29 or 30 days
The Hijri calendar is lunar: each month begins with the new crescent moon. The moon takes about 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes on average to go from one new moon to the next, so a month can’t have a fixed length. It has either 29 or 30 days, never 28 and never 31.
The months don’t alternate in a fixed pattern. Two 30-day months, or even three, can come in a row. Over the 300 years the Umm al-Qura calendar covers (1300 to 1600 AH), about 53% of months have 30 days and 47% have 29.
How Umm al-Qura sets the length
Saudi Arabia’s official Umm al-Qura calendar is worked out in advance from astronomy. On the 29th day of a month, if the new moon (conjunction) happens before sunset in Makkah, and the moon sets after the sun, the next day is the 1st of the new month, making the month 29 days. Otherwise the month completes 30 days.
For Ramadan, Shawwal and Dhu al-Hijjah, the start of the month is confirmed by moon sighting and announced officially, so these months can begin a day earlier or later than the printed calendar.
Days in each month of 1447, 1448 and 1449
| Month | 1447 | 1448 | 1448 starts on | 1449 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muharram | 30 | 29 | 16 June 2026 | 29 |
| Safar | 29 | 30 | 15 July 2026 | 29 |
| Rabi al-Awwal | 30 | 29 | 14 August 2026 | 30 |
| Rabi al-Akhir | 30 | 30 | 12 September 2026 | 29 |
| Jumada al-Ula | 30 | 30 | 12 October 2026 | 30 |
| Jumada al-Akhirah | 29 | 29 | 11 November 2026 | 29 |
| Rajab | 30 | 30 | 10 December 2026 | 30 |
| Shaban | 29 | 30 | 9 January 2027 | 30 |
| Ramadan | 30 | 29 | 8 February 2027 | 29 |
| Shawwal | 29 | 30 | 9 March 2027 | 30 |
| Dhu al-Qadah | 30 | 29 | 8 April 2027 | 30 |
| Dhu al-Hijjah | 29 | 30 | 7 May 2027 | 29 |
Totals: 1447 has 355 days, 1448 has 355 days and 1449 has 354 days.
Counting days and ages
Because Hijri months vary, you can’t count Hijri days by multiplying months by 30. To count days between dates, use days between dates, and to convert a date, use the Hijri to Gregorian converter. Today’s date, and the days left in the current month, are on today’s Hijri date, and the full year is in the Hijri calendar.