What Is the Hijri Calendar?

The Hijri Calendar — also known as the Islamic calendar or the Muslim calendar — is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used by Muslims across the world to determine the proper days on which to observe Ramadan, celebrate Eid al-Fitr, perform the Hajj pilgrimage, and mark other Islamic holy days.

The calendar begins from the year of the Hijra — the migration of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE. This year is counted as 1 AH (Anno Hegirae), meaning “in the year of the Hijra.”

How Does the Hijri Calendar Work?

Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which follows the solar year, the Hijri Calendar is based on the cycles of the moon. Each month begins with the sighting of the new crescent moon (Hilal). This means:

• A Hijri year is approximately 10 to 11 days shorter than a Gregorian year.
• Islamic months and festivals move backwards through the Gregorian calendar each year.
• Ramadan, for example, falls in a different Gregorian month every two to three years.

The 12 Months of the Hijri Calendar

What Is Today’s Hijri Date?

Today’s Hijri date changes daily and depends on moon sighting in your region. Our free Hijri Calendar tool above gives you the accurate Islamic date for today based on the Umm al-Qura calculation method, widely accepted by Islamic scholars and institutions worldwide.

Hijri to Gregorian Date Conversion

Need to convert a Hijri date to Gregorian — or the other way around? Our tool does this instantly. Simply enter any date and get the accurate equivalent in either calendar system. This is especially useful for:

• Planning Islamic events, weddings, and aqiqahs
• Calculating the age of a child born on a specific Hijri date
• Checking when Ramadan or Eid falls in a given Gregorian year
• Academic or historical research into Islamic dates

Why Does Ramadan Move Each Year?

Because the Hijri Calendar is lunar, it is approximately 10–11 days shorter than the solar Gregorian year. This means Ramadan shifts earlier by roughly that amount each Gregorian year, completing a full cycle through all seasons over approximately 33 years.

The Four Sacred Months in Islam

Allah mentions four sacred months in the Quran (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:36). These are:

1. Muharram (1st month)
2. Rajab (7th month)
3. Dhul Qi’dah (11th month)
4. Dhul Hijjah (12th month)

Fighting and sin are considered especially grave during these months, and extra worship and good deeds are highly encouraged.

Key Islamic Dates in the Hijri Calendar

• 1 Muharram — Islamic New Year
• 10 Muharram — Day of Ashura
• 12 Rabi’ al-Awwal — Mawlid an-Nabi (Birth of the Prophet ﷺ)
• 27 Rajab — Isra’ wal-Mi’raj (Night Journey)
• 15 Sha’ban — Laylat al-Bara’at (Night of Forgiveness)
• 1 Ramadan — Start of the fasting month
• 27 Ramadan — Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power)
• 1 Shawwal — Eid al-Fitr
• 8–13 Dhul Hijjah — Hajj season
• 10 Dhul Hijjah — Eid al-Adha

Free Hijri Calendar at NoorWay

At NoorWay, we’ve built a free, ad-free Hijri Calendar tool that you can use right now — no download, no account, no subscription. It’s part of our growing library of over 20 free Islamic tools designed to help Muslims in their daily lives.

Whether you’re looking for today’s Islamic date, planning ahead for Ramadan, or converting a historical date, our Hijri Calendar has you covered — for free, always.

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Q: What is the Hijri Calendar? A: The Hijri Calendar is the Islamic lunar calendar that marks the passage of time from the year of the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ migration (Hijra) from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE.

Q: What is today’s Hijri date? A: Today’s Hijri date can be found using our free Hijri Calendar tool above, which calculates the accurate Islamic date based on the Umm al-Qura method.

Q: How many days are in a Hijri year? A: A Hijri year has 354 or 355 days, which is 10–11 days shorter than a Gregorian solar year.

Q: How do I convert a Gregorian date to Hijri? A: Use the date conversion feature in our Hijri Calendar tool. Enter any Gregorian date and instantly get the corresponding Hijri date.

Q: Why does Ramadan fall on different dates each year? A: Because the Hijri Calendar is lunar, it is shorter than the solar Gregorian year, so Ramadan shifts backwards by roughly 10–11 days each year.