Islamic dates & holidays
Islamic New Year 1449: When Is 1 Muharram 2027 and How Is It Marked?
1 Muharram 1449 is expected on Sunday 6 June 2027. What the Islamic New Year commemorates, how Muslims around the world mark it, and the days that follow.
The Islamic New Year — Ra’s al-Sanah al-Hijriyyah — is quieter than most new year celebrations. There are no fireworks or countdowns in the mosque. But it opens the month of Muharram, one of the four sacred months, and it leads within ten days to Ashura. Here is when it falls in 2027 and what it means.
When is the Islamic New Year 1449?
| Umm al-Qura | Tabular calendar | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Muharram 1449 | Sunday 6 June 2027 | Sunday 6 June 2027 |
| Night of 1 Muharram begins | Saturday 5 June 2027, after sunset | — |
| Ashura (10 Muharram) | Tuesday 15 June 2027 | Tuesday 15 June 2027 |
The year 1448 AH ends on Saturday 5 June 2027 — the 30th of Dhul-Hijjah on the Umm al-Qura calendar. In countries that wait for a local sighting of the Muharram crescent, the new year may begin a day later, on Monday 7 June.
For comparison, 1 Muharram 1448 fell on Tuesday 16 June 2026. The Islamic New Year moves about 10–11 days earlier each Gregorian year, and will fall in late May in 2028.
You can follow the time remaining on our Islamic New Year countdown.
What the date commemorates
The Hijri year count starts from the year of the Hijrah, the Prophet’s migration with his companions from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE. The migration was the turning point at which the Muslims became an independent community with their own society, governance and institutions.
There is one detail many people do not know: the Hijrah itself happened in Rabi’ al-Awwal, not Muharram. When the caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab set up the year count around 17 AH, the companions kept Muharram as the first month because it was already the customary start of the Arab year, after the pilgrimage season. So 1 Muharram is the start of the year of the Hijrah, not the anniversary of the journey itself.
The Hijrah in brief
The story behind the calendar’s starting point is worth retelling each new year.
After thirteen years of preaching in Makkah, the Prophet ﷺ and his followers faced boycott, persecution and finally a plot to kill him. Delegations from Yathrib — later called Madinah — had pledged at Aqabah to protect him. The companions emigrated first, in small groups, leaving homes and property behind.
The Prophet ﷺ left last, with Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. Ali ibn Abi Talib slept in the Prophet’s bed to deceive those waiting outside. The two travellers hid for three nights in the cave of Thawr, south of Makkah — the opposite direction to Madinah — while search parties combed the area. When the searchers stood at the mouth of the cave, Abu Bakr whispered his fear, and the Prophet ﷺ replied: “What do you think of two, when Allah is the third of them?” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3653; see Quran 9:40).
They then took a little-used coastal route north. Suraqah ibn Malik, chasing them for the bounty offered by Quraysh, saw his horse’s legs sink into the sand three times and gave up — later to become a Muslim. The travellers reached Quba, on the outskirts of Madinah, in Rabi’ al-Awwal, where the first mosque was built, and then entered Madinah to a joyful welcome.
In Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ established the mosque, joined the emigrants and the local helpers in brotherhood, and set out the agreements that governed the new community. It is this beginning — of a society, not only a journey — that the Hijri year commemorates.
Is there a special act of worship?
No specific prayer, fast or ritual is prescribed for 1 Muharram itself. Scholars caution against inventing special practices for the day, such as particular prayers or supplications presented as an authentic Sunnah of the New Year.
What is established is the special status of Muharram as a whole:
- It is one of the four sacred months (Quran 9:36), in which wrongdoing is particularly serious.
- The Prophet ﷺ called it “the month of Allah” and said: “The best fasting after Ramadan is fasting in Allah’s month of Muharram” (Sahih Muslim 1163).
- It contains Ashura, the 10th, whose fast expiates the sins of the previous year (Sahih Muslim 1162).
So rather than a single day of observance, the new year opens a month that invites extra fasting and good deeds.
How Muslims around the world mark it
Customs vary widely and are mostly cultural rather than religious:
- Public holiday. Many Muslim-majority countries — including Egypt, Jordan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, the UAE and others — give 1 Muharram as a public holiday. Saudi Arabia does not generally treat it as a holiday.
- Sermons and reflection. Friday sermons near the new year often reflect on the Hijrah’s lessons — sacrifice, trust in Allah, brotherhood between the emigrants (Muhajirun) and the helpers (Ansar).
- Processions and gatherings. In Indonesia and Malaysia, Maal Hijrah and Satu Suro events include parades, Quran recitals and community gatherings. In parts of North Africa, families prepare special meals.
- Greetings. People exchange messages such as Kul ‘am wa antum bi-khayr (“may you be well every year”) or “Happy Hijri New Year”. Scholars generally regard simple greetings as permissible custom, though some prefer not to treat the day as a festival.
- Shia Muslims observe Muharram as a month of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Husayn at Karbala on 10 Muharram 61 AH, with commemorations building through the first ten days.
A practical new-year plan
Because the new year arrives quietly, it is easy to let it pass. A few simple ideas that are firmly grounded in the Sunnah:
- Plan your Muharram fasts. Mark the 9th and 10th (Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 June 2027), and consider extra fasts — the White Days of Muharram 1449 fall on 18–20 June 2027.
- Review the past year. The end of one Hijri year and the start of the next is a natural point for muhasabah, self-accounting: missed fasts to make up, debts to settle, relationships to repair.
- Check your zakat date. If you calculate zakat on the Hijri calendar, the new year is a convenient fixed point to do it — or at least to review your figures.
- Learn the story of the Hijrah. Read an account of the migration with family: the cave of Thawr, Suraqah’s pursuit, the welcome in Madinah. It is the event that gave the calendar its name.
What year is it, then?
From 6 June 2027 the Hijri year will be 1449 AH. Throughout 2027, documents and calendars will switch from 1448 to 1449 in June — useful to remember if you write dates in Hijri.
The Hijri calendar 1449 page lists every month of the coming year with its expected start and end dates.
The new year and the seasons
Because the Hijri calendar is lunar, the new year moves through the seasons over about 33 years:
| Hijri year | 1 Muharram (Umm al-Qura) |
|---|---|
| 1446 AH | 7 July 2024 |
| 1447 AH | 26 June 2025 |
| 1448 AH | 16 June 2026 |
| 1449 AH | 6 June 2027 |
By the mid-2030s the Islamic New Year will fall in spring, and around 2040 in winter. For Muslims in the northern hemisphere, this means Muharram’s fasts — and Ashura — currently fall during long summer days, and will become shorter year by year.
Summary
- 1 Muharram 1449 is expected on Sunday 6 June 2027 (Umm al-Qura); the night begins on Saturday evening.
- It marks the start of a new Hijri year, counted from the year of the Hijrah.
- There is no prescribed ritual for the day, but Muharram is a sacred month with special merit in fasting.
- Ashura follows on Tuesday 15 June 2027, with the 9th on Monday 14 June.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Islamic New Year 2027?
1 Muharram 1449 is expected on Sunday 6 June 2027 on the Umm al-Qura calendar. In countries that follow local sighting it may be Monday 7 June.
What does the Islamic New Year commemorate?
It marks the start of a new Hijri year, counted from the year of the Prophet's migration (Hijrah) from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE.
Is the Islamic New Year a holiday?
It is a public holiday in many Muslim-majority countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the UAE and others, though practices vary year to year.
What should Muslims do on the Islamic New Year?
There is no specific ritual prescribed for 1 Muharram. Many Muslims use it for reflection and begin voluntary fasting in Muharram, especially on Ashura (10th) and the 9th.
