Jumāda l-Ūlā (Arabic:جُمَادَىٰ ٱلْأُولَىٰ,romanized: Jumādā al-ʾŪlā,lit. 'The first Jumada'), orJumada I, is the fifth month of theIslamic calendar. Jumada al-Ula spans 29 or 30 days. The origin of the month's name is theorized by some as coming from the wordjamād (Arabic:جماد), meaning "arid, dry, or cold",[1] denoting the dry and parched land and hence the dry months of thepre-Islamic Arabian calendar.Jumādā (Arabic:جُمَادَىٰ) may also be related to a verb meaning "to freeze", and another account relates that water would freeze during this time of year. The secondary nameJumādā al-Ūlā may possibly mean "to take charge with, commend, entrust, commit or care during the arid or cold month".[1] However, this explanation is rejected by some asJumādāal-Ūlā is a lunar month that does not coincide with seasons as solar months do.
TheIslamic calendar is a purelylunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of anew moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than thetropical year, Jumada al-Awwal migrates backwards throughout the seasons in a cycle of about 33 solar years. The estimated start and end dates for Jumada al-Awwal are as follows (based on theUmm al-Qura calendar ofSaudi Arabia:[5])
^Youssof, R. (1890).Dictionnaire portatif turc-français de la langue usuelle en caractères latins et turcs. Constantinople. p. 177.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Youssof, R. (1890).Dictionnaire portatif turc-français de la langue usuelle en caractères latins et turcs. Constantinople. p. 170.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
