Batini calendar

The Batini calendar (Riysan: تقويم بداية باطنية taqwim bidayat batiniyya; Indonesian: Kalender Shia Batiniya; Dutch: Esoterische Sji'ieten Kalender) is the religious calendar of Esoteric Shi'ism. It is a 12-month solar calendar, consisting of 365 or 366 days, that begins on the equinox of March as determined by yearly astronomical observation from Mount Ilias. The calendar was instituted in 1070 CE by Al-Sayyid al-Mu'alim, the spiritual founder of Esoteric Shi'ism, to symbolise the religious break from Zahiri Shi'ism which was the predominant Shia denomination in Muzdatijer at the time. The epochal date of the Batini calendar began on the day of Al-Sayyid al-Mu'alim's excommunication by Shaykh Nasir on the March equinox of 1068 CE. It was the official calendar of the Esoteric Shia State from 1689 until 1929 when it joined the Commonwealth of Hindia Belanda upon the latter's independence from Noordenstaat. The calendar is currently used by the Shia Convocation to determine dates of some religious observances.

The first month in the Batini calendar, Tahir, corresponds to the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It begins on the day of Nawruz, an Esoteric Shia religious holiday commemorating God's covenant with humankind before the creation of the universe. Esoteric Shias fast from dawn until sunset on the last twelve days of the twelfth month, each day dedicated to the memories of each of the twelve infallible Shia Imams. At sunset on the last day of the Esoteric Shia year, the fast is broken with a feast celebrating the arrival of spring and the new year.

In modern times, years in this era are denoted AA (Latin: Anno Absconditae), from the Riysan as-sanatu'l-maknunih, meaning 'the hidden year'. The next Esoteric Shia new year will fall on 20 March, 2022 at sunset.

Structure

Epoch

The adoption of the Batini calendar by Early Esoteric Shias of Muzdatijer signalled the religious break from the predominant Shia denomination at the time. As such, the epoch no longer dates from the Hegira but rather from Al-Sayyid al-Mu'alim's excommunication by Shaykh Nasir on DD Month of the gregorian year YEAR. The starting year of the Batini calendar is known in Latin as Anno Absconditae Unus.

Leap years

In the Batini calendar, leap years are years with 366 days between two Esoteric Shia new years. In a leap year, an additional day is added at the end of Muntaha, the twelfth month of the year.

Months

Month	Days	Riysan name	English meaning	Gregorian equivalent
1	31	Tahir (طاهر)	Immaculate	March-April
2	31	Mazahir (مظاهر)	Manifestations	April-May
3	31	Malakut (ملكوت)	Kingdom	May-June
4	31	Tafawut (تفاوت)	Disparity	June-July
5	31	Aqwal (أقوال)	Utterances	July-August
6	31	Amal (أمل)	Hope	August-September
7	30	Istishhad (إستشهاد)	Martyrdom	September-October
8	30	Itihad (إتحاد)	Union	October-November
9	30	Rahmat (رحمة)	Mercy	November-December
10	30	Qudrat (قدرة)	Power, potency	December-January
11	30	Asma (اسماء)	Names	January-February
12	29/30	Muntaha (منتهى)	Extremity, maximum	February-March

Weekdays

As with its Islamic and Hebrew counterparts, a day in the Batini calendar runs from sunset to the next sunset. A week in the Batini calendar begins at sunset on Saturday and ends at sunset on Friday. Friday is a day of gathering on which Esoteric Shias convene at the Bayt al-Adhkar to perform communal prayers. Saturday is set aside as a day of rest, although this practice has not been observed by Esoteric Shias since the turn of the twentieth century.

Batini weekdays	English meaning	English equivalent
Sabt (سبت)	Sabbath	Saturday-Sunday
I'tidal (اِعْتِدَال)	Temperance	Sunday-Monday
Adala (عدالة)	Justice	Monday-Tuesday
Abadiyya (أَبَدِيَّة)	Eternity	Tuesday-Wednesday
Sakha (سخاء)	Generosity	Wednesday-Thursday
Ishraq (إشراق)	Splendour	Thursday-Friday
Sharaf (شرف)	Honour	Friday-Saturday

Cycles of years

The Batini calendar has a super-cycle of 2,820 years. This super-cycle is divided into 88 sub-cycles of 33 years with the occasional interruption by a single 29-year sub-cycle for every three 33-year sub-cycles that elapsed. The last 4 sub-cycles in a super-cycle each lasts 37 years.

For Esoteric Shias, the conclusion and beginning of each sub-cycle has unique religious importance. The 33-year sub-cycle is an allusion to the 33rd verse of the 33rd chapter of the Qur'an upon which the Shia doctrine of infallibility is based. The 29-year sub-cycle, in turn, corresponds to the 29 Qur'anic chapters which begin with the disconnected mysterious letters. The 37-year sub-cycle corresponds to the number of the closest followers of Al-Sayyid al-Mu'alim after his excommunication in Jartasti.

The changing of a sub-cycle is marked with a communal feast and a reading of the Lisan al-Hikma at the Bayt al-Adhkar.

Significance

Religious observances

The Batini calendar is used to determine dates of religious observances that are unique to Esoteric Shi'ism. Dates of religious observances shared with other Shia denominations, such as Ashura, birth and martyrdom anniversaries of the Fourteen Infallibles, as well as with Islam in general, such as Eid al-Ghadir, the fast on Yom Kippur and Eid al-Fitr.

See also

• List of observances set by the Batini calendar
• Esoteric Shi'ism
• Shia Convocation
• Esoteric Shia holy days