Lunar month
A month that begins with the new crescent moon and lasts twenty-nine or thirty days; the unit of the Hijri calendar.
A lunar month in the Hijri calendar lasts twenty-nine or thirty days and begins with the new crescent moon. Whether a given month has twenty-nine or thirty days depends on sighting or on the calculation method a country uses, so its length may be confirmed only at its end. Financial calculations that count Hijri months, such as zakat years or Hijri-dated maturities, must handle this variable length.
This entry explains a term; it is not a Shariah ruling. Approving a product is for each institution's own Shariah board and regulator.
Related terms
Hijri calendarThe Islamic lunar calendar of twelve months, used for religious dates, zakat and, in some markets, official and business dates.Moon sightingObserving the new crescent moon to determine the start of a Hijri month; it decides the dates of Ramadan and the Eid holidays.HawlThe full lunar year for which qualifying wealth must be held above the nisab before zakat becomes due on it.