At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Global / Diaspora
The naming
Rabi' al-Awwal and Rabi' al-Akhir are the third and fourth months, named for the spring season in which they fell when the Arab month-names were fixed; they drift out of it as the lunar months advance. 2
The birth in Rabi' al-Awwal
On the prevalent report the Prophet was born on a Monday in Rabi' al-Awwal in the year of the Elephant; the day is debated — the eighth, the second, and others were said. 1
The hijra in it
The Prophet left Mecca on the hijra in Rabi' al-Awwal and reached Medina on Monday the twelfth, and from it the Muslims later opened their Hijri reckoning in the caliphate of 'Umar. 1
Rabi' al-Akhir
Rabi' al-Akhir is the fourth month and follows Rabi' al-Awwal; no special worship is prescribed in it. 3
People and things also explored
Adhan (the call to prayer: its ruling, wording, conditions, recommended features and the muezzin)· The sacred months· The last ten nights of Ramadan· The first ten days of Dhu al-Hijja· Dhu al-Hijja (the twelfth month: the pilgrimage, the first ten days and the day of 'Arafa)· Dhu al-Qa'da (the eleventh month and one of the four sacred months)· The Hijri calendar· Hilal (the crescent and the lunar month for the law)
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
- The Remaining Traces of Past Centuries (Maktabat al-Thaqafa al-Diniyya, Cairo, 1st ed. 2008, digital copy)
- al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The two Rabi' months (Rabi' al-Awwal and Rabi' al-Akhir: the birth and the hijra)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/rabi-months/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-12.
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