Islamic (Hijri) Months in Order: Names, Meanings and Days

The Islamic year has 12 lunar months, from Muharram to Dhu al-Hijjah, each lasting 29 or 30 days. Below you’ll find the months in order with their numbers and Arabic spellings, what each name means, the four sacred months, and exactly when each month starts in 1448 AH.

The 12 Islamic (Hijri) months in order

The number is what appears in numeric dates on Saudi documents: 12/11/1415 means 12 Dhu al-Qa'dah 1415 AH. To find its Gregorian equivalent, use the Hijri to Gregorian converter.

What each Islamic month name means

The names are pre-Islamic Arabic. Their origins come from classical Arabic dictionaries, and some have more than one explanation:

• Muharram means “forbidden”: fighting was not allowed in it.
• Safar is linked to “empty”: homes were said to empty as people travelled or went to war after the sacred months.
• Rabi' al-Awwal and Rabi' al-Thani mean the first and second “spring”, when the names were given.
• Jumada al-Ula and Jumada al-Akhirah relate to “freezing”, as they once fell in winter.
• Rajab comes from “to respect”: the month was honoured and fighting stopped.
• Sha'ban is linked to “dispersing”, as tribes spread out to find water.
• Ramadan comes from ramda', “scorching heat”.
• Shawwal is said to refer to camels lifting their tails at that time of year.
• Dhu al-Qa'dah means “the one of sitting”: people stayed put and avoided fighting before Hajj.
• Dhu al-Hijjah means “the one of pilgrimage”, the month of Hajj.

The four sacred months

The Quran mentions that four of the twelve months are sacred: Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah and Muharram, which run consecutively, and Rajab on its own.

How many days are in a Hijri month?

Exactly 29 or 30, because a lunar cycle averages about 29.53 days. No month is always 30; the length depends on the moon sighting or, in the Umm al-Qura calendar, on calculation. A Hijri year therefore has 354 or 355 days, which is why your Hijri age is higher than your Gregorian age.

Key dates by month

• Muharram: Islamic New Year on the 1st; Ashura on the 10th.
• Ramadan: the month of fasting, with Laylat al-Qadr in the last ten nights. See the Ramadan countdown.
• Shawwal: Eid al-Fitr on the 1st.
• Dhu al-Hijjah: Hajj; the Day of Arafah on the 9th and Eid al-Adha on the 10th. See the Eid countdown.

1448 AH months in Gregorian dates

No Hijri month is tied to a Gregorian month; each one starts about 11 days earlier every year. In 1448 AH, according to Umm al-Qura:

To see the current Hijri month day by day, open today’s Hijri date.