Jumada al-Thani,[a] also known asJumada al-Akhirah,[b]Jumada al-Akhir,[c] orJumada II, is the sixth month of theIslamic calendar. The wordJumda (جمد), from which the name of the month is derived, is used to denote dry, parched land, a land devoid of rain.[citation needed]Jumādā (جمادى) may also be related to a verb meaning 'to freeze', and another account relates that water would freeze inpre-Islamic Arabia during this time of year.
TheIslamic calendar is a purelylunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of anew moon is sighted. Since the Islamiclunar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than thesolar year, Jumada al-Thani migrates throughout the seasons. The estimated start and end dates for Jumada al-Thani are as follows (based on theUmm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia[1]):
