Islamic New Year 2027

Also called and spelled: Hijri New Year, 1 Muharram, Ras as-Sanah al-Hijriyyah, Islamic New Year, Hijri New Year, Muharram ul Haram, 1 Muharram, Islami Naya Saal.

The Islamic New Year begins on the 1st of Muharram, the first month of the Hijri calendar. It marks the start of a new Hijri year and, unlike the Gregorian New Year, is a quiet occasion: there is no special prayer or celebration for it in the Sunnah. For many Muslims it is a moment to look back on the year that passed and to begin Muharram, one of the four sacred months.

Why the calendar starts with the Hijrah

For years after the Prophet's (ﷺ) death, Muslims dated events by notable happenings rather than by a numbered year. In about 17 AH (638 CE), the caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab gathered the Companions to settle on an era for official letters. They chose the Hijrah, the Prophet's migration from Makkah to Madinah, because it marked the start of an independent Muslim community.

The migration itself took place in Rabi al-Awwal, but the Companions began the count from the start of that lunar year, and chose Muharram as its first month, the month in which people returned from Hajj. So 1 Muharram 1 AH corresponds to 16 July 622 CE in the Julian calendar.

How long is a Hijri year?

A Hijri year has 12 lunar months of 29 or 30 days, 354 or 355 days in all. That is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, so the Islamic New Year moves through the seasons, arriving about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year. Over 33 Gregorian years there are about 34 Hijri years, which is why the Hijri count (1449) is catching up on the Gregorian one (2027).

Muharram, the sacred month

Muharram is one of the four sacred months named in the Quran (9:36), alongside Rajab, Dhul Qadah and Dhul Hijjah. The Prophet (ﷺ) called it "the month of Allah" and said the best fasting after Ramadan is fasting in Muharram (Sahih Muslim 1163). Its 10th day is Ashura, the day the Prophet (ﷺ) fasted and encouraged others to fast.

Is there a New Year dua?

No dua or prayer is established specifically for the Hijri New Year. Messages that promise great rewards for reciting a certain dua at the end or start of the year have no authentic source. What the Sunnah does give is the dua for seeing a new crescent, which suits the first night of Muharram as it does every month (Tirmidhi 3451):

اللَّهُمَّ أَهِلَّهُ عَلَيْنَا بِالْيُمْنِ وَالْإِيمَانِ، وَالسَّلَامَةِ وَالْإِسْلَامِ، رَبِّي وَرَبُّكَ اللهُ

"O Allah, bring this moon upon us with blessing and faith, with safety and Islam. My Lord and your Lord is Allah."

How the new year is marked in Pakistan and India

• A quiet day. There is no public celebration in the Sunni tradition. Many people send Islamic New Year greetings and make personal resolutions for the year.
• The start of Muharram mourning. For Shia Muslims, the new year opens the period of mourning for Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), who was martyred at Karbala on 10 Muharram 61 AH. Majalis begin from the first night, building up to Ashura.
• Public holidays. In Pakistan, 1 Muharram is not usually a holiday; the 9th and 10th of Muharram are.
• Fasting. Some people begin voluntary fasts in Muharram, following the hadith on the virtue of fasting in this month.

A simple way to start the year

1. Make the crescent dua on the first night of Muharram.
2. Look back honestly: which prayers, fasts or debts are outstanding from last year?
3. Pick one habit to build this year, such as Fajr on time or a page of Quran a day.
4. Plan to fast on Ashura with the day before or after.
5. Note the year's big dates: Shab-e-Meraj, Shab-e-Barat, Ramadan and the two Eids.

Islamic New Year 2027 date by country

The Gregorian date of Islamic New Year depends on whether a country follows its own moon sighting or the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia.

Islamic New Year dates for the next five years

Like every Islamic date, Islamic New Year comes about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year. Dates are expected by the calendar and confirmed by moon sighting.