The Islamic (Hijri) calendar has 12 months, each beginning with the sighting of the new crescent moon. Knowing the months in order, and their numbers, makes it much easier to read dates like 18/04/1448, which simply means the 18th day of the 4th month (Rabi ul Thani) of the year 1448.
The 12 Islamic months in order
| No. | Month | Arabic | Meaning of the name | Important days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Muharram | مُحَرَّم | Forbidden (one of the sacred months) | 1st: Islamic New Year · 10th: Ashura |
| 02 | Safar | صَفَر | Empty or void, often linked to homes left empty during travel | None widely marked |
| 03 | Rabi ul Awal | رَبِيع الأَوَّل | First spring | 12th: Mawlid, observed in many countries |
| 04 | Rabi ul Thani | رَبِيع الثَّانِي | Second spring | None widely marked |
| 05 | Jumada al Awwal | جُمَادَى الأُولَى | First month of dry (or frozen) land | None widely marked |
| 06 | Jumada al Thani | جُمَادَى الآخِرَة | Last month of dry land | None widely marked |
| 07 | Rajab | رَجَب | Respect (a sacred month) | 27th: Shab-e-Miraj, observed by many |
| 08 | Shaban | شَعْبَان | Spreading out, as tribes dispersed to find water | 15th: Shab-e-Barat |
| 09 | Ramadan | رَمَضَان | Scorching heat | The month of fasting · Laylat al-Qadr in the last ten nights |
| 10 | Shawwal | شَوَّال | Lifting, as camels raised their tails | 1st: Eid ul Fitr · six optional fasts |
| 11 | Dhul Qadah | ذُو القَعْدَة | The one of sitting (truce), a sacred month | None widely marked |
| 12 | Dhul Hijjah | ذُو الحِجَّة | The one of Hajj, a sacred month | 8th–13th: Hajj · 9th: Day of Arafah · 10th: Eid ul Adha |
Spellings vary because the names come from Arabic: Rabi ul Awal is also written Rabi al-Awwal; Rabi ul Thani is also called Rabi ul Akhir or Rabi us Sani; Jumada al Thani is also Jumada al-Akhirah; Shaban is Sha'ban; Dhul Qadah is Dhul Qa'dah or Zil Qad; and Dhul Hijjah is Zil Hajj.
The four sacred months
The Quran says the number of months with Allah is twelve, and that four of them are sacred (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:36). These are Muharram (1st), Rajab (7th), Dhul Qadah (11th) and Dhul Hijjah (12th). Fighting was forbidden in them, and good deeds and sins are both considered weightier.
How the Hijri year is counted
Year 1 of the Hijri calendar begins in the year of the Hijrah, the Prophet's ﷺ migration from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE. The calendar was introduced by the second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). Years are written with "AH" (after the Hijrah). For example, 1448 AH began on 16 June 2026 and 1449 AH begins on about 6 June 2027.
Why Islamic dates move every year
Each month lasts 29 or 30 days, from one new moon to the next, so a Hijri year has 354 or 355 days. That is about 11 days shorter than the English (Gregorian) year. As a result, Ramadan, Eid and every other Islamic date arrive about 11 days earlier each English year, and pass through every season over roughly 33 years.
Writing Hijri dates with numbers
Hijri dates are usually written day/month/year, just like English dates in Pakistan and the Gulf. A few examples:
- 01/09/1448 = 1 Ramadan 1448 (Ramadan is the 9th month)
- 10/12/1448 = 10 Dhul Hijjah 1448, Eid ul Adha (the 12th month)
- 12/03/1448 = 12 Rabi ul Awal 1448 (the 3rd month)
Official documents in Saudi Arabia often show the Hijri date with "هـ" after the year, for example 1448/09/01 هـ, written year first.
To see a whole year at once, open the Islamic calendar, and for upcoming dates with countdowns see Islamic events.