642 



Notice of the Ajaib-al- Mukhlukat. 



[No. 152. 



mence with the day of the sun ; and the order of succession of the 

 names is precisely similar ; a coincidence, striking and remarkable. 



The natural binary division of the month into the light and dark 

 periods, or rather of the moon's wane and increase of 15 days each, the 

 kista and suklu pukshums of the Hindoos, is not mentioned by the au- 

 thor. 



I have asked many Brahmans versed in astronomy, and well acquaint- 

 ed with the principles on which their sages have founded their divisions 

 of time, why the week alone should not have been based on the move- 

 ments or conjunctions of any of the celestial bodies. They have been 

 generally, what is nautically termed, taken aback at the question, but 

 said, their attention had not been called to it before. After consulting 

 their books, they acknowledged that the week coincides with no revolu- 

 tion or conjunction of the stars or planets, and that it is of divine ori- 

 gin, instituted by the Supreme Being in everlasting commemoration of 

 the days on which he successively created the sun, moon and five planets. 



This may be regarded as an indication that Sabianism, from the Arabic 

 As- Saba, ka*J! the seven, prevailed among the Hindoos prior to the 

 introduction of Brahmanism and Buddhism. 



Months. 



After briefly noticing the months of the Turks, Copts, Zenjs and 

 Hindoos, the author details those of the Arabs, Rumis and Persians. 



Those of the Arabs consist of 30 and 29 days alternately, and their 

 year of 12 lunations, or 354 days. 





Arab Months. 







Names. 



Days. Names. 





Days. 







Brought over, 



.. 177 



Mohurrum, 



30 Rajab, 



>• 



.. 30 



Suffer, 



29 Sraban, 





.. 29 



Rubai-al-awal, 



30 Ramzan, 



* 



.. 30 



Rubai-us-sani, 



29 Shawal, 





.. 29 



Jamadi-al-awal, 



30 Za'1-kadr, 



. . . • 



.. 30 



Jamadi-ussani, 



29 Zu'1-hadj, 





.. 29 





Carried over, 177 



Total, 



.. 354 



