The Hijri calendar is the Islamic calendar. It follows the moon: each month begins with the new crescent and has 29 or 30 days, so a year has about 354 days. The years are counted from the Hijrah, the move of the Prophet (peace be upon him) from Makkah to Madinah in 622, and are marked AH. We are now in the year 1448 AH. The date at the top of this page is worked out on your own device, so it is right wherever you are, every day.
The 12 Hijri months
The names are older than Islam, so some have more than one explanation. These are the meanings most often given. Four months are sacred: Muharram, Rajab, Dhul Qa'dah and Dhul Hijjah.
| # | Month | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muharram | محرم | Forbidden, sacred. A sacred month. Ashura is on the 10th. |
| 2 | Safar | صفر | Empty. Often explained by homes standing empty while people travelled. |
| 3 | Rabi' al-Awwal | ربيع الأول | The first spring. Most accounts place the birth of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in this month. |
| 4 | Rabi' al-Thani | ربيع الآخر | The second spring. |
| 5 | Jumada al-Awwal | جمادى الأولى | The first dry month, from a word for dry or frozen land. |
| 6 | Jumada al-Thani | جمادى الآخرة | The second dry month. |
| 7 | Rajab | رجب | Respect. A sacred month. |
| 8 | Sha'ban | شعبان | Spreading out, as tribes went out to look for water. The month before Ramadan, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) fasted often. |
| 9 | Ramadan | رمضان | Burning heat. The month of fasting, when the Quran was first revealed. |
| 10 | Shawwal | شوال | Lifting. Eid al-Fitr is on the 1st. |
| 11 | Dhul Qa'dah | ذو القعدة | The month of sitting, when people stayed home and did not fight. A sacred month. |
| 12 | Dhul Hijjah | ذو الحجة | The month of Hajj. The Day of Arafah is on the 9th and Eid al-Adha on the 10th. A sacred month. |
Hijri calendar 2026
Every Hijri month of this year and next, and the day it begins, calculated from the Umm al-Qura calendar. They are provisional: where a month starts with a moon sighting, it can begin a day later.
| Month | Begins |
|---|---|
| Rajab 1447 | Sunday 21 December 2025 |
| Sha'ban 1447 | Tuesday 20 January 2026 |
| Ramadan 1447 | Wednesday 18 February 2026 |
| Shawwal 1447 | Friday 20 March 2026 |
| Dhul Qa'dah 1447 | Saturday 18 April 2026 |
| Dhul Hijjah 1447 | Monday 18 May 2026 |
| Muharram 1448 | Tuesday 16 June 2026 |
| Safar 1448 | Wednesday 15 July 2026 |
| Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 | Friday 14 August 2026 |
| Rabi' al-Thani 1448 | Saturday 12 September 2026 |
| Jumada al-Awwal 1448 | Monday 12 October 2026 |
| Jumada al-Thani 1448 | Wednesday 11 November 2026 |
| Rajab 1448 | Thursday 10 December 2026 |
Hijri calendar 2027
| Month | Begins |
|---|---|
| Rajab 1448 | Thursday 10 December 2026 |
| Sha'ban 1448 | Saturday 9 January 2027 |
| Ramadan 1448 | Monday 8 February 2027 |
| Shawwal 1448 | Tuesday 9 March 2027 |
| Dhul Qa'dah 1448 | Thursday 8 April 2027 |
| Dhul Hijjah 1448 | Friday 7 May 2027 |
| Muharram 1449 | Sunday 6 June 2027 |
| Safar 1449 | Monday 5 July 2027 |
| Rabi' al-Awwal 1449 | Tuesday 3 August 2027 |
| Rabi' al-Thani 1449 | Thursday 2 September 2027 |
| Jumada al-Awwal 1449 | Friday 1 October 2027 |
| Jumada al-Thani 1449 | Sunday 31 October 2027 |
| Rajab 1449 | Monday 29 November 2027 |
| Sha'ban 1449 | Wednesday 29 December 2027 |
Why the date in your country can be a day apart
Each month begins when the new crescent moon appears. The dates on this page come from Umm al-Qura, the official calendar of Saudi Arabia, which is calculated from astronomy. Not everyone uses it:
- Saudi Arabia confirms Ramadan, Eid and Hajj with a moon sighting on the evening before.
- Turkey's Diyanet, and many Turkish mosques in Europe, use a calculated calendar fixed in advance.
- Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs decides the big months in a meeting after the moon sighting (sidang isbat).
- Many communities in South Asia, and some in the UK and North America, wait for a local sighting.
So on some days your mosque is one day ahead or behind this page. None of this is a mistake on either side. For fasting and Eid, follow your local mosque.
Ramadan, Eid and the other key dates
For Ashura, Laylat al-Qadr, the Day of Arafah and every other key date from 2026 to 2028, see the Islamic calendar. For the big days, see Ramadan 2027, Eid al-Fitr 2027 and Eid al-Adha 2027.
Common questions
What is the Hijri date today?
It is shown at the top of this page, from the Umm al-Qura calendar, and it changes at midnight on your device. In Islam a new day begins at sunset, so after Maghrib many Muslims already count the next date.
What year is it in the Hijri calendar?
1448 AH. It began on Tuesday 16 June 2026, and 1449 AH is expected to begin on Sunday 6 June 2027.
When is Ramadan 2027?
Ramadan is expected to begin on Monday 8 February 2027, by the Umm al-Qura calendar. The night before, Taraweeh begins. The real first day depends on the moon sighting your mosque follows, and can be a day later.
Why is the Hijri date different in my country?
Some countries start each month with a moon sighting, some with a calculation, and the new moon is seen in some places a day before others. So two calendars can be one day apart. For fasting and Eid, follow your local mosque.
How do I convert a date to Hijri?
Pick a Gregorian date in the converter above to see its Hijri date, or enter a Hijri day, month and year to see the Gregorian date. It works from 1300 to 1600 AH. Old dates may differ by a day from what people saw at the time.
Why does Ramadan come about 11 days earlier each year?
The Hijri year is about 354 days, about 11 days shorter than the solar year. So every Islamic date moves through the seasons and comes back to the same season after about 33 years.
Learn to pray before Ramadan
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