Islamic Months: Names, Meanings and What Happens in Each
The twelve Hijri months in order with the meaning of each name, the four sacred months, and the fasts, Eids and events that fall in each month of the year.
This guide explains common views and sources. It is not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a scholar or imam you trust.
The Hijri year has twelve months, each beginning with a new crescent and lasting 29 or 30 days. Their names come from pre-Islamic Arabia and mostly describe the weather or the customs of the season in which they were originally fixed. This page lists them in order with the meaning of the name, what is observed in the month, and the expected dates for 1448–1449 AH (June 2026 – June 2027).
All dates are expected, from the Umm al-Qura calendar; the actual date in your country depends on moon sighting or the local authority and may differ by a day. The Hijri converter gives the live date.
The twelve months
| # | Month | Meaning of the name (well-known explanation) | Sacred? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muharram | "Forbidden", "sacred": fighting was prohibited | Yes |
| 2 | Safar | "Empty": homes were emptied as people travelled | No |
| 3 | Rabi' al-Awwal | "First spring" | No |
| 4 | Rabi' al-Thani (al-Akhir) | "Second spring" | No |
| 5 | Jumada al-Ula | "First (month of) dryness" or "freezing", from a root meaning to dry up or freeze | No |
| 6 | Jumada al-Akhirah (al-Thaniyah) | "Last (month of) dryness" | No |
| 7 | Rajab | "Revered", from a root meaning to respect | Yes |
| 8 | Sha'ban | "Scattering": tribes dispersed in search of water | No |
| 9 | Ramadan | From "ramad", scorching heat | No |
| 10 | Shawwal | "Raising", traditionally linked to she-camels raising their tails | No |
| 11 | Dhul Qa'dah | "The one of sitting": people stayed home, no fighting | Yes |
| 12 | Dhul Hijjah | "The one of the pilgrimage" | Yes |
These etymologies are the ones commonly given in Arabic dictionaries and early sources; a few have alternative explanations, and the names are far older than the Islamic calendar itself.
The four sacred months
The Qur'an says that the number of months with Allah is twelve, of which four are sacred (9:36). In his Farewell sermon the Prophet (peace be upon him) named them: three consecutive, Dhul Qa'dah, Dhul Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab, which stands alone between Jumada and Sha'ban (reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim). The three consecutive months allowed pilgrims to travel to Makkah, perform Hajj and return in safety; Rajab allowed 'umrah in the middle of the year.
Today the practical meaning is that good deeds in these months are regarded as weightier and sins more serious. There is no extra obligatory worship attached to them.
Month by month: what happens
1. Muharram
Expected 1 Muharram 1449: Sunday 6 June 2027. The Islamic New Year is a date, not a festival; there is no prescribed celebration. The Prophet called Muharram the best month for fasting after Ramadan (Muslim 1163), and the 10th, Ashura, carries the expiation of the previous year's sins (Muslim 1162), with the 9th recommended alongside it. See Islamic New Year 1449 and Ashura 2027.
2. Safar
No specific worship. Some pre-Islamic superstitions treated Safar as an unlucky month; the Prophet denied that any month brings bad luck, in a hadith reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
3. Rabi' al-Awwal
The month in which the Prophet's birth is traditionally placed (12 Rabi' al-Awwal in the most common view) and also the month of his migration to Madinah and of his death. Some communities mark the Mawlid with gatherings and recitation; others do not observe it, holding that it was not practised by the early generations. Both views have scholarly support; for your community's practice, ask a scholar or imam you trust.
4. Rabi' al-Thani
No specific worship.
5–6. Jumada al-Ula and Jumada al-Akhirah
No specific worship. These are the months roughly three and four months before Ramadan; a good time to clear missed fasts from the previous year.
7. Rajab
Expected 1 Rajab 1448: Thursday 10 December 2026. A sacred month. The Isra and Mi'raj is widely placed on 27 Rajab, though the date is not established with certainty, and there is no specific worship for that night in the authentic sunnah. Many people begin their Ramadan preparation in Rajab, which gives about two months.
8. Sha'ban
Expected 1 Sha'ban 1448: Saturday 9 January 2027. The Prophet fasted more in Sha'ban than in any month other than Ramadan (reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim). It is the month to finish qada fasts, settle the Ramadan routine and check the Ramadan timetable for your city. The middle of Sha'ban (15th, expected 23 January 2027) is observed by some communities with night prayer; scholars differ on the specific virtue, so ask a scholar you trust.
9. Ramadan
Expected 1 Ramadan 1448: Monday 8 February 2027, 29 days. The month of fasting and of the Qur'an (2:185), with tarawih at night, the last ten nights and Laylat al-Qadr. The Ramadan 2027 page has everything from timetables to the last ten nights.
10. Shawwal
Expected 1 Shawwal 1448: Tuesday 9 March 2027. Eid al-Fitr on the 1st, when fasting is forbidden. Fasting six days of Shawwal after Ramadan is like fasting the whole year (Muslim 1164); see the six days of Shawwal. Shawwal is also the first of the months of Hajj.
11. Dhul Qa'dah
Expected 1 Dhul Qa'dah 1448: Wednesday 7 April 2027. A sacred month and the second month of Hajj. No specific worship; the general voluntary fasts apply.
12. Dhul Hijjah
Expected 1 Dhul Hijjah 1448: Friday 7 May 2027. The month of Hajj. The first ten days are described in the hadith as days in which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than in any other (Bukhari 969). Fasting the first nine is recommended, especially the Day of Arafah on the 9th (Saturday 15 May 2027); Eid al-Adha is on the 10th (Sunday 16 May) followed by the three days of tashreeq, on which fasting is forbidden. See the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah.
Voluntary fasts that fall in every month
Independent of the month, the sunnah includes:
- Mondays and Thursdays, when deeds are presented (Tirmidhi 747).
- The white days, the 13th, 14th and 15th of each Hijri month (Tirmidhi 761).
Fasting is not permitted on the two Eids or on the days of tashreeq (11–13 Dhul Hijjah).
Remembering the order
A simple grouping helps: two singles (Muharram, Safar), two pairs (the two Rabi', the two Jumada), three singles (Rajab, Sha'ban, Ramadan), then three closing months (Shawwal, Dhul Qa'dah, Dhul Hijjah). The Hijri calendar explained page shows how the months move through the seasons, and the Islamic calendar 2027 lays out the whole coming year.
Useful tools
Questions and answers
Which are the four sacred months?
Dhul Qa'dah, Dhul Hijjah and Muharram (three in a row) and Rajab. The Qur'an mentions four sacred months (9:36), and the Prophet named them in his Farewell sermon, reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
What is special about a sacred month?
Fighting was forbidden in them in Arabia, so pilgrims could travel safely. Good deeds in them are considered weightier and wrongdoing more serious. There are no extra obligatory acts tied to them.
Is Rajab a month of special fasting?
There is no authentic hadith singling out Rajab for fasting; the general voluntary fasts (Mondays, Thursdays, the white days) apply as in any month. Some scholars note that fasting in the sacred months in general is encouraged. Ask a scholar you trust if in doubt.
Why are there two Rabi' and two Jumada months?
The names describe the seasons when they were fixed in pre-Islamic Arabia: two months of spring and two of dryness or cold. Because the calendar is lunar, the names no longer match the actual seasons.
Which month is the Islamic year's first?
Muharram. The year 1449 AH is expected to begin on Sunday 6 June 2027.
Sources
- Qur'an 9:36
- Qur'an 2:185
- Sahih al-Bukhari 969
- Sahih Muslim 1163
- Sahih Muslim 1162
- Sahih Muslim 1164