The Islamic calendar as the oldest calendar, the twelve lunar months set by God since creation, traced through Sumerian, Julian, Gregorian, Hebrew and Church calendars to the Hegira. A Ramadan article urges eating and drinking moderately, linking gluttony to disease and caring for the body as a test from God. Readers are asked to send Quranic lessons for children's booklets.
As the Quran tells us, our religion, Islam
(Submission) is the oldest religion known to mankind.
The only religion approved by God is “Submission.”
Ironically, those who have received the scripture are the ones who dispute
this fact, despite the knowledge they have received, due to jealousy.
For such rejectors of God’s revelations, God is most strict in reckoning.
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Adam, being the first human being was ordered to submit to the one and
only God. When he sinned, it was the Most Merciful who gave him his key
for repentance. About Abraham, God informs us that he was a monotheist
submitter.
Abraham was neither Jewish, nor Christian; he was a monotheist
submitter. He never was an idol worshiper. (3:67)
The Islamic calendar, as old as Islam (Submission) dates back to the
oldest
known civilization. Reviewing the history
of calendars show that when God created the universe, He created the lunar
as well as solar calendars.
The count of months, as far as God is concerned, is twelve.
This has been God’s law, since the day He created the heavens and
the earth. Four of them are sacred.... (9:36)
In the first chapter of the Bible, the Story of Creation, it says “Let
there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from
the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and
years.” (Genesis I.14)
Historical Review
Historians have been talking about the calendars as a creation of man,
completely ignoring the reasons behind the perfect system in the sky that
enabled man to mark his days, weeks, months or years.
the existence of mankind, people have been
aware of the special rhythms of the sun and the moon. Primitive humans
saw that the sun rose in one place, turning night into day, and that it
set in another place, turning day into night. To them the moon, too, seemed
to emerge from one position, move across the sky and disappear with the
night at another position. Early people thought that the earth stood still
as the heavenly objects circled around it. Centuries after the Quran came
with the notion that the sun and the moon are moving in a measurable orbit
did the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) come up with the same
information. He determined that the sun stood still, and the earth was
one of a group of heavenly bodies moving around it, and that as the earth
moved in a measurable orbit around the sun, the moon traveled around the
earth in its own
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Islamic Calendar
measurable path.
The sun sets into a specific location, according
to the design of the Almighty, the Omniscient. The moon we designed
to appear in stages, until it becomes like an old curved sheath.
(36:38-39)
The sun and the moon are perfectly calculated. (55:5)
He is the One who rendered the sun radiant, and the
moon a light, and He designed its phases that you may learn to count
the years and to calculate. God did not create all this, except
for a specific purpose. He explains the revelations for people who
know. (10:5)
Do you not realize that God merges the night into
the day and merges the day into the night, and that He has committed
the sun and the moon in your service, each running in its orbit
for a specific life span, and that God is fully Cognizant of everything
you do? (31:29)
He created the heavens and the earth truthfully.
He rolls the night over the day, and rolls the day over the night.
He committed the sun and the moon, each running for a finite period.
Absolutely, He is the Almighty, the Forgiving. (39:5)
The ancient Sumerians devised the first known lunar calendar about
5,000 years ago. Later Babylonians divided months into weeks and
a week into 7 days. The Jews, once captive in Babylonia, used the
Babylonian 7-day week, as did the sun-worshipping Egyptians, who
developed a 52-week solar calendar based on 7-day week.
Julius Caesar (circa 100-44 BC) tried to adjust the solar calendar
so that it
would repeat itself the same way every
year. Progress was made, but not enough. Then early Christians modified
Caesar’s “Julian” calendar so that all years following
year 1, when Jesus Christ was born, would be known as AD, or anno
domini, “in the year of the Lord” and those that came
before as BC, before Christ, or BCE, before the common era. Still
the calendar errors continued to multiply. Finally, pope Gregory
XIII (1502-1585) corrected the solar calendar. Now its dates would
conform year after year to the proper seasons with almost no error.
Gregorian Calendar
The Gregorian calendar has 12 months, 11 of them with 30 or 31
days. The other month, February, normally has 28 days. Every fourth
year, called a leap year, it has 29 days. But even this calendar
is not quite exact enough. It is 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes,
12 seconds or 365.2425 days long. That is 26 seconds longer than
the real solar year. However, that means that the Gregorian calendar
will gain less than a full day on the sun in the next 3,300 years.
It therefore should be adequate for some time to come. In century
years that cannot be divided by 400, such as 1700, 1800, and 1900,
the extra day in February must be dropped. The century year 1600
was a leap year, and the year 2000 will be one.
The Hebrew Calendar
According to the Jewish tradition, this calendar was supposed to
have started with the creation, at a moment 3,760 years and 3 months
before the beginning of the Christian era. The Hebrew year is based
on the moon, and normally consists of 12 months. These months are
Tishri, Heshvan, Kislev, Tebet, Shebat, Adar, Nisan, Iyar, Sivan,
Tammuz, Ab, and Elul. The months are alternately 30 and 29 days
long. Seven times during every 19 year
period, an embolismic or extra 29-day month, called Veadar, is inserted
between Adar and Nisan. At the same time, Adar is given 30 days
instead of 29.
The Church Calendar
This calendar is regulated partly by the sun and partly by the
moon. Immovable feasts include Christmas and such feasts as Nativity
of the blessed Virgin. They are based on the solar calendar. Such
days as Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, and Easter are called movable
feasts, because their dates vary from year to year, according to
the phases of the moon.
The Islamic Calendar
This calendar begins with the prophet Muhammad’s flight from
Mecca to Medina, known as Hegira, that took place in AD 622 by the
Gregorian calendar. This calendar is the same lunar calendar used
since the creation of man on earth (9:36).
The Islamic year is based on the moon. It has 12 months, alternately
30 and 29 days long. These months are Muharram, Safar, Rabi I, Rabi
II, Jumada I, Jumada II, Rajab, Shaban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Zulkadah,
and Zulhijjah.
The Islamic year is 354 days long. It divides time into cycles
30 years long. During each cycle, 19 years have the regular 354
days, and 11 years have an extra day each. The extra day in the
leap year goes to Zulhijjah. This method of counting time makes
the Islamic year nearly as accurate as the Gregorian calendar. The
Islamic calendar would be only about one day off every 2,570 years
with respect to the moon.
During Ramadan, we are to glorify God
for guiding us and we are to express our appreciation to Him. It
is a time to devote our thoughts ever more closely to God for our
soul’s growth and development in order to become more worthy
of the salvation for which we each hope and pray.
O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you as
it was decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation.
(2:183)
Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed,
providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute
book. Those of you who witness this month shall fast therein. Those
who are ill or traveling may substitute the same number of other
days. God wishes for you convenience, not hardship, that you may
fulfill your obligations, and to glorify God for guiding you, and
to show your appreciation. (2:185)
God brought you out of your mothers’ bellies
knowing nothing, and He gave you the hearing, the eyesight, and
the brains that you may be appreciative. (16:78)
The start of Ramadan is also an excellent and appropriate time
to consider the verse of the title of this article. God certainly
anticipates our weaknesses where food is concerned, doesn’t
He? How do we connect this verse to our daily lives? To our families
and communities?
He has provided us with our bodies, complete with senses, for use
in this temporary life on earth. Our bodies give us visibility so
that we are able to physically see one another. These bodies need
good care and nurturing in order to serve us well (Or, if you prefer,
call it upkeep and preventive maintenance!) Our bodies are biodegradable
structures with very complex internal functions. Their maintenance
calls for a balanced amount of food and
exercise in order to function at their
best. This maintenance is our individual, personal responsibility,
no one else’s. We can certainly consider this gift from God
as a test He gives us. Do we honor and respect Him enough to take
proper care of this gift?
Any imbalance of diet or exercise, even excess, can result in the
malfunction, or breakdown of one or more vital body systems. We
call these breakdowns “disease” disease. A great number
of these diseases come from food imbalances, hence the old saying
that “we are what we eat.” Food supplies our bodies
with the necessary nutrients for maintaining and repairing bodily
tissues. Also important is the kind of food and drink we consume,
how much of it, and when.
Let us look at some specifics: overweight adults are two to three
times more likely to have hypertension (high blood pressure) from
the excessive intake of food or drink containing sodium (salt, canned
or preserved foods, or MSG). The hypertension can lead to stroke
or serious heart disease. Excessive intake of fats and fatty fried
foods lead to gall bladder and heart disease. So will adding sweets
to all that sooner! And in that regard, let us not forget the nasty
promise of diabetes for those who put on weight from eating those
wrong foods. Furthermore, fatty tissue in the throat area decreases
the size of the airway when we are lying down, causing potentially
serious breathing difficulties. Obesity is an important cause of
cancer of the lining of the uterus. It also increases the risk for
cancers of the color, kidney and gall bladder. All by itself, it
can shorten our lives. And not enough fiber in the diet can cause
diverticulosis and increase the risk of colon cancer. Taking in
more food than we need can be harmful throughout life. All this
because we have ignored God’s mandate to “eat and drink
moderately”! Do you see
that God tests us with these body-gifts
from Him?
Yet even moderate amounts of weight loss can prevent these diseases.
It can help hypertensive patients lower their risk for stroke. It
can decrease the amount of the “bad” LDL cholesterol
that clogs our arteries, or weight loss with exercise may raise
the level of the “good” HDL cholesterol that cleans
out our cardiovascular system. Our energy levels and strength increase
noticeably after beginning a weight loss diet and starting to exercise.
We walk more easily and tire less quickly.
Now consider the stress of even one of those serious diseases on
the individual and their family and relationships: possible loss
of job and income, strained finances and perhaps even bankruptcy,
loss of time from school if a child, and maybe a lifetime of physical
limitations. Perhaps even death, and the devastation that causes
our loved ones. Also consider the necessary dependence upon medicines
and the disruption of that expense on the family budget.
We can see all around us the impact poor health has had upon communities;
more and more hospitals being built to serve more and more doctors,
more and more incredibly expensive drugs (as the ones previously
used no longer work), new professions emerging to provide additional
care in the increasingly overloaded system (nurse practitioners
and physician assistants), and soaring health care costs.
We know, from countless scientific studies, that our bodies have
certain basic nutritional requirements for healthy maintenance.
This comes down to a diet low in fat, with moderate protein, and
high in fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. God encourages
us to enjoy his provisions, using our brains and understanding,
and to
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Eat And Drink Moderately
eat and drink moderately.
Therefore, you shall eat from God’s provisions everything
that is lawful and good, and be appreciative of God’s blessings
if you do worship Him alone. (16:114)
In His infinite wisdom, God teaches us and tests us. As Ramadan approaches,
how many of us are willing to make a covenant with God to change the way
we think about food and exercise in order to lose weight and heal and
strengthen our bodies? Can we do it, in submission to God, to show our
appreciation by following His guidance? The coming Ramadan is a timely
opportunity to make the choice to follow God’s mandate.
O children of Adam, you shall be clean and dress nicely
when you go to the masjid. And eat and drink moderately; Surely, He does
not love the gluttons (7:31)
...and do not waste anything. He does not love the wasters.
(6:141)
Maryam Jannah
Children Are Our Future
God willing, we are hoping to put together
some booklets which will consist of collections of Quranic study lessons
and articles for our children. Two age groups are being considered, ages
5-10, and 10-15. However, we need the cooperation and input of all our
readers. We need some commitment from you, whether you have children in
that age group or not.
The articles or lessons do not have to be long. They can be from a few
paragraphs to a couple of pages long. They can be in any subject that
will enlighten our children. They can be hand written, typed, or in a
computer disk. When you send in an article to us, we can either reorganize
it or keep it in the same format received, depending on the readability
of the article. We prefer that we can take your contribution, and include
in the booklet without us editing it.
That saves us time, and also we can keep the originality of your work.
If you send us any contribution, God willing, we will send you the booklet
free, when the booklet is published. Thus, if you send us multiple contributions,
you can get more free booklets. But seriously, without your help, we cannot
complete this project. Remember, it is our children who will soon shoulder
the responsibility of keeping and spreading the God’s message. Don’t
let the time run out.
You can send your articles as well as any other correspondence to
ICS / Masjid Tucson
PO Box 43476
Tucson, AZ 85733
Attention: Abdullah Arik
About this work
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International Community of Submitters
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International Community of Submitters / Masjid Tucson