it might have begun on a Tuesday. If, however, the month did start on a Monday, that would accord with the statement of Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah that the Prophet died on the very Monday that marked the crescent of Rabīʿ al-Awwal; in that case, the second Monday of the month would have been the eighth. But if we allow that the first of the month fell on a Tuesday, then Monday would have been either the seventh or the fourteenth.

Yet another point remains to be considered: the Day of ʿArafah in Mecca occurred on a Friday, but it is possible that in Medina the Day of ʿArafah was, for instance, on a Thursday or on a Saturday, and the calculation must be built on that basis.

Mālik also reported: “It has reached me that he died on a Monday and was buried on a Tuesday.”