Islamic New Year Date in the current year: July 8, 2024

The Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar. The Islamic lunar year lasts 354 days divided into 12 months. Muharram is the first month of the year considered one of the four sacred months in which battles are prohibited (the others are Dhu al-Qi'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah and Rajab).

The first year in the Islamic calendar is 622 AD. During this year the Hijra, the emigration of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, occurred. However, the Islamic New Year must not be confused with the Hijra itself as the Hijra occurred on other dates.

Days in the Islamic calendar begin at sunset therefore 1 Muharram can correspond to different days on the Gregorian calendar depending on the country due to time zone difference. Since the Islamic lunar year is shorter than the solar year, the Hijri New Year can fall on different months of the Gregorian calendar.

The Hijri New Year is not an official holiday in Islam, there are no specific customs and traditions related to it observance. Nevertheless, it may be declared a non-working day in some Muslim countries and countries where Muslims form a considerable part of the population.