Hijrah Date.

During the Maal Hijrah auspicious celebration, I realize many Muslims including me really do not adapt and neglect the Hijrah Calendar. I was interested what date of the Hijrah Calendar that I and the rest of the family were born and I am glad to find out the following:-

Mustapa Abdul Hamid – 12 Muharam 1365 (Monday).

Hanizah Abdul Rahman – 07 Rejab 1366 (Wednesday).

Muzaffar Mustapa – 08 Rabyawal 1394 (Monday).

Muzlifah Mustapa – 16 Rejab 1395 (Saturday).

Many Muslims tend to forget the dates and months of the Hijrah Calendar. Malaysian Muslims, the Malays especially, only know Ramadan and Syawal. Ramadan is fasting and Syawal is Hari Raya. Those days they remember Safar as well, where the Malays would take a ritual bath on the last Wednesday of Safar to throw away all the bad luck. Now the ritual had been declared as “bidaah” (not available in Islamic theology).

I remember when I was a small kid I used to see chartered busses heading to Tanjong Kling in Melaka to celebrate the “Mandi Safar” Carnival. In fact in 1968 I myself went to Tanjong Keling to join the fiesta. I think it was declared “bidaah” at the beginning of 1970. May 13 happened on the eve of Pesta Safar – 26 Safar 1389. (Tuesday) and that evening ignorant of the fact that KL was burning I was at Telok Kemang Beach.

From the Hijrah Calendar I found out I am two years older compared to the Georgian Calendar. By Georgian I am 64 and by Hijrah I am 66. Whatever, the numbers of years is not important and what is important is how I spent the years.