Hijri Date Guide: Islamic Calendar, Moon Sighting and Conversion

The Islamic calendar follows the moon: twelve lunar months of 29 or 30 days make 354 or 355 days, about eleven days shorter than the solar year. That is why Ramadan slides through the seasons, arriving eleven days earlier each Gregorian year.

Month names you will meet constantly: Muharram, Safar, Rabi al-Awwal, Rabi al-Akhir, Jumada al-Ula, Jumada al-Akhirah, Rajab, Sha'ban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhul-Qa'dah, Dhul-Hijjah. Four are sacred, with Rajab standing alone and the other three consecutive.

A Hijri month begins when the new crescent is sighted, and skies differ. Saudi Arabia follows the Umm al-Qura calendar, while India and Pakistan wait for local hilal committees. The result: the same evening can be the 29th in one country and the 30th in another.

Neither is wrong. Classical scholars accepted regional moons, and modern fatwa councils confirm it. Our converter handles this with a region switch, Saudi plus one by default, India on tabular, plus a manual stepper of two days either way, saved on your device.

Pick any Gregorian date and the tool computes its tabular Hijri equivalent with the Kuwaiti algorithm, the same arithmetic behind most printed calendars. Type a birthday to find your Hijri birthday, or step day by day across Ramadan boundaries.

Tabular math can sit a day or two off the sighted moon in either direction. For fasting and Eid, always confirm with your local mosque announcement, then nudge the region adjustment to match.

Ramadan, the fasting month. Shawwal 1, Eid al-Fitr. Dhul-Hijjah 9, Day of Arafah, then Eid al-Adha on the 10th. Muharram 1, Islamic New Year, and Ashura on the 10th. Mawlid on Rabi al-Awwal 12. Our countdown tool tracks the next occurrence of each automatically.