Safar
Ṣafar (Arabic: صَفَر) is the second month of the lunar based Islamic calendar. The Arabic word ṣafar means "empty, vacate or void", corresponding to the pre-Islamic Arabian time period when people’s houses were empty, as they were out gathering food. Ṣafar also means "hiss, toot or whistle", even "whistling of the wind" as this was likely a windy time of the year.
| Islamic calendar |
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| Months |
Most of the Islamic months are named according to weather conditions of the time; however, since the calendar is lunar, the months shift about 11 days every year, meaning that the seasons do not necessarily correspond to the name of the month.
Timing
The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Safar migrates throughout the seasons. The estimated start and end dates for Safar are as follows (based on the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia[1]):
| AH | First day (CE/AD) | Last day (CE/AD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1438 | 21 October 2017 | 18 November 2017 |
| 1439 | 10 October 2018 | 8 November 2018 |
| 1440 | 30 September 2019 | 28 October 2019 |
| 1441 | 18 September 2020 | 17 October 2020 |
| 1442 | 8 September 2021 | 6 October 2021 |
| 1443 | 28 August 2022 | 26 September 2022 |
Islamic events
- 01 Safar, prisoners of Karbalā entered Yazid's Palace in Syria
- 13 Safar, death of Sakina bint Husayn, youngest daughter of Hussain ibn Ali and a prisoner of Karbalā
- 16 Safar, 609, the Almohads were defeated by Christian Spain at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa
- 17 Safar, 202 AH martyrdom of Ali al-Ridha according to one tradition
- 20 or 21 Safar, Arba'een or Chehlum (the 40th day after Ashura)
- 27 Safar, Migration (Hijrah) from Mecca to Medina by the Prophet Muhammad
- 28 Safar, the Prophet fell deathly ill; Martyrdom of Imam Hasan ibn ‘Alī, grandson of the Prophet