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February 1
7 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Saturday
{yawm al-sabt (the day of rest)}
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Days of the Week
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The Arabic word for “day” is "yawm", and properly the name of each day is "yawm" plus the word from the list below (as, in English, Arabic appends “day” onto other words to create the names of the days: “Sun” + “day” = “Sunday,” etc.). However, you will often see "yawm" omitted and the days simply called by the names listed below:
- Monday = al-ithnayn
- Tuesday = al-thulatha'
- Wednesday = al-arbiʿaʾ
- Thursday = al-khamis
- Friday = al-jum'a
- Saturday = al-sabt
- Sunday = al-ahad
Other than Friday and Saturday, these names are derived from the cardinal numbers. So “Sunday” (al-ahad) is literally “first day,” Monday (al-ithnayn)“second day,” and so on.
“Week” is "usbuʿ", from "sabaʿ" or “seven,” and “days of the week” is "ayam al-usbuʿ".
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February 2
8 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Sunday
{yawm al-ahad (the first day)}
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Rajab
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Rajab is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The definition of "rajaba" is "to respect". "Rajab" is a derivative of "rajaba". The month of Rajab is regarded as one of the four sacred months in Islam in which battles are prohibited. The pre-Islamic Arabs also considered warfare blasphemous during the four sacred months. Muslims believe Rajab is the month in which 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Imam of Shia Islam and the Fourth Caliph of Sunni Islam, was born inside the Kaaba, the most sacred place of worship for Muslims. Rajab is also the month during which Isra' Mi'raj (Muhammad's night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then to heaven) takes place. Rajab and Sha'ban are a prelude to the holy month of Ramadan.
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February 3
9 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Monday
{yawm al-ithnayn (the second day)}
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The Four Sacred Months
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The Four Sacred Months of Islam are Rajab, Ramadan, Dhu al-Qidah, and Dhu al-Hijjah.
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February 4
10 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Tuesday
{yawm al-thulatha' (the third day)}
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Sha'ban
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Sha'ban is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. Sha'ban is the month of "separation", separating the sacred months of Rajab and Ramadan. The fifteenth night of this month is known as the "Night of Records" (Laylat al-Bara'at).
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February 5
11 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Wednesday
{yawm al-arbi‘a’ (the fourth day)}
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Ramadan
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Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month is spent by Muslims fasting during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. According to Islam, the Qur'an was sent down to the lowest heaven during this month, thus being prepared for gradual revelation by Jibreel (Gabriel) to Muhammad. Therefore, Muhammad told his followers that the Gates of Heaven would be open for the entire month and the gates of Hell (Jahannam) would be closed.
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February 6
12 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Thursday
{yawm al-khamis (the fifth day)}
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Shawwal
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Shawwal is the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Shawwal means to "lift or carry", so named because a female camel normally would be carrying a fetus at this time of year. The first day of Shawwal is Eid al-Fitr. Some Muslims observe six days of fasting during Shawwal beginning the day after Eid al-Fitr since fasting is prohibited on this day. These six days of fasting together with the Ramadan fasts, are equivalent to fasting all year round. The reasoning behind this tradition is that a good deed in Islam is rewarded ten times, hence fasting 30 days during Ramadan and six days during Shawwal is equivalent to fasting the whole year in terms of reward.
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February 7
13 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Friday
{yawm al-jum‘a (the day of congregation)}
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Tawakel Karman
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Tawakel Karman
2011 Nobel Peace Prize
b. February 7, 1979, Taiz Governorate, Yemen Arab Republic
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Tawakel Karman is a human rights activist based in Yemen. She was a prominent leader in the Arab Spring of 2011.
The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly given to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, and Tawakel Karman of Yemen "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work." Tawakel Karman was the first Arab woman and the first Yemeni to receive a Nobel Prize.
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February 8
14 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Saturday
{yawm al-sabt (the day of rest)}
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Dhu al-Qidah
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Dhu al-Qidah, also known as Dhu'l-Qa'dah or alternatively Zulqida, is the eleventh month in the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months in Islam during which warfare is prohibited.
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February 9
15 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Sunday
{yawm al-ahad (the first day)}
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Dhu al-Hijjah
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Dhu al-Hijjah, also known as Zulhijja, is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar. It is a very sacred month in the Islamic calendar, one in which the Hajj -- the pilgrimage -- takes place as well as the Festival of Sacrifice. "Dhu al-Hijjah" literally means "Possessor of the Pilgrimage" or "The Month of the Pilgrimage". During this month Muslim pilgrims from all around the world congregate at Mecca to visit the Kaaba. The Hajj -- one of the Five Pillars of Islam -- is performed on the eighth, ninth, and the tenth days of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah.
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February 10
16 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Monday
{yawm al-ithnayn (the second day)}
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Cardinal Arabic Numbers
Part One
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The following is a list of the cardinal Arabic numbers from zero to ten:
0 = sifr
1 = wahid
2 = ithnan
3= thalatha
4 = arba'a
5 = khamsa
6 = sitta
7 = sa'ba
8 = thamaniya
9= tis'a
10 = 'ashar
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February 11
17 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Tuesday
{yawm al-thulatha' (the third day)}
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Cardinal Arabic Numbers
Part Two
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The following are the cardinal Arabic numbers from 10 to 20:
10 = 'ashar
11 = 'ahada 'ashar
12 = ithnan 'ashar
13 = thalatha 'ashar
14 = arba'a 'ashar
15 = khamsa 'ashar
16 = sitta 'ashar
17 = sab'a 'ashar
18 = thamaniya 'ashar
19 = tis'a 'ashar
20 = 'ishrun
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Forming numbers in Arabic is quite easy, from 13 to 19 you just place a number before ten for example, in English Arabic, 13 = three ten, instead of thirteen in English, 17 is seven ten in English Arabic. From 21 to 99, one only needs to reverse the numbers and add the term "wa-" between the two numbers. Thus, 36 would six "wa-" thirty (six "and" thirty) instead of thirty-six (36 = sitta wa-thalathun with "wa-" meaning "and").
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February 12
18 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Wednesday
{yawm al-arbi‘a’ (the fourth day)}
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Cardinal Arabic Numbers
Part Three
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The following are the cardinal Arabic numbers from 20 to 30:
20 = 'ishrun
21 = wahid wa-'ishrun
22 = ithnan wa-'ishrun
23 = thalatha wa-'ishrun
24 = arba'a wa-'ishrun
25 = khamsa wa-'ishrun
26 = sitta wa-'ishrun
27 = sab'a wa-'ishrun
28 = thamaniya wa-'ishrun
29 = tis'a wa-'ishrun
30 = thalathun
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February 13
19 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Thursday
{yawm al-khamis (the fifth day)}
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Cardinal Arabic Numbers
Part Four
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The following are the cardinal numbers by ten from 10 to 100:
10 = 'ashar
20 = 'ishrun
30 = thalathun
40 = arba'un
50 = khamsun
60 = sittun
70 = sab'un
80 = thamanun
90 = tis'un
100 = mi'a
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February 14
20 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Friday
{yawm al-jum‘a (the day of congregation)}
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Mother's Day in Iran
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Fatima bint Muhammad (b. 615 CE {5 AH}, Mecca - d. August 18, 632 CE {3 Jumada al-Thani, 11 AH}) was the youngest daughter and, according to Shia Muslims, the only child of the Prophet Muhammad and Khadijah who lived to adulthood and, therefore, the only child of Muhammad and Khadijah to become part of Muhammad's household. Fatima's husband was Ali, the last of the Rightly Guided (Rashidun) Caliphs. Her uncle included Hasan and Husayn, the second and third Shia imams, respectively. Fatima is the object of love and respect of Muslims, as she was the child closest to her father and supported him in his difficulties, was the supporter and loving caretaker of her own husband and children, and was the only child of Muhammad to have male children live beyond childhood, whose descendants are spread throughout the Islamic world and are known as Sayyids. The 11th century dynasty ruling Egypt at the time of the Crusades, the Fatimids claimed descent from her.
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Iranians celebrate Fatima's birth anniversary (20 Jumada al-Thani) as Mother's Day. On this day, banners reading "Ya Fatemeah" ("O! Fatima") are displayed on government buildings, private buildings, public streets and car windows.
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February 15
21 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Saturday
{yawm al-sabt (the day of rest)}
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Ordinal Arabic Numbers
Part One
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Ordinal numbers in Arabic are almost like the cardinal numbers, with some exceptions in the numbers from 1 to 10, and a slight difference in the numbers from 11 and up. Note that ordinal numbers in Arabic are somehow like adjectives, so they have to take the masculine (m) or feminine (f) form.
First = awwal (m) or ula (f)
Second = thani (m) or thaniyah (f)
Third = thalith (m) or thalithah (f)
Fourth = rabi' (m) or rabi'athtis'a (f)
Fifth = khamis (m) or khamisah (f)
Sixth = sadis (m) or sadisah (f)
Seventh = sabi' (m) or sabi'ah (f)
Eighth = thamin (m) or thaminah (f)
Ninth = tasi' (m) or tasi'ah (f)
Tenth = 'ashir (m) or 'ashirah (f)
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February 16
22 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Sunday
{yawm al-ahad (the first day)}
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Mahershala Ali
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Mahershala Ali
2018 Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture, Golden Globe Awards
2016 Best Supporting Actor, Academy Awards
2016 Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, Screen Actors Guild Awards
2016 Best Supporting Actor in a Movie, Critics' Choice Awards
b. February 16, 1974, Oakland, California, United States
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Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, known professionally as Mahershala Ali, is an American actor. Ali began his career as a regular on television series such as Crossing Jordan and Threat Matrix, before his breakthrough role as Richard Tyler in the science fiction series The 4400. For his performance as Juan in the drama film Moonlight (2016), Mahershala Ali received universal acclaim from critics and won the Academy Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award and the Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor, and also received Golden Globe and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award nominations. Mahershala Ali's win at the 89th Academy Awards made him the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar for acting.
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February 17
23 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Monday
{yawm al-ithnayn (the second day)}
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Ordinal Arabic Numbers
Part Two
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After the tenth ordinal Arabic number, only the first number takes the feminine form. For example, "13th" is "thalith achar" for masculine and "thalitha achar" for feminine. In this example, "achar" stays the same, the first half "thalith" which means "3rd" takes "a" in the feminine, and so does the rest of the ordinal number.
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February 18
24 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Tuesday
{yawm al-thulatha' (the third day)}
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February 19
25 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Wednesday
{yawm al-arbi‘a’ (the fourth day)}
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February 20
26 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Thursday
{yawm al-khamis (the fifth day)}
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February 21
27 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Friday
{yawm al-jum‘a (the day of congregation)}
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February 22
28 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Saturday
{yawm al-sabt (the day of rest)}
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February 23
29 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Sunday
{yawm al-ahad (the first day)}
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February 24
30 Jumada al-Thani, 1441 AH
Monday
{yawm al-ithnayn (the second day)}
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February 25
1 Rajab, 1441 AH
Tuesday
{yawm al-thulatha' (the third day)}
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February 26
2 Rajab, 1441 AH
Wednesday
{yawm al-arbi‘a’ (the fourth day)}
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Ahmed Zewail
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Ahmed Zewail
1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
b. February 26, 1946, Damanhour, Egypt
d. August 2, 2016, Pasadena, California, United States
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Ahmed Zewail was an Egyptian chemist who is known as the "father of femtochemistry." Femtochemistry is the area of physical chemistry that studies chemical reactions on extremely short timescales in order to study the very act of atoms within molecules (reactants) rearranging themselves to form new molecules. The 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Ahmed Zewail "for his studies of the transition states of chemical reactions using femtosecond spectroscopy." Ahmed Zewail was the first Muslim chemist to be awarded the Nobel Prize and the second Muslim scientist. The first Muslim scientist to be awarded the Nobel Prize was Mohammad Abdus Salam of Pakistan in 1979.
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February 27
3 Rajab, 1441 AH
Thursday
{yawm al-khamis (the fifth day)}
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February 28
4 Rajab, 1441 AH
Friday
{yawm al-jum‘a (the day of congregation)}
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February 29
5 Rajab, 1441 AH
Saturday
{yawm al-sabt (the day of rest)}
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