A calendar that follows the moon
The Hijri calendar is lunar. Each month begins with a new crescent moon, so months are 29 or 30 days long, and a year of twelve months is about 354 or 355 days.
That’s roughly 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. As a result, Islamic occasions move about 11 days earlier every Gregorian year. Ramadan moves through all the seasons over about 33 years.
Where it starts
Year 1 of the Hijri calendar is the year of the Hijrah, the Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE. The calendar was established during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab.
The twelve months
| # | Month | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muharram | The Islamic New Year |
| 2 | Safar | |
| 3 | Rabi al-Awwal | |
| 4 | Rabi al-Akhir | Also called Rabi al-Thani |
| 5 | Jumada al-Ula | |
| 6 | Jumada al-Akhirah | |
| 7 | Rajab | |
| 8 | Sha’ban | |
| 9 | Ramadan | The month of fasting |
| 10 | Shawwal | Eid al-Fitr on the 1st |
| 11 | Dhu al-Qa’dah | |
| 12 | Dhu al-Hijjah | Hajj; the Day of Arafah on the 9th, Eid al-Adha on the 10th |
Umm al-Qura: Saudi Arabia’s official calendar
Saudi Arabia’s official Hijri calendar is the Umm al-Qura calendar. Its months are calculated astronomically for Makkah, so dates can be printed years in advance. It’s used for official documents and many administrative dates.
Moon sighting and the religious dates
For the start of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr (1 Shawwal) and the Hajj month of Dhu al-Hijjah, Saudi Arabia relies on sighting the new crescent moon, and the dates are announced officially. The announced start can be a day earlier or later than the Umm al-Qura date.
That’s why countdowns and calendars, including ours, say that Ramadan and Eid dates are confirmed by moon sighting.
Converting between the calendars
Because the two calendars drift apart by about 11 days a year, there’s no simple formula for converting in your head. Use the Hijri and Gregorian converter for any date from 1300 to 1600 AH, or see how long is left until Ramadan and Eid with the Ramadan countdown.