Islamic Calendar 2026
The Hijri calendar with today's Islamic date, the 2026–2027 Islamic holidays (Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Muharram and more), the 12 lunar months and a date converter.
Islamic holidays 2026–2027
| Occasion | Gregorian date | Hijri |
|---|---|---|
| Isra & Mi‘raj 27 Rajab (Shab-e-Mi‘raj) | Friday, 16 January 2026 | 1447 AH |
| Mid-Sha‘ban (Shab-e-Barat) 15 Sha‘ban | Tuesday, 3 February 2026 | 1447 AH |
| First day of Ramadan 1 Ramadan — fasting begins | Wednesday, 18 February 2026 | 1447 AH |
| Laylat al-Qadr 27 Ramadan (widely observed) | Monday, 16 March 2026 | 1447 AH |
| Eid al-Fitr 1 Shawwal | Friday, 20 March 2026 | 1447 AH |
| Day of Arafah 9 Dhu al-Hijjah | Tuesday, 26 May 2026 | 1447 AH |
| Eid al-Adha 10 Dhu al-Hijjah | Wednesday, 27 May 2026 | 1447 AH |
| Islamic New Year 1 Muharram — first day of the Hijri year | Tuesday, 16 June 2026 | 1448 AH |
| Day of Ashura 10 Muharram | Thursday, 25 June 2026 | 1448 AH |
| Mawlid an-Nabi 12 Rabi al-Awwal — the Prophet’s birthday | Tuesday, 25 August 2026 | 1448 AH |
| Isra & Mi‘raj 27 Rajab (Shab-e-Mi‘raj) | Tuesday, 5 January 2027 | 1448 AH |
| Mid-Sha‘ban (Shab-e-Barat) 15 Sha‘ban | Saturday, 23 January 2027 | 1448 AH |
| First day of Ramadan 1 Ramadan — fasting begins | Monday, 8 February 2027 | 1448 AH |
| Laylat al-Qadr 27 Ramadan (widely observed) | Saturday, 6 March 2027 | 1448 AH |
| Eid al-Fitr 1 Shawwal | Tuesday, 9 March 2027 | 1448 AH |
| Day of Arafah 9 Dhu al-Hijjah | Saturday, 15 May 2027 | 1448 AH |
| Eid al-Adha 10 Dhu al-Hijjah | Sunday, 16 May 2027 | 1448 AH |
| Islamic New Year 1 Muharram — first day of the Hijri year | Sunday, 6 June 2027 | 1449 AH |
| Day of Ashura 10 Muharram | Tuesday, 15 June 2027 | 1449 AH |
| Mawlid an-Nabi 12 Rabi al-Awwal — the Prophet’s birthday | Saturday, 14 August 2027 | 1449 AH |
| Isra & Mi‘raj 27 Rajab (Shab-e-Mi‘raj) | Saturday, 25 December 2027 | 1449 AH |
Dates use the calculated Umm al-Qura calendar. The Islamic month begins at the sighting of the new moon, so the actual date in your country may differ by a day (occasionally two). Confirm Eid and Ramadan with your local moon-sighting authority.
The Islamic holidays and observances, explained
The Hijri year is punctuated by a handful of major dates, some of them festivals and others nights or days of heightened worship. Because they are fixed to lunar dates, each one moves earlier in the Gregorian year with each passing year. Here is what each observance marks:
The first day of Muharram opens a new Hijri year. It commemorates the Hijra — the migration of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE — the event from which the entire calendar counts its years (AH, Anno Hegirae). It is marked quietly, more as a reflection on the year past and the year ahead than as a celebration.
Falling on the tenth of Muharram, Ashura is a day of voluntary fasting encouraged in the Sunnah. The Prophet recommended fasting the 9th and 10th (or 10th and 11th) together. Across the Muslim world it is observed with fasting, charity and, for many communities, the remembrance of significant historical events.
Observed by many on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal, the Mawlid commemorates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. It is marked in numerous countries with public gatherings, recitation, charitable giving and, in some places, a public holiday. Observance is not universal — some communities do not mark it — which is why practice differs from region to region.
Commemorated on the 27th of Rajab (Shab-e-Mi‘raj), this remembers the Prophet’s miraculous night journey (Isra) from Mecca to Jerusalem and his ascension (Mi‘raj) through the heavens, during which the five daily prayers were ordained. Many spend the night in extra prayer and reflection.
The 15th night of Sha‘ban is spent by many in additional prayer, recitation of the Qur’an and seeking forgiveness, a spiritual preparation as Ramadan draws near. As with several optional observances, the emphasis and customs vary between communities.
The first of Ramadan begins the obligatory month-long fast from Fajr (dawn) to Maghrib (sunset). Alongside abstaining from food and drink during daylight, the month emphasises additional prayer, charity, restraint and reading of the Qur’an.
The Night of Decree, described as “better than a thousand months,” is sought within the last ten nights of Ramadan and is most widely associated with the 27th. It commemorates the beginning of the revelation of the Qur’an and is a night of intensive prayer.
The first of Shawwal marks Eid al-Fitr, the festival that breaks the Ramadan fast. The day begins with a special congregational Eid prayer, is preceded by the giving of Zakat al-Fitr to the poor, and is celebrated with family gatherings, new clothes and shared meals.
The 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah is the pinnacle of the Hajj, when pilgrims gather on the plain of Arafah near Mecca. For those not on pilgrimage, fasting this single day is a highly recommended act. It falls on the day before Eid al-Adha.
The 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah is Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, marking the culmination of the Hajj. It commemorates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice in obedience to God, and is observed with the Eid prayer and the distribution of meat to family, neighbours and the needy.
Exact Gregorian dates for the current and coming year are in the table above. Dates use the calculated Umm al-Qura calendar. The Islamic month begins at the sighting of the new moon, so the actual date in your country may differ by a day (occasionally two). Confirm Eid and Ramadan with your local moon-sighting authority.
How the Islamic calendar works
The Islamic, or Hijri, calendar is a lunar calendar of twelve months totalling 354 or 355 days. Its years are counted in AH (Anno Hegirae) from the Prophet Muhammad's migration — the Hijra — from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. Every month begins with the new crescent moon and lasts 29 or 30 days, and each calendar day begins not at midnight but at Maghrib, the moment of sunset. Because the twelve lunar cycles come to roughly eleven days fewer than a solar year, the whole Islamic calendar drifts earlier against the Gregorian one, completing a full loop through the seasons over about 33 years.
Why the dates move about 11 days each year
The eleven-day gap is the single most important thing to understand about the Islamic calendar. A Gregorian year has roughly 365 days; a Hijri year has about 354. That shortfall means every Islamic date — Ramadan, both Eids, Muharram, the Mawlid — arrives about eleven days earlier each Gregorian year than it did the year before. Over a lifetime, Ramadan can migrate all the way through winter, autumn, summer and spring. This is why you cannot simply memorise "Eid is in a certain month" the way you would a Gregorian holiday: the calendar shown on this page recalculates the correspondence every year. The table above gives the exact Gregorian dates for 2026 and 2027, and the converter lets you check any other year.
The four sacred months
Four of the twelve months — Muharram, Rajab, Dhu al-Qadah and Dhu al-Hijjah — are designated sacred months. In pre-Islamic Arabia and in early Islam, warfare was forbidden during these months, allowing safe travel for trade and pilgrimage. Three of them fall consecutively around the Hajj season (Dhu al-Qadah, Dhu al-Hijjah and Muharram), while Rajab stands alone in the middle of the year. They remain a time in which many increase their voluntary worship, charity and fasting.
How the start of each month is decided
Two approaches determine when a Hijri month begins, and they explain why the calendar can vary by a day between countries. Calculated calendars such as Saudi Arabia's Umm al-Qura — the source for the dates on this page — fix each month in advance using astronomical data, which is ideal for planning. Many communities, however, follow physical moon-sighting: a month begins only when the new crescent is actually seen locally or regionally. Since a newborn crescent may be too faint to spot, sighting-based regions sometimes start a month a day later, occasionally two. This is the ordinary reason Ramadan and Eid can fall on slightly different days in Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
Planning your year with the Hijri calendar
Beyond the festivals, the calendar shapes a steady cycle of devotion that many like to plan ahead:
- Ramadan: the month of fasting from dawn to sunset — see the Ramadan timetable for daily Suhoor and Iftar times.
- The last ten nights of Ramadan: when Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Decree, is sought, most often on the 27th.
- The first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah: among the most blessed days of the year, culminating in Arafah and Eid al-Adha.
- The white days: voluntary fasting on the 13th, 14th and 15th of each month.
- Zakat: calculated on a full lunar year, so tracking the Hijri date helps you know when it is due.
The 12 months of the Islamic calendar
The year always runs through the same twelve months in the same order. Below is each month with the observances and significance most associated with it:
Muharram is the first month of the Hijri year and one of the four sacred months in which warfare was traditionally forbidden. Its tenth day, Ashura, is widely observed with voluntary fasting following the practice of the Prophet, and for many communities it also carries deep historical remembrance.
Safar is the second month. Certain pre-Islamic and cultural superstitions treated it as unlucky or ill-omened, but there is no basis for this in authentic teaching — it is an ordinary month like any other, and many scholars stress that no month itself brings misfortune.
Rabi al-Awwal is best known for the Mawlid, the commemoration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth, observed by many on the 12th with gatherings, charity, poetry and remembrance. Practice varies: some communities mark it as a public holiday while others do not observe it.
Rabi al-Thani, also called Rabi al-Akhir, is the fourth month. It has no major fixed observance in the calendar and is, for most communities, a quiet stretch of the year devoted to regular worship and voluntary fasting such as the mid-month “white days”.
Jumada al-Ula is the fifth month. Its name recalls the dry, parched season of pre-Islamic Arabia when the lunar month names were first fixed — a reminder that the original names were tied to the seasons, even though the lunar year now drifts across them.
Jumada al-Akhirah, also called Jumada al-Thani, is the sixth month and completes the pair of “Jumada” months. Like its predecessor it carries no major fixed festival, and remains a period for regular prayer, charity and the recommended voluntary fasts.
Rajab is the seventh month and another of the four sacred months. Many observe the night of the 27th as Isra and Mi‘raj — the Prophet’s night journey and ascension — and the month is traditionally treated as a spiritual preparation for the season leading to Ramadan.
Sha‘ban is the eighth month and immediately precedes Ramadan. Its 15th night, known as Shab-e-Barat or Mid-Sha‘ban, is spent by many in extra prayer and seeking forgiveness. It is also the customary time to make up any fasts missed from the previous Ramadan.
Ramadan, the ninth month, is the month of obligatory fasting from dawn (Fajr) to sunset (Maghrib). It marks the revelation of the Qur’an, is filled with additional night prayer (Taraweeh), and its final ten nights hold Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Decree.
Shawwal is the tenth month and opens with Eid al-Fitr on its first day, the festival that breaks the Ramadan fast. Many follow Eid with six voluntary fasts during Shawwal, which together with Ramadan are likened in reward to fasting the entire year.
Dhu al-Qadah is the eleventh month and one of the four sacred months. It is the first of the Hajj months, the period of peace in which pilgrims traditionally began their journey toward Mecca before the rites of pilgrimage in the following month.
Dhu al-Hijjah is the twelfth and final month, the month of the Hajj pilgrimage. Its first ten days are considered especially blessed, the 9th is the Day of Arafah, and the 10th is Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice that commemorates the devotion of Prophet Ibrahim.
Gregorian ↔ Hijri date converter
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Dates use the calculated Umm al-Qura calendar. The Islamic month begins at the sighting of the new moon, so the actual date in your country may differ by a day (occasionally two). Confirm Eid and Ramadan with your local moon-sighting authority.
Check the exact Islamic date today and daily prayer times.
Common questions
When does the Islamic year 1448 AH fall?
1448 AH runs across 2026 and 2027 in the Gregorian calendar. Today is 26 Rabi al-Thani 1448 AH. Key dates such as Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are listed above.
Why do Islamic holidays change date every year?
The Hijri calendar is lunar (354–355 days), about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year, so each Islamic holiday falls ~11 days earlier each Gregorian year.
Are these Eid and Ramadan dates confirmed?
They are the calculated Umm al-Qura dates. The actual start of Ramadan and Eid depends on the sighting of the new moon and may differ by a day in your country — always confirm locally.
Which months of the Islamic calendar are sacred?
Four months are sacred: Muharram, Rajab, Dhu al-Qadah and Dhu al-Hijjah. In these months warfare was traditionally forbidden and many increase their voluntary worship.
How long is the Islamic year compared with the Gregorian year?
The Hijri year is 354 or 355 days — about eleven days shorter than the 365-day Gregorian year — so Islamic dates fall roughly eleven days earlier each Gregorian year.
When is Ramadan in 2027?
Ramadan moves about 11 days earlier each year. The exact Gregorian start date for the current and coming year is shown in the holidays table above; use the converter for any other year.