Dhu al-Hijja

Month

Dhu al-Hijja (Arabic: ذُو ٱلْحِجَّة, romanized: Ḏū al-Ḥijja, IPA: [ðu‿l.ħid͡ʒ.d͡ʒah]), also spelled Zu al-Hijja, is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar. It is a very sacred month in the Islamic calendar, one in which the Ḥajj (Pilgrimage) takes place as well as the Festival of the Sacrifice. "Dhu al-Hijja" 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 is performed on the eighth, ninth and the tenth of this month. Day of Arafah takes place on the ninth of the month. Eid al-Adha, the "Festival of the Sacrifice", begins on the tenth day and ends on sunset of the 13th. In the Ottoman Empire times, the name in Ottoman Turkish was Zī-'l-Hìjjé or Zil-hig̃g̃e. In modern Turkish, the name is Zilhicce. In Urdu, the month is commonly referred to as Zilhaj or Zilhij.