Back to search

Is the lunar calendar more accurate than the solar calendar, and what is the reason for that, and are there scientific studies that support this view?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Lawgiver has linked all religious obligations, such as fasting, zakat, and Hajj, to the sighting of the new moon. Therefore, the recognized year in Islam consists of lunar years and months. As for transactions, it is preferable to rely on lunar months to differ from the polytheists, but there is no harm in using solar months if necessary. If "more precise" means accuracy in timing days and seasons, then the solar year is more accurate in knowing these in advance and in determining the seasons, while lunar months depend on the sighting of the new moon.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy