Hijri Calendar — Islamic Date Converter & Monthly View
The Hijri calendar (also known as the Islamic calendar or lunar calendar) is the official religious calendar used by Muslims worldwide to determine Islamic occasions and worship timings. It is based on the lunar cycle, with each month beginning at the sighting of the new crescent moon. The Islamic year consists of 12 lunar months totalling 354 or 355 days — approximately 11 days shorter than the Gregorian solar year. This is why Islamic occasions advance by about 10–12 days each year relative to the Gregorian calendar, cycling through all four seasons over a 33-year period.
The Hijri calendar was established by the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab in 17 AH (638 CE), dating the calendar from the year of the Prophet Muhammad's migration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. Today it is officially used in Saudi Arabia and several other Muslim countries for determining religious dates, and is followed by over 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide.
The 12 Hijri Months and Their Duration
The Islamic year is divided into 12 months: Muharram (30 days), Safar (29), Rabīʿ al-Awwal (30), Rabīʿ al-Thānī (29), Jumādā al-Awwal (30), Jumādā al-Thānī (29), Rajab (30), Shaʿbān (29), Ramaḍān (30), Shawwāl (29), Dhū al-Qaʿda (30), Dhū al-Ḥijja (29 or 30 in a leap year). Four months are considered sacred in Islam: Muharram, Rajab, Dhū al-Qaʿda, and Dhū al-Ḥijja, known as the 'forbidden months'.
Major Islamic Occasions in the Hijri Calendar
The Hijri calendar marks many significant religious events: the Islamic New Year on 1 Muharram, Ashura on 10 Muharram, the Prophet's Birthday (Mawlid) on 12 Rabīʿ al-Awwal, Isra and Miraj on 27 Rajab, the start of Ramadan fasting on 1 Ramaḍān, Laylat al-Qadr on 27 Ramaḍān, Eid al-Fitr on 1 Shawwāl, the Day of Arafat on 9 Dhū al-Ḥijja, and Eid al-Adha on 10 Dhū al-Ḥijja.
How to Use the Hijri Calendar Tool
This tool lets you instantly convert dates in both directions. To convert a Gregorian date to Hijri: select 'Gregorian → Hijri', enter the day, month, and year, then click 'Convert' to get the corresponding Hijri date. To convert a Hijri date to Gregorian: select 'Hijri → Gregorian' and enter the Hijri date. You can also browse Hijri months using the navigation arrows, with Islamic occasions highlighted directly on the calendar grid. Click 'Today' to return to the current month at any time.
Difference Between the Hijri and Gregorian Calendars
The key difference is that the Hijri calendar is a purely lunar calendar based on the moon's cycle (~29.5 days per month), while the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar based on the Earth's orbit around the sun (365.25 days). The Hijri year is 10–12 days shorter, which means Islamic events cycle through all seasons over a 33-year period. The year 1447 AH corresponds to parts of 2025 and 2026 CE. Note that the algorithmic tabular Hijri calendar used in this tool may differ by 1–2 days from the official Umm al-Qura calendar used in Saudi Arabia, which relies on actual moon sighting.