Difference between revisions of "Correspondence between Islamic Calendar and its Jewish Counterpart"
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Although the Islamic Calendar has undergone two distinct changes (discontinued intercalation and frozen commutation), is still possible to align the Islamic Calendar to its Jewish counterpart (see Table 10 below). | Although the Islamic Calendar has undergone two distinct changes (discontinued intercalation and frozen commutation), is still possible to align the Islamic Calendar to its Jewish counterpart (see Table 10 below). | ||
− | ==Holidays | + | ==Holidays== |
The holidays of Ras as Sana (Rosh Hashanah) and Roz e Ashura (Yom Kippur) can be found in Muharram, even though Safar was originally the Sacred Month. Minor events such as the Creation of Adam and ritual bath of Erev Yom Kippur can perhaps be found in altered form. The deletion of the month of Elul and the commutation of Safar and Muharram could also explain a shift of Dahwul Arz from 25 of Elul to 25 of Dhu al Qa'dah. | The holidays of Ras as Sana (Rosh Hashanah) and Roz e Ashura (Yom Kippur) can be found in Muharram, even though Safar was originally the Sacred Month. Minor events such as the Creation of Adam and ritual bath of Erev Yom Kippur can perhaps be found in altered form. The deletion of the month of Elul and the commutation of Safar and Muharram could also explain a shift of Dahwul Arz from 25 of Elul to 25 of Dhu al Qa'dah. | ||
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Table 10 contains a correspondence between the Islamic Calendar and its Jewish counterpart. | Table 10 contains a correspondence between the Islamic Calendar and its Jewish counterpart. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==Muharram al-Haraam (Tishrei)== | ||
Legend | Legend | ||
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Proposed correspondence, not indented | Proposed correspondence, not indented | ||
− | + | <table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="640"> | |
− | |||
− | <table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> | ||
<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td bgcolor="#cccccc" valign="top" width="50%">'''1. Muharram al-Haraam''' <br> | <td bgcolor="#cccccc" valign="top" width="50%">'''1. Muharram al-Haraam''' <br> | ||
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==Safar al-Muzaffar (Cheshvan)== | ==Safar al-Muzaffar (Cheshvan)== | ||
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<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td valign="top" width="50%">'''2. Safar al-Muzaffar''' <br> | <td valign="top" width="50%">'''2. Safar al-Muzaffar''' <br> | ||
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==Rabi al-Awal (Kislev)== | ==Rabi al-Awal (Kislev)== | ||
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<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td valign="top" width="50%">'''3. Rabi al-Awal''' <br> | <td valign="top" width="50%">'''3. Rabi al-Awal''' <br> | ||
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==Rabi al-Thaani (Tevet)== | ==Rabi al-Thaani (Tevet)== | ||
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<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td valign="top" width="50%">'''4. Rabi al-Thaani''' <br> | <td valign="top" width="50%">'''4. Rabi al-Thaani''' <br> | ||
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==Jumaada al-Awal (Shevat)== | ==Jumaada al-Awal (Shevat)== | ||
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<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td valign="top" width="50%">'''5. Jumaada al-Awal''' <br> | <td valign="top" width="50%">'''5. Jumaada al-Awal''' <br> | ||
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==Jumaada al-Thaani (Adar I)== | ==Jumaada al-Thaani (Adar I)== | ||
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<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td valign="top" width="50%">'''6. Jumaada al-Thaani''' <br> | <td valign="top" width="50%">'''6. Jumaada al-Thaani''' <br> | ||
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==Rajab al Murajjab (Adar II)== | ==Rajab al Murajjab (Adar II)== | ||
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<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td bgcolor="#cccccc" valign="top" width="50%">'''7. Rajab al Murajjab''' <br> | <td bgcolor="#cccccc" valign="top" width="50%">'''7. Rajab al Murajjab''' <br> | ||
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==Shabaan al Muazzam (Nisan)== | ==Shabaan al Muazzam (Nisan)== | ||
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<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td valign="top" width="50%">'''8. Shabaan al Muazzam''' <br> | <td valign="top" width="50%">'''8. Shabaan al Muazzam''' <br> | ||
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==Ramadhaan al Mubarak (Iyyar)== | ==Ramadhaan al Mubarak (Iyyar)== | ||
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<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td valign="top" width="50%">'''9. Ramadhaan al Mubarak''' <br> | <td valign="top" width="50%">'''9. Ramadhaan al Mubarak''' <br> | ||
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==Shawwaal al-Mukarram (Sivan)== | ==Shawwaal al-Mukarram (Sivan)== | ||
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<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td valign="top" width="50%">'''10. Shawwaal al-Mukarram''' <br> | <td valign="top" width="50%">'''10. Shawwaal al-Mukarram''' <br> | ||
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==Dhu al Qa'dah (Tammuz)== | ==Dhu al Qa'dah (Tammuz)== | ||
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<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td bgcolor="#cccccc" valign="top" width="50%">'''11. Dhu al Qa'dah''' <br> | <td bgcolor="#cccccc" valign="top" width="50%">'''11. Dhu al Qa'dah''' <br> | ||
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==Dhu al Hijjah (Av+Elul)== | ==Dhu al Hijjah (Av+Elul)== | ||
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<tr> | <tr> | ||
<td bgcolor="#cccccc" valign="top" width="50%">'''12. Dhu al Hijjah''' <br> | <td bgcolor="#cccccc" valign="top" width="50%">'''12. Dhu al Hijjah''' <br> |
Revision as of 09:11, 23 July 2007
Although the Islamic Calendar has undergone two distinct changes (discontinued intercalation and frozen commutation), is still possible to align the Islamic Calendar to its Jewish counterpart (see Table 10 below).
Contents
- 1 Holidays
- 2 Muharram al-Haraam (Tishrei)
- 3 Safar al-Muzaffar (Cheshvan)
- 4 Rabi al-Awal (Kislev)
- 5 Rabi al-Thaani (Tevet)
- 6 Jumaada al-Awal (Shevat)
- 7 Jumaada al-Thaani (Adar I)
- 8 Rajab al Murajjab (Adar II)
- 9 Shabaan al Muazzam (Nisan)
- 10 Ramadhaan al Mubarak (Iyyar)
- 11 Shawwaal al-Mukarram (Sivan)
- 12 Dhu al Qa'dah (Tammuz)
- 13 Dhu al Hijjah (Av+Elul)
- 14 References
Holidays
The holidays of Ras as Sana (Rosh Hashanah) and Roz e Ashura (Yom Kippur) can be found in Muharram, even though Safar was originally the Sacred Month. Minor events such as the Creation of Adam and ritual bath of Erev Yom Kippur can perhaps be found in altered form. The deletion of the month of Elul and the commutation of Safar and Muharram could also explain a shift of Dahwul Arz from 25 of Elul to 25 of Dhu al Qa'dah.
It is significant that the Jewish Holidays of Succot (Feast of Tabernacles), Purim and Chanuka cannot be found in their corresponding place. Purim and Chanuka are post-Biblical so they could have been dropped as is the Karaites custom today. What is interesting is that In place of Succot we find the traditional date of the changing of the Qiblah from Jerusalem to the Holy Kaaba. The changing of the Qiblah marks a conscious, deliberate changing of traditional Jewish practice. Other possible dates of the “changing of Quiblah” are the 15 of Rajab and the 15 of Shabaan, corresponding to Purim and Pessach (Passover), the former not being found and the latter being deprived of all Jewish traditional practice. “Chanuka” if kept by Arabian Jews would have been eventually overshadowed by Milaad-Un-Nabi (Prophet Mohammed's Birthday), and any ‘correspondence’ with the 25th of December and the Birth of Jesus would be pure speculation.
Before the deletion of Elul, the month of Cheshvan would have corresponded with Rabi al-Awal. It is tradition Jewish practice to pray for Rain, record the passing of the Flood, and pray if there is a drought during this month. Rabi al-Awal too is etymologically related to “first rains”.
The correspondence between Lailat al Baraat (Night of Emancipation) and Pesach (Passover) has been mentioned above. The Sefirah mourning period consists of 49 days from Pesach (Passover) to Shavuoth (Pentecost), however there are differing customs as to the degrees of mourning during that period. Many oriental Jews observe heightened mourning during the month of Iyyar which corresponds to Ramadhan. There is a similarity even in the Sefirah custom of counting the 49 days of the “Omer”. In Jewish tradition each day must be counted distinctly and individually. Similar to this most of Islamic jurists think that the intention "I will fast for this approaching month of Ramadan" is not legally enough, since the intention to fast must be formulated each night for the following day, i.e. "I will fast for Ramadan during this day".
The 18th of Iyyar is very interesting because until now we have assumed that the Jewish holidays were transformed into Islamic holidays because of the historical record attesting to the observance of these holidays hundreds of years prior the advent of Islam. But Lag BeOmer (the Revelation of the Zohar), if it corresponds to Lailat-el-Qadr (Revelation of the Qur’an) would indicate the reverse. The Zohar was not known publicly until several hundred years after the advent of Islam.
There seems to be a correspondence between Shavouth (Pentacost) and Eid al Fitr, both marking the end of the mourning period. Lastly, for hundreds of years after the destruction of the 2nd Temple, the only Jewish pilgrimage consisted of the 9th of Av pilgrimage to the Mount of Olives to mourn over the ruins of Jerusalem. Previous to this, the Pilgrimage to Jerusalem had always been for the “Chag” Holidays of Succot (Tabernacles), Pesach (Passover) and Shavuoth (Pentacost). It appears that due to some specific reason this “Chag” pilgrimage to Jerusalem was changed to the “Hajj” pilgrimage to Mecca.
Table 10 contains a correspondence between the Islamic Calendar and its Jewish counterpart.
Muharram al-Haraam (Tishrei)
Legend
- Major Holiday
- Minor Holiday
- Traditional Event
Proposed correspondence, not indented
1. Muharram al-Haraam (means sacred, c.f. Cherem) |
Tishrei
|
Safar al-Muzaffar (Cheshvan)
2. Safar al-Muzaffar (whistling of the wind, c.f. Shofar) |
Cheshvan
|
Rabi al-Awal (Kislev)
3. Rabi al-Awal (first rains) |
Kislev
|
Rabi al-Thaani (Tevet)
4. Rabi al-Thaani (second rains) |
Tevet
|
Jumaada al-Awal (Shevat)
5. Jumaada al-Awal (dry, 1st month of summer) |
Shevat
|
Jumaada al-Thaani (Adar I)
6. Jumaada al-Thaani (dry, 2nd month of summer) |
Adar I |
Rajab al Murajjab (Adar II)
7. Rajab al Murajjab (means majestic, great, honored, valuable) |
Adar II [1 Death of Moses, according to Josephus] |
Shabaan al Muazzam (Nisan)
8. Shabaan al Muazzam (means branch) |
Nisan
|
Ramadhaan al Mubarak (Iyyar)
9. Ramadhaan al Mubarak (means heat) |
Iyyar
|
Shawwaal al-Mukarram (Sivan)
10. Shawwaal al-Mukarram
|
Sivan
|
Dhu al Qa'dah (Tammuz)
11. Dhu al Qa'dah (means to sit) |
Tammuz
|
Dhu al Hijjah (Av+Elul)
12. Dhu al Hijjah (means pilgramage, c.f. Chagg) |
Av+Elul
|