A moving lunar year

The absence of a leap month is deliberate and rooted in the Quranic prohibition of intercalation, and it means that Islamic festivals are not tied to the seasons: Ramadan may fall in summer or winter as the years pass. The calendar is counted from the Hijra, the emigration of the Prophet from Mecca to Medina, and is used across the Muslim world for religious purposes.

The atlas gives each month its place, its observances, and its significance. The Islamic months belong with the calendars under Calendars & Time, and their observances connect to the holiday category.