A calendar of the sun and the moon
The Creator's Calendar joins the precision of the solar year with the real lunar cycle: the day begins at true dawn, the month begins with the new moon (by the conjunction and the moon's age), and the year is made of four astronomical seasons bounded by the equinoxes and solstices. Each month keeps its season, as its name indicates: the two Rabi' months in spring and Ramadan in autumn.
Twelve lunar months fall about 11 days short of the solar year, so in a year with 13 new moons a thirteenth month, Al-Nasi, is added to the season that gathered four moons, bringing the months back into their seasons.
How it differs from the Lunar Hijri calendar
| Lunar Hijri | The Creator's Calendar | |
|---|---|---|
| Months in a year | Always 12 | 12, and 13 in a leap year (Al-Nasi) |
| Length of the year | 354–355 days | 354–355 days; a leap year 383–385 |
| The seasons | Its months drift through them, a full cycle in about 33 years | Fixed: the two Rabi' months in spring, Ramadan in autumn |
| Events of the Prophet's era | Their weekdays do not match | Their weekdays match |
Both share the same month boundaries, so the month name and year number differ between them on the same day.
The witness of history
The sources give the weekday of the best-known events of the Prophet's era, and these weekdays fall exactly in The Creator's Calendar:
| Event | Date | The Creator's Calendar | Lunar Hijri |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hijra | 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, year 1 | Monday | Thursday |
| The Battle of Badr | 17 Ramadan, year 2 | Friday | Monday |
| The Prophet's death | 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, year 11 | Monday | Saturday |
The events from the Prophet's birth to al-Hasan ibn Ali's handover of rule to Muawiya in year 41 agree with The Creator's Calendar, and the events after it agree with the Lunar Hijri calendar — at that juncture the calendar was replaced. Follow the 73 events with their sources on the Historical Events page, read more on the About the Calendar page, or browse a whole month on the Monthly Calendar.