Page:Sewell Dikshit The Indian Calendar (1896) proc.djvu/119

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THE MUHAMMADAN CALENDAR.
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Sunday which begins at the next sunrise. Rut the Muhammadan day and the first day of the Muhammadan month begin with the Saturday sunset. (See Art. 30, and the pañchâṅg extract attached.)

165. It will be well to note that where the first tithi of a month ends not less than 5 ghaṭikâs, about two hours, before sunset, the heliacal rising of the moon will most probably take place on the same evening; but where the first tithi ends 5 ghaṭikâs or more after sunset the heliacal rising will probably not take place till the following evening. When the first tithi ends within these two periods, i.e., 5 ghaṭikâs before or after sunset, the day of the heliacal rising can only be ascertained by elaborate calculations. In the pañchâṅg extract appended to Art. 30 it is noted that the heliacal rising of the moon takes place on the day corresponding to September 1st.

166. It must also be specially noted that variation of latitude and longitude sometimes causes a difference in the number of days in a month; for since the beginning of the Muhammadan month depends on the heliacal rising of the moon, the month may begin a day earlier at one place than at another, and therefore the following month may contain in one case a day more than in the other. Hence it is not right to lay down a law for all places in the world where Muhammadan reckoning is used, asserting that invariably months have alternately 29 and 30 days. The month Śafar, for instance, is said to have 29 days, but in the pañchâṅg extract given above (Art. 30) it has 30 days. No universal rule can be made, therefore, and each case can only be a matter of calculation.[1] The rule may be accepted as fairly accurate.

167. The days of the week are named as in the following Table.

Days of the Week.
Hindustani. Persian. Arabic. Hindî.
1. Sun. Itwâr. Yak-shamba. Yaumu'l-aḥad. Rabî-bâr.
2. Mon. Somwâr, or Pîr. Do-shamba. Yaumu-l„-iśnain. Som-bâr.
3. Tues. Mangal. Sih-shamba. Yaumu-l„-śalâsa'. Mangal-bâr.
4. Wed. Budh. Chahâr-shamba. Yaumu-l„-arbâ'. Budh-bâr.
5. Thurs. Jum'a-rât. Panj-shamba. Yaumu-l„-khamîs. Brihaspati-bâr.
6. Fri. Jum'a. Âdîna. Yaumu-l„-Jum'ah. Śukra-bâr.
7. Sat. Sanîchar. Shamba, or Hafta. Yaumu's-sab't. Sanî-bâr.
Old and New style.

168. The New Style was introduced into all the Roman Catholic countries in Europe from October 5th, 1582 A.D., the year 1600 remaining a leap-year, while it was ordained that 1700, 1800, and 1900 should be common and not leap-years. This was not introduced into England till September 3rd, A.D. 1752. In the Table of Muhammadan initial dates we have given the comparative dates according to English computation, and if it is desired to assimilate the date to that of any Catholic country, 10 days must be added to the initial dates given by us from Hijra 991 to Hijra 1111 inclusive, and 11 days from H. 1112 to 1165 inclusive. Thus, for Catholic countries H. 1002 must be taken as beginning on September 27th, A.D. 1593.

  1. ↑ So far as I know no European chronologist of the present century has noticed this point. Tables could be constructed for the heliacal rising of the moon in every month of every year, but it would be too great a work for the present publication. [S. B. D.]
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