Islamic New Year Images Wishes Greetings Sms Quote

The Islamic New Year, also known as Arabic New Year or Hijri New Year (Arabic: رأس السنة الهجرية‎‎ Raʼs al-Sanah al-Hijrīyah) is the day that marks the beginning of a new Islamic calendar year, and is the day on which the year count is incremented. The first day of the year is observed on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. The first Islamic year begins in 622 AD with the emigration of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijra.[dubious – discuss] All religious duties, such as prayer, fasting in the month of Ramadan, and pilgrimage, and the dates of significant events, such as celebration of holy nights and festivals, are calculated according to the lunar calendar.


A day in the Islamic calendar is defined as beginning at sunset. For example, 1 Muharram 1432 was defined to correspond to 7 or 8 December 2010 in official calendars (depending on the country). For an observation-based calendar, a sighting of the new moon at sunset of 6 December would mean that 1 Muharram lasted from the moment of sunset of 6 December to the moment of sunset of 7 December, while in places where the new moon was not sighted on 6 December, 1 Muharram would last from the moment of sunset of 7 December to the moment of sunset of 8 December.


Muslims across the world will welcome the Islamic New Year next week, which will mark the beginning of Muharram – the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

Like other Islamic celebrations, the dates differ from year to year in relation to the Gregorian calendar, as they are based on the lunar cycle.

What is Islamic New Year?

The Islamic New Year begins with the sighting of the new moon at sunset. The new moon signals the beginning of the month of Muharram – one of the four holy months of the Islamic calendar.

The Hijri New Year is the name given to the first day of the month.

Muharram is the second most holy month of the Islamic year, after Ramadan.

The word Muharram means “forbidden”, and many Muslims fast during this period. Muharram marks the anniversary of the historical battle of Karbala, when the grandson of Muhammad, Imam Hussein ibn Ali, was killed, and is widely commemorated by Shia Muslims.

The New Year also commemorates the emigration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, which was known as the Hijra, and gives the day its name.

Islamic years are usually followed by the letter ‘H’, for Hijra, or ‘AH’, for the Latin term Anno Hegirae, meaning ‘in the year of the Hijra’.

When is it?

Hijri New Year will fall on 3 October for most Muslims this year.

The Islamic calendar, or Hijri calandear, is based on lunar cycles and for this reason, it means the dates of significant events shift each year in comparison to the Gregorian calendar.

In some Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, astronomical calculations are used to determine the dates of the Islamic calendar, instead of the sighting of a new moon, and for this reason, there are sometimes differences of up to two days between those groups using lunar sightings and those using astronomical calculations.