With the sunset on Wednesday evening, a New Year 1442 started. According to Takvim of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 1st Muharram of 1442 is August 20, 2020. Fireworks from the Jajce barracks in Sarajevo marked the new Muslim year 1442.
Muslims from all around the world every year celebrate Hijri year in a spirit of faith. Muslims in Sarajevo mark it with the lectures and prayers.
New Hijri year is marked since Hijra, the event of migration of Muhamed p.b.u.h. and his followers from Mecca to Medina, which happened back in 622 CE.
Hijri year has 354 days, and consists of 12 months. It is 11 days shorter than the solar year according to the calendar, which makes the date of the New Hijri year to vary every year.
New Hijri year is a national holiday in countries such as Bangladesh, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Muharram is one of the most sacred months of the Islamic Lunar calendar. This is the month when Muslims are prohibited from taking part in warfare. It means ‘not permitted’ or ‘forbidden’ and is believed to be the month of remembrance. Diverse denominations of the Muslims observe this month differently. People recite verses from the Holy Quran and offer their prayers.
According to the Sunni tradition, Prophet Muhammed observed a fast on this day in Mecca. It is believed that Allah saved the people of Israel from Pharaoh and that Prophet Musa (Moses, according to Judaism) observed a fast on that day.
Some people keep a fast on Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram and they mourn the death of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammed.
