After the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (PBUH), departed from this world, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) was chosen by the Sahaba (companions) as the first Khalifa (Caliph) and leader of the believers. After serving as the ruler for two years and four months, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) passed away.
Following that, Amir al-Mu’minin Hazrat Umar (RA) took charge as the second Caliph. It was during the era of Hazrat Umar (RA) that Islam spread across the world. Islamic rule blossomed in all regions such as Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Persia.
The city of Medina Tayyibah, where the Prophet (PBUH) lived, served as the capital. All other territories were declared as provinces, and Sahaba were appointed as governors to administer justice and governance.
The governors of Syria, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and other provinces ruled according to the orders of Hazrat Umar (RA). During that time, Umar (RA) issued commands to all governors through letters.
In this situation, when the letters sent by Hazrat Umar (RA) reached the provincial governors, sometimes a letter sent later would arrive earlier, and a letter sent earlier would arrive later. This caused some confusion.
Therefore, the then-governor of Basra, the companion Hazrat Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (RA), wrote a letter to Hazrat Umar (RA), the ruler in Medina. In it, he stated: “O Amir al-Mu’minin! We are continuously receiving commands from you through letters. Since your official letters do not mention a date, when they reach us, we are unable to figure out which one is the earlier one and which is the later one. Because of this, confusions arise at times. Please make an appropriate arrangement for this.”
This letter from the governor of Basra made Hazrat Umar (RA) think deeply. Around the same time, a letter had arrived for Hazrat Umar (RA) from the land of Yemen mentioning the month of ‘Sha’ban’.
He thought about whether they should start mentioning months in letters from then on, but realized that this would still lead to confusion about which year the month belonged to. Regarding this, Hazrat Umar (RA) summoned the companions of the Prophet and held a consultation.
Various opinions were expressed during the meeting. Then, Hazrat Ali (RA) suggested that the renaissance of Muslims began on the very day of the Hijrah (migration) from Mecca to Medina. Therefore, he advised that the Islamic year could be calculated based on this event. This suggestion was accepted.
The Prophet (PBUH) migrated during the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal. If the year was to be calculated based on the Hijrah, the next confusion arose regarding which month should be placed first to start the year. Some opined it should be the month of Ramadan, while others suggested the month of Hajj (Dhul-Hijjah).
At that time, Hazrat Uthman (RA) pointed out that in Arabia, the new year traditionally begins with the month of Muharram. This opinion was accepted by Hazrat Umar (RA).
From that day onward, the Hijri calendar system was calculated, and Muharram was declared the first month of the Hijri year. This is how the Hijri calendar system was formed.
The first month of the Hijri year is Muharram, and its final month is Dhul-Hijjah. Both of these are months of sacrifice. It was in the month of Dhul-Hijjah that Hazrat Prophet Ibrahim (AS) attempted to sacrifice his son Hazrat Prophet Ismail (AS) for the sake of Allah.
In the month of Muharram, the beloved grandson of the Prophet (PBUH), Imam Hussain (RA), was martyred (Shaheed) in Karbala for the sake of Islam. Thus, the Islamic Hijri year is one that begins with sacrifice and ends with sacrifice.