did the Islamic Calendar start?

The first calendar for Islamic events was formed in 622 CE. It was the time when the Prophet Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Madina. The event was marked as Hijra and due to this reason, the calendar was also marked as Hijri Calendar.

It was the beginning of the Islamic era, so it was essential to form a system, and it started with the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

Before the Hijra, the Arabian Peninsula used a variety of calendars, including a lunar calendar similar to the Islamic calendar. However, the Hijra provided a clear starting point for the new calendar. It was specifically designed to mark the important religious dates for the observances to provide a system for the Muslims.

Differences between Islamic Year and Solar Year

You can observe several similarities between the Islamic and solar calendars. Both of them have 12 months in total and a four-week cycle typically. However, there is a significant difference between them. It’s good for you to know these differences in detail.

Lunar Vs. Solar Cycle

Islamic calendar 2023 is based on the lunar cycle. It consists of 12 lunar months, and each month starts with the sighting of the crescent moon. According to the cycle, each month is about 29.5 days long.

However, the solar year, on the other hand, is based on the sun cycle. The days are determined according to the Earth’s rotation around the sun. Usually, the Earth takes 12 months or 365.25 days to complete one rotation around the sun.

The solar year is used as the basis for the Gregorian calendar, which is widely used in the world today. The calendar determines the dates of important secular events and celebrations, such as New Year’s Day, Christmas, and other holidays.

Length of the Year

The Islamic lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the solar year. It means that the Islamic year is approximately 354 days long.

In contrast, the solar year is 365.25 days long, with a leap year that occurs every 4 years. It has an additional day added to the calendar to fix the difference in the time.

Impact on Religious Observances

Two different religious groups follow both calendars to observe their religious events. Muslims follow the Islamic calendar to perform different religious activities and events, including Ramadan, Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Adha, and much more.

Furthermore, the calendar helps Muslims to make other important events like Shab-e-Miraj, Shab-e-Barat, Shab-e-Qadar, the Birth date of Prophet Muhammad (SAWW), and other personalities.

The other religious groups follow the Gregorian calendar to observe their religious events. Since the solar year is of a specific cycle, there are specified dates for the observance of these events, like Christmas, Easter, and more.

Days Difference in Both calendars

Interestingly, both calendars have an average difference of 10 to 11 days. Every year, the Islamic dates have a difference of almost 10 or 11 days from the Georgian dates in the observance of the events.

It can sometimes be confusing if people fail to follow the actual dates; they might get confused because of the difference in the dates.

Key Features of Islamic Calendar 2023 Pakistan

Since the Islamic year changes over time, so does the calendar. Knowing a few points for the Islamic calendar 2023 is essential when observing.

Hard to Predict

Predicting the dates and events in advance is impossible and difficult. Predicted and pre-evaluated dates for the year may differ over time. You can experience a change in the actual and predicted dates as well.

Changing dates every year

If you compare or mark the lunar dates with solar dates on the calendar, you may fall into a pit of confusion. The lunar dates change yearly due to a moon cycle difference. So, it’s essential to note new yearly dates for a refined approach.

Dates Vary from Predictions

With the help of technology, it’s possible to observe the moon’s life these days. It helps to determine the dates and predict the possibilities of events. However, it’s not a confirmed and well-defined approach at all. Things can be different and vary from predictions. Even if you have a published calendar, moon sighting is essential to determine the important events.

Bottom Line

The Islamic calendar is essential for Muslims all around the globe to follow and observe different religious activities. It’s impossible to merge and fix the lunar dates with the Gregorian calendar. The difference between both will remain different.
You should follow credible and certified sources to record the latest Islamic calendar. It will help you know the dates and follow them precisely.