Islamic Months in Order: Names, Meanings and What Happens in Each

Ask most Muslims to recite the Islamic months in order and they will get Ramadan, Shawwal and Dhul-Hijjah without thinking. The months in between — the two Rabi’s, the two Jumadas — are where people hesitate. This guide walks through all twelve, in order, with the Arabic spelling, the meaning behind each name, and what actually happens in each month so the list sticks.

The dates quoted are for the current Hijri year, 1448 AH, using the Umm al-Qura calendar (Saudi Arabia’s official calendar). Your local moon sighting can shift any of them by a day.

The 12 Islamic months at a glance

#	Month	Arabic	1448 AH begins (Umm al-Qura)	Days
1	Muharram	مُحَرَّم	16 June 2026	29
2	Safar	صَفَر	15 July 2026	30
3	Rabi’ al-Awwal	رَبِيع الأَوَّل	14 August 2026	29
4	Rabi’ al-Thani	رَبِيع الثَّانِي	12 September 2026	30
5	Jumada al-Ula	جُمَادَى الأُولَى	12 October 2026	30
6	Jumada al-Akhirah	جُمَادَى الآخِرَة	11 November 2026	29
7	Rajab	رَجَب	10 December 2026	30
8	Sha’ban	شَعْبَان	9 January 2027	30
9	Ramadan	رَمَضَان	8 February 2027	29
10	Shawwal	شَوَّال	9 March 2027	30
11	Dhul-Qa’dah	ذُو القَعْدَة	8 April 2027	29
12	Dhul-Hijjah	ذُو الحِجَّة	7 May 2027	30

Add the right-hand column and you get 355 days — 1448 is one of the slightly longer Hijri years on the Umm al-Qura calendar. Most Hijri years have 354.

Where the names come from

The month names are older than Islam. Pre-Islamic Arabs used a lunisolar calendar: twelve lunar months, with an extra month inserted every few years to keep the calendar roughly in step with the seasons. That intercalation — called nasi’ — was abolished by the Quran (9:37), which left a purely lunar year. The names, however, stayed.

That is why several names describe weather or seasonal activity that no longer lines up with the month. “Rabi’” refers to spring grazing; “Ramadan” comes from a root associated with intense heat. When the names were attached, those months fell in those seasons. Today Ramadan can arrive in midwinter, as it will in February 2027.

Some meanings below are settled; others are offered with “probably” because classical lexicographers recorded more than one explanation. Where that is the case, I have said so rather than presenting one theory as fact.

Muharram — the sacred opening of the year

Muharram (مُحَرَّم) means “forbidden” or “made sacred”. It is one of the four sacred months in which fighting was prohibited, and it opens the Hijri year. The Prophet ﷺ called it “the month of Allah” and said the best fasting after Ramadan is fasting in Muharram (Sahih Muslim, 1163).

Its best-known day is Ashura, the 10th. Many Muslims fast both the 9th and 10th. In 1449 AH, 1 Muharram is expected on 6 June 2027 and Ashura on 15 June 2027.

Safar — the “empty” month

Safar (صَفَر) is usually explained as “empty” or “void”. The most common account is that homes emptied as tribes left to travel or raid once the sacred month of Muharram ended. Another explanation links it to a word for yellowing leaves.

Safar carried superstitions in pre-Islamic Arabia — some regarded it as unlucky. The Prophet ﷺ explicitly rejected this: “There is no contagion [by itself], no evil omen… and no Safar” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 5707). There are no special religious obligations in Safar, and nothing about it is ill-omened.

Rabi’ al-Awwal and Rabi’ al-Thani — the two springs

Rabi’ al-Awwal (رَبِيع الأَوَّل) means “the first spring” and Rabi’ al-Thani (رَبِيع الثَّانِي) “the second spring”. The second is also called Rabi’ al-Akhir, “the last spring” — some scholars preferred al-Akhir because “thani” implies a third might follow.

Rabi’ al-Awwal is the month in which the Prophet ﷺ was born, according to the majority view, and the month of his migration to Madinah and of his death. Many Muslims commemorate his birth (Mawlid) on 12 Rabi’ al-Awwal; whether to hold celebrations is a matter on which scholars differ. Rabi’ al-Thani has no fixed observances.

Jumada al-Ula and Jumada al-Akhirah

Jumada (جُمَادَى) comes from a root meaning “to freeze” or “to become solid”. The usual explanation is that when the names were set, these months fell in winter, when water froze or the land dried hard. Jumada al-Ula is “the first Jumada” and Jumada al-Akhirah “the last Jumada”. You will also see Jumada al-Awwal and Jumada al-Thani; they are the same months.

Neither month has fixed festivals, which is exactly why people forget them. A practical tip: these two months come straight after the two Rabi’s and straight before Rajab, so if you can place Rajab, you can place them.

Rajab — the month of reverence

Rajab (رَجَب) comes from a root meaning “to respect” or “to hold in awe”. It is the fourth sacred month and stands alone — the other three are consecutive. The Prophet ﷺ described it as “Rajab of Mudar, which comes between Jumada and Sha’ban” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3197), naming the tribe whose placement of the month he confirmed.

Many Muslims remember the Night Journey (al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj) on 27 Rajab. Historians do not agree on the exact date of that event, so treat 27 Rajab as the customary commemoration rather than a proven anniversary.

Sha’ban — the bridge to Ramadan

Sha’ban (شَعْبَان) comes from a root meaning “to spread out” or “to branch”. The traditional explanation is that tribes dispersed in search of water during this month. Sha’ban is the month the Prophet ﷺ fasted most outside Ramadan (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1969).

Its middle night, the 15th, is observed in South Asia as Shab-e-Barat and in parts of the Arab world as Laylat al-Nisf min Sha’ban. The last days of Sha’ban are also when communities look for the Ramadan crescent.

Ramadan — the month of fasting

Ramadan (رَمَضَان) comes from ramad, scorching heat — again a seasonal name that no longer tracks the seasons. It is the only month named in the Quran (2:185), the month in which the Quran was first revealed, and the month of the obligatory fast.

Ramadan 1448 is expected to begin on Monday 8 February 2027. On the Umm al-Qura calendar it has 29 days, though the observed length depends on the Shawwal crescent. The last ten nights contain Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Decree.

Shawwal — the month of Eid al-Fitr

Shawwal (شَوَّال) is linked to a root meaning “to raise” or “to lift”; a common explanation is that camels raised their tails at this season. Its first day is Eid al-Fitr, expected on Tuesday 9 March 2027. Fasting on Eid day itself is not permitted.

Shawwal is also the month of the six voluntary fasts. The Prophet ﷺ said whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if they fasted the whole year (Sahih Muslim, 1164).

Dhul-Qa’dah — the month of sitting

Dhul-Qa’dah (ذُو القَعْدَة) means “the one of sitting” — the month in which Arabs sat at home and refrained from fighting, as it is a sacred month. It is also the month in which pilgrims travel towards Makkah ahead of Hajj. Some spell it Dhu al-Qi’dah.

Dhul-Hijjah — the month of Hajj

Dhul-Hijjah (ذُو الحِجَّة) means “the one of the pilgrimage”. Its first ten days are among the most virtuous days of the year (Sahih al-Bukhari, 969). The rites of Hajj fall on the 8th to 13th, the Day of Arafah on the 9th, and Eid al-Adha on the 10th.

For 1448 AH, Dhul-Hijjah is expected to begin on 7 May 2027, with Arafah on Saturday 15 May and Eid al-Adha on Sunday 16 May 2027.

The four sacred months

Four of the twelve are designated sacred (al-ashhur al-hurum): Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. The Quran states that “the number of months with Allah is twelve… of these, four are sacred” (9:36), and the hadith of Abu Bakrah names them (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3197). Three run consecutively across the turn of the year; Rajab sits alone in the middle.

A memory trick for the order

If you are learning the sequence — or teaching it to children — group the months in pairs and anchors:

1. Muharram, Safar — the year opens.
2. Rabi’, Rabi’ — two springs.
3. Jumada, Jumada — two freezes.
4. Rajab, Sha’ban, Ramadan — the run-up to fasting, in that order.
5. Shawwal — Eid al-Fitr.
6. Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah — the two “Dhu” months, ending with Hajj.

That is twelve, and the “pairs” do most of the remembering for you.

How long are Islamic months?

Every Hijri month has 29 or 30 days, never more and never less, because the average lunar cycle is about 29.53 days. In a sighting-based calendar, a month ends after 29 days if the new crescent is seen that evening, or after 30 if it is not. In a calculated calendar such as Umm al-Qura, the length follows astronomical rules decided in advance.

There is no fixed pattern you can memorise for which months are 29 or 30 days. In 1448, Muharram has 29 days and Safar 30; in 1449, both are expected to have 29. If you need a specific month’s dates, the day-by-day Hijri calendar shows every month for both calculation methods.

Spelling variations you will see

Transliteration varies. These are the same months:

• Rabi’ al-Thani = Rabi’ al-Akhir = Rabi II
• Jumada al-Ula = Jumada al-Awwal = Jumada I
• Jumada al-Akhirah = Jumada al-Thani = Jumada II
• Dhul-Qa’dah = Dhu al-Qi’dah = Zul Qadah
• Dhul-Hijjah = Dhu al-Hijjah = Zul Hijjah

In Turkey, Iran, South Asia and Southeast Asia, local spellings follow the local language — for example Rebiülevvel in Turkish or Rabiul Awal in Malay — but the months and their order are identical everywhere.

If you want to see today’s position in the year, the Hijri date today page shows the current month and day, and the Islamic holidays list gives every major date for the next two years.