'Umar institutes the Hijri calendar (16 AH)

كتاب عمر التاريخ

637 CE · 16 AH

Madinat al-Mubarak

In this year 'Umar instituted the calendar on 'Ali's advice, dating the Islamic era from the Hijra — the convention the umma still keeps 1.

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The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate

Summary

In the year 16, Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) set the dating of the calendar on the advice of Ali ibn Abi Talib (may God be pleased with him). The start of the Islamic calendar was made the Prophet ﷺ's migration from Mecca to Medina, the dating by which the community still works. 1.

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Occurred at
Madinat al-Mubarak
Had participant
Umar ibn al-Khattab· Ali ibn Abi Talib

People and things also explored

Abu Sufyan's mission to Medina· Ali's counsel in Umar's judgments· Ali enters Kufa in 36 AH· After Badr: the dead, the captives, the spoils, and the news in Mecca and Medina· The Battle of Badr· Battle of Nahavand· The Death of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq· The death and burial of Fatima bint Muhammad

Sources

  1. al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh of Ibn al-Athir , p. 351
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islam.museum contributors. “'Umar institutes the Hijri calendar (16 AH)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/hijri-calendar-decree/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-21.

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Related

Abu Sufyan's mission to Medina

Frightened by what had been done at al-Watir, Quraysh sent Abu Sufyan ibn Harb to Medina to stiffen the pact and extend its term. The Prophet gave him no answer; Abu Bakr and Umar declined to intercede; Ali advised him to grant protection himself, which he did and returned home empty-handed.