Islamic Calendar — Hijri Months, Dates & Countdown

By the Editorial Team · reviewed against our sources · updated September 2026 · guidance, not a fatwa

What the Islamic calendar is

The Islamic calendar, known as the Hijri calendar, is the dating system used across the Muslim world to fix religious observances. It is purely lunar: a year is made up of twelve lunar months and totals about 354 days. Its epoch, or starting point, is the year of the Hijrah, the migration of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from Makkah to Madinah, which is why years are numbered “AH” (Anno Hegirae). Unlike the Gregorian calendar, it is not tied to the sun or the seasons, so its dates drift steadily across the solar year. To see the date for this exact day, visit Islamic date today.

The 12 Hijri months

The calendar runs through twelve named months in a fixed order. Ramadan, the month of fasting, is the ninth; Dhul-Hijjah, the month of Hajj, is the twelfth.

Why dates shift ~11 days per year

A lunar month lasts about 29.5 days, so twelve of them come to roughly 354 days, about eleven days fewer than the 365-day solar year. Because the Islamic calendar does not add a leap month to catch up with the sun, each Hijri date lands about eleven days earlier in the Gregorian calendar than it did the year before. Over a span of around 33 years an Islamic month completes a full cycle through all four seasons. This is why Ramadan can fall in winter in one decade and in summer in another, and why the Hijri year number gradually gains on the Gregorian one.

Key dates each year

Several dates recur every Hijri year and shape the calendar for Muslims worldwide. Muharram opens the year, and the tenth day, Ashura, is a recommended day of fasting. Ramadan (month 9) is the month of obligatory daytime fasting and contains Laylat al-Qadr in its final ten nights. Eid al-Fitr falls on 1 Shawwal, immediately after Ramadan, and is preceded by Zakat al-Fitr. Dhul-Hijjah (month 12) is the month of Hajj; its first ten days are especially blessed, and Eid al-Adha is on the tenth. Exact Gregorian dates for these depend on the moon, so treat any advance date as an approximate window and confirm locally.

The live countdown

The tool near the top of this page does two jobs. It shows today’s Hijri date, and it counts down the days remaining to the next major observances, such as Ramadan and the two Eids. It works by scanning the Umm al-Qurā calendar forward from today until it reaches each target date, so the countdown is generated live rather than read from a fixed list that could go stale. Because it relies on a calculated calendar, the figures are close estimates; the confirmed start of Ramadan or the day of Eid still depends on the moon sighting in your region.

Moon sighting vs calculation

There are two main ways to begin an Islamic month. The traditional method is ru’yah, the physical sighting of the new crescent moon after sunset; a month begins the evening the crescent is seen. The other is hisab, astronomical calculation, which predicts the crescent’s position in advance and underpins printed and digital calendars like Umm al-Qurā. Both are used by Muslim communities, which is why the same month can start a day apart in different countries. Our calendar uses calculation for consistency, while acknowledging that for the precise start of Ramadan and Eid many follow their local sighting. To convert any specific day between systems, use the Hijri date converter.

This page is general reference and is guidance, not a fatwa. The Islamic calendar shown here is calculated (Umm al-Qurā) and may differ from a local moon sighting by about a day. Always confirm the start of a month, Ramadan or Eid with your local mosque or moon-sighting authority.

Frequently asked questions