What is the Hijri calendar?

The Hijri (Islamic) calendar is a lunar calendar of 12 months totaling 354 or 355 days, about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. It began with the Prophet Muhammad's migration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE.

How accurate is this converter?

This tool uses the tabular Hijri calendar (arithmetical calculation) which is accurate within 1-2 days. Actual Islamic months begin at local crescent moon sighting, so official dates may vary by region.

Why is the Hijri date sometimes off by one day?

The Islamic calendar is lunar, and a new month traditionally begins with the physical sighting of the crescent moon. Astronomical calculation may predict a day that differs from local moon-sighting, so dates can vary by about one day between regions and methods.

How many days shorter is the Islamic year?

The lunar Hijri year is about 354 days, roughly 11 days shorter than the 365-day Gregorian solar year. This is why Islamic dates and months like Ramadan shift earlier each year relative to the Gregorian calendar.

Does the Hijri calendar use moon sighting or calculation?

Both approaches exist. Many communities rely on actual moon-sighting to begin each month, while others use astronomical calculation for advance planning. This converter uses calculation, which may differ by a day from a local sighting.

Why do Islamic dates shift earlier each year?

Because the lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, each Hijri date moves roughly 11 days earlier on the Gregorian calendar annually. Over about 33 years, a given Islamic month cycles through all the seasons.

Can this converter set the exact start of a month?

It gives a calculated date that is excellent for planning, but the official start of months such as Ramadan is determined by local moon-sighting authorities. For binding religious dates, confirm with your local mosque or moon-sighting committee.

Hijri ↔ Gregorian Date Converter

How to use Hijri ↔ Gregorian Date Converter

Convert any date between the Hijri (Islamic lunar) calendar and the Gregorian calendar instantly. The Hijri calendar is approximately 354 days long — about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year — so Islamic events shift earlier each solar year. This tool supports both conversion directions: enter a Hijri date to see its Gregorian equivalent, or enter a Gregorian date to find the corresponding Hijri month and day, with full month names displayed in both Arabic and English.

Select the conversion direction: Hijri to Gregorian, or Gregorian to Hijri.
Enter the day, month, and year for the date you want to convert.
Click "Convert" to see the equivalent date in the other calendar system.
View the Hijri month name in both English transliteration and Arabic script.
Use the result to plan for Islamic events such as Ramadan, Eid, or Muharram.

Your data never leaves your device — 100% private processing.

How the Hijri calendar works

The Islamic Hijri calendar is a purely lunar calendar consisting of 12 months, each beginning with the new crescent moon. A Hijri year is either 354 or 355 days, making it roughly 11 days shorter than the 365-day Gregorian year. Over a 33-year Gregorian cycle, the Hijri calendar completes approximately 34 years — meaning every Islamic date rotates through all seasons over time. The calendar begins from the migration (Hijra) of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, which marks the year 1 AH (Anno Hegirae).

The 12 Hijri months
Month	Arabic name	Transliteration	Notable
1	مُحَرَّم	Muharram	Sacred month; Islamic New Year (1 Muharram)
2	صَفَر	Safar	—
3	رَبِيع الأَوَّل	Rabi al-Awwal	Birth of the Prophet (Mawlid, 12th)
4	رَبِيع الثَّانِي	Rabi al-Thani	—
5	جُمَادَى الأُولَى	Jumada al-Ula	—
6	جُمَادَى الآخِرَة	Jumada al-Akhirah	—
7	رَجَب	Rajab	Sacred month; Isra wal-Miraj (27th)
8	شَعْبَان	Shaban	Precedes Ramadan; Laylat al-Baraat (15th)
9	رَمَضَان	Ramadan	Month of fasting (obligatory sawm)
10	شَوَّال	Shawwal	Eid al-Fitr on 1st; six optional fasts
11	ذُو القَعْدَة	Dhul Qadah	Sacred month; pilgrim travel begins
12	ذُو الحِجَّة	Dhul Hijjah	Hajj; Eid al-Adha on 10th; Day of Arafah 9th

Algorithmic vs. observational Hijri dates

Two conventions exist for determining the start of each Hijri month. The observational method relies on actual sighting of the new crescent moon (hilal), which can vary by one day depending on location, weather, and atmospheric conditions. The tabular (algorithmic) method uses pre-calculated rules — a 30-year cycle in which 11 years are leap years of 355 days — giving a fixed calendar ideal for conversion software. Calculated dates may therefore differ by one or two days from officially announced dates in any given country. For religious obligations such as the start of Ramadan, official announcements from the relevant scholarly or governmental authority take precedence over algorithmic output.

Worked examples

Gregorian to Hijri

Inputs: January 1, 2025

Result: ≈ Rajab 1, 1446 AH (±1 day by moon sighting)

Hijri to Gregorian

Inputs: 1 Ramadan, 1446 AH

Result: ≈ March 1, 2025 (±1 day by moon sighting)

Glossary

Hijri (AH): Anno Hegirae — the Islamic calendar era counted from 622 CE, the year of the Prophet's migration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina, which marks year 1 AH.
Lunar month: A month defined by one complete cycle of the moon's phases, averaging approximately 29.5 days; the Hijri calendar uses 12 such months per year.
Hilal: The thin crescent moon visible shortly after the astronomical new moon, traditionally used to mark the beginning of each new Hijri month.
Gregorian calendar: The solar calendar in international civil use today, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, with 365 days per year and a leap year every four years.
Tabular calendar: An algorithmically pre-calculated version of the Hijri calendar based on a fixed 30-year cycle; widely used in date conversion software when crescent sighting is not practical.

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Hijri ↔ Gregorian Date Converter

How to use Hijri ↔ Gregorian Date Converter

How the Hijri calendar works

Algorithmic vs. observational Hijri dates

Worked examples

Glossary

Related reading

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use Hijri ↔ Gregorian Date Converter?

Common use cases

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