cultures. He therefore decided to create a calendar specifically for the Muslim community. It would be lunar, and it would have 12 months, each with 29 or 30 days. This gives the lunar year 354 days, 11 days fewer than the solar year. ‘Umar chose as the epoch for the new Muslim calendar the hijra, the emigration of the Prophet Muhammad and 70 Muslims from Makkah to Madinah, where Muslims first attained religious and political autonomy. The hijra thus occurred on 1 Muharram of the year 1 according to the Islamic calendar, which was named “hijri” after its epoch. (This date corresponds to July 16, 622 ce, on the Gregorian calendar.) Today in the West, it is customary, when writing hijri dates, to use the abbreviation ah, which stands for the Latin anno hegirae, “year of the hijra.” Because the Islamic lunar calendar is 11 days shorter than the solar, it is therefore not synchronized to the seasons. Its festivals, which fall on the same days of the same lunar months each year, make the round of the seasons every 33 solar years. This 11-day difference between the lunar and the solar year accounts for the difficulty of converting dates from one system to the other. Converting Years and Dates The following equations convert roughly from Gregorian to hijri years and vice versa. However, the results can be slightly misleading: They tell you only the year in which the other calendar’s year begins. For example, 2018 Gregorian begins in Rabi’ II, the fourth month of hijri 1439, and it ends in that same month in hijri 1440. Gregorian year = [(32 x Hijri year) ÷ 33] + 622 Hijri year = [(Gregorian year – 622) x 33] ÷ 32 Online calculators can be found by searching “Gregorian-hijri calendar calculator” or similar terms. The Martyrdom of Umar One morning Umar (RA) went to the mosque as usual to lead the prayer. Abu Lolo was already hiding in the corner, with a dagger in hand. As soon as Umar (RA) began the prayer, the assassin jumped on him. He gave six cuts with the dagger on the Caliph’s body. The horrified worshippers overpowered the assassin. Thereupon the wretch slew himself with the same dagger. Umar (RA) kept lying in a pool of blood until the prayer was over. Then he was carried home. “Who is my assassin?” he asked. “Abu Lolo,” said the people. “Allah be thanked!” said Umar (RA). “It is not a Muslim who has shed my blood.” A physician was called in to dress and treat the wounds of the Caliph. He said they were too deep to be healed. At this many people who stood around began to weep. “Please do not weep,” implored Umar (RA). “Have you not heard the Messenger of Allah say that the weeping of relatives adds to the torture of the dead person?” Finding his end in sight, Umar (RA) called his son, Abdullah. “My son,” he said, “go to Aisha. Give her Umar (RA)’s greetings. Do not refer to me as the Commander of the Faithful; for I am no longer one. Place before her my wish to be buried by the side of the Prophet (PBUH) and my illustrious predecessor.” Abdullah found Aisha weeping. He delivered his father’s message to her. “I wanted to reserve this spot for my own grave, but I prefer Umar (RA) to myself,” said Aisha. Abdullah conveyed Aisha’s consent to his dying father. “Allah be thanked!” said Umar (RA). “This was the greatest wish of my life. But look, son, when you take my dead body to be buried, again give her my greetings, and ask her permission. If she allows, bury me there, otherwise bury me in the graveyard of Medina.” As the end drew in sight, Umar (RA) began to weep, because of the fear of Allah. “My son,” he called out to Abdullah, “help me put my forehead on the ground.” Peace be upon Umar ibn Al-Khattab “Fear Allah, for He alone lives; all other things are liable to perish.” - Umar 9
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