Islamic Calendar Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lunar

Islamic Calendar is based on lunar cycle. It is also called Hijri Calendar, the year in which Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) and his fellow companions called 'Sahabah' emigrated to Medina. Hijrah is an Arabic word that means emigration.

Answer: No

The Islamic months are either 29 or 30 days long. They depend on the sightings of the first crescent of the new moon. On 29th day of every month, a committee sits and gathers information about the sightings of the crescent. If the crescent is sighted, the next month is started, otherwise, the present month would consist of 30 days and next month would be started the following day.

Answer: Muharrum

Islamic Month is started with the holy month of Muharrum. The word Muharrum means "Forbidden" because during this month, fighting is forbidden. It is one of the four very sacred months of the year. This is the month when Hazrat Imam Hussain (R.A) was martyred in the battle of Karbala.

Answer: Rabi-ul-Awwal

The third month of the Islamic Calendar is the one in which Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was born in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Due to this, Rabi-ul-Awwal is considered to be a very sacred month.

Answer: Ramadan

This is the ninth month of Islamic Calendar. It is the month in which the Holy Qur'an was revealed. The fast is the third pillar of Islam. Allah (SWT) said "This is my month" whose beginning is 'mercy', middle is 'forgiveness' and end is 'freedom from fire'.

The act of fasting redirects the heart towards Allah, fills it with fear of Allah. Hence, it keeps a person away from worldly desires. It gives the lessons of sympathy and sacrifice for those who are poor and not have proper livelihood. It is also the source of inspiration for self-discipline, generosity and charity. Every day during the Ramadan, Muslims get up before the dawn to eat their meal.

They break their fast when sun sets.

Answer: Rajab

The word Rajab means "Respect". This is the seventh month of the Islamic Calendar, in which Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) ascended to Heaven, on the 27th of Rajab. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) visited heavens in only one night. On this occasion, Allah gave the gift of 'Salaah' (5 prayers) to Muslims. This incidence is called 'Miraaj'. In this holy month, the battle of Tabook took place.

Answer: Shawwal

This is the tenth month of Islamic Calendar. On the first of Shawwal, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr which is the gift of Allah to Muslims for having fasted in the whole month of Ramadan. Muslims start the first day of this month (Eid day) with a special prayer called Eid Prayer in addition to the five daily prayers.

Answer: Dhu al-Hijjah

This is the twelfth and last month of Islamic Calendar. This is also one of the four sacred months. In this month, Muslims perform Hajj which is the fifth pillar of Islam. Hajj occurs from 8th to 12th of this month. On the 10th day, Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and slaughter animals to commemorate the willingness of Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) to sacrifice his son in order to fulfill Allah's command. Muslims who can afford do sacrifice of animals (sheep, camel and cow) and a portion of meat is given to poor and needy people while there are also some portions for relative, friends and neighbors so that everyone can join the celebration.

Answer: Ramadan

As well as a time of fasting and spiritual cleansing, Ramadan requires the giving of alms to the needy so that they will be able to celebrate the feast of Eid al-Fitr which follows the end of the month.

Answer: 354

Since a lunar year is about 11 days shorter than a solar year, a lunar year would be about 354 days.