About Islamic New Year

رأس السنة الهجرية

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A blessed new Hijri year
كل عام وأنتم بخير
نیا اسلامی سال مبارک
Salam Maal Hijrah
Selamat Tahun Baru Islam
Hicri yılbaşınız mübarek olsun

132 wishes · 6 languages · 3 photo designs · Updated October 2026

About Islamic New Year

The Islamic New Year, or Hijri New Year, falls on 1 Muharram, the first day of the Islamic lunar calendar. The calendar counts its years from the Hijrah, the journey of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his companions from Makkah to Madinah in 622.

For many Muslims it is a quiet day of reflection: a time to thank God for the year gone by, ask forgiveness and set good intentions. Talks about the Hijrah, prayers and the dua for the new moon are common, and many fast on the 9th and 10th of Muharram.

Muharram is also a month of deep mourning for Shia Muslims and many others, who remember the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet, at Karbala on the 10th, Ashura. So the start of the year is kept with respect rather than parties.

It is a public holiday in many Muslim countries, including Malaysia (Awal Muharram), Indonesia (Tahun Baru Islam), Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, and in parts of India as Muharram.

1 Muharram
Year one is 622 CE
A lunar year of about 354 days

Where it began

The Islamic calendar counts its years from the Hijra, the move from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. The caliph Umar is remembered for setting up this way of counting years.

Muharram is one of the four sacred months in Islam. Because the year follows the moon, the new year moves about 11 days earlier each year in the solar calendar.

A white mosque with domes lit blue at night under a thin crescent moon — The new crescent moon over a mosqueAbu Dhabi, UAE

How it grew over time

622 CE
The Hijra to Medina takes place, the event from which years are counted.
About 638 CE
The Hijri calendar is set up under the caliph Umar.
Medieval period
The calendar guides fasts, festivals and the Hajj across the Muslim world.
Today
The new year is a public holiday in many Muslim countries.

How it is celebrated in different places

Gulf countries
It is a quiet public holiday spent with family and in prayer.
Indonesia and Malaysia
Communities hold prayers and processions to welcome the year.
India
Muharram begins, and for Shia Muslims it is a time of remembrance leading to Ashura.

Islamic New Year moments

A great mosque with six minarets lit at dusk — A mosque lit at duskIstanbul, Turkey

A mosque with many domes and slender minarets under a blue sky — Domes and minarets of a historic mosqueIstanbul, Turkey

A tall minaret covered in blue and green tiles — A tiled minaret from the old Silk Road citiesSamarkand, Uzbekistan

A round brick minaret with a small blue dome — A minaret rises over an old mosqueTashkent, Uzbekistan

Islamic New Year today

Many Muslims mark the day quietly, with prayer, reflection on the past year and good wishes for the new one. Some fast on the days of Ashura later in the month.

How people celebrate Islamic New Year

Reflecting on the Hijrah
Prayers and the dua for the new moon
Setting intentions for the year
Fasting on 9 and 10 Muharram
Majlis gatherings and mourning for Imam Husayn
Talks and lessons in mosques

How to wish well

Keep wishes calm and prayerful. A blessed new Hijri year or kull am wa antum bikhair suits everyone.
Muharram is a month of mourning for many Shia friends. Avoid party words, jokes or Happy New Year cheer; a short prayer is kinder.
In Malaysia say Salam Maal Hijrah or Salam Awal Muharram; in Indonesia Selamat Tahun Baru Islam.
The date follows the new moon, so it can differ by a day between countries.

Questions about Islamic New Year

When is the Islamic New Year 2027?

1 Muharram 1449 is expected around 6 June 2027. The exact day depends on the moon sighting in each country.

What do you say on the Islamic New Year?

Many say kull am wa antum bikhair (may you be well every year), a blessed new Hijri year, or in Malaysia Salam Maal Hijrah.

Why does the Islamic calendar start with the Hijrah?

The second caliph, Umar, chose the Hijrah, the journey from Makkah to Madinah, as the start of the Muslim calendar because it began the first Muslim community.

Is it right to say Happy Islamic New Year?

Many people do, but because Muharram is a month of mourning for many Muslims, a gentle wish such as a blessed new year is often better.

What is Ashura?

Ashura is the 10th of Muharram. Many Sunni Muslims fast on it, remembering how Moses and his people were saved, and Shia Muslims mourn the martyrdom of Imam Husayn at Karbala.

Why is the Hijri year shorter?

It has twelve lunar months of 29 or 30 days, about 354 days in all, so it moves about 11 days earlier each solar year.