Dhu al-Hijja
Dhu al-Hijjah (Arabic: ذُو ٱلْحِجَّة, romanized: Ḏū al-Ḥijja IPA: [ðu‿l.ħid͡ʒ.d͡ʒah]) is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar. Being one of the four sacred months during which war is forbidden, it is the month in which the Ḥajj (Pilgrimage) takes place as well as Eid al-Adha, the “Festival of the Sacrifice.”
Dhu al-Hijja | |
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The Kaaba during Hajj | |
Native name | ذُو ٱلْحِجَّة (Arabic) |
Calendar | Islamic calendar |
Month number | 12 |
Number of days | 29-30 (depends on actual observation of the moon's crescent) |
Significant days | |
Islamic calendar |
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Months |
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The Arabic name of the month, Dhu al-Hijja, means "Possessor of the Pilgrimage" or "The Month of the Pilgrimage". During this month, Muslim pilgrims from all around the world congregate at Mecca to visit the Kaaba. The Hajj rites begin on the eighth day and continue for four or five days. The Day of Arafah takes place on the ninth of the month. Eid al-Adha, the "Festival of the Sacrifice", begins on the tenth day and ends on the thirteenth day.
The name of this month is also spelled Dhul-Hijja or Zu al-Hijja. In modern Turkish, the name is Zilhicce also spelled as Zilhacce.