The great scholar, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have Mercy on him), was asked the following question:

There are some people who say: We do not use the Gregorian calendar over the Hijri calendar in order to avoid showing allegiance and support [to non-Muslims]. However, the Gregorian calendar is more consistent than the Hijri calendar, in their viewpoint, saying: Most countries use this calendar, so why do we stand out and contradict them?

ANSWER: The reality is that dating things by lunar phases (i.e. the Hijri calendar) is the foundation, for all of mankind. Read the Statement of Allah, the Most High: “They ask you (O Muhammad) about the lunar phases. Say: They are references of time for the people, and for Hajj.” [2:189]

“For the people” [means]: all of them.

And read the Statement of Allah, the Most High: “Indeed, the number of months with Allah are 12 months, in the Book of Allah, the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of them, there are four sacred ones.” [9:36]

So what are those months? They are the Continue reading →