The important days of the Islamic year

1A year that follows the moon

The Islamic calendar, the Hijri calendar, is a purely lunar calendar. Each month begins with the new crescent and has 29 or 30 days. Allah says: "They ask you about the new moons. Say: They are measurements of time for the people and for Hajj" Quran 2:189. The year therefore has 354 or 355 days and is about eleven days shorter than the solar year. That is why Ramadan and the festivals move through the seasons: whoever lives long enough fasts in summer and in winter, and celebrates Eid in the heat and in the cool.

The count of years begins with the Hijra, the emigration of the Prophet ﷺ from Makkah to Madinah in 622. This reckoning was introduced under the caliph Umar, and Muharram became the first month of the year.

The twelve months

1. 1Muharram
2. 2Safar
3. 3Rabi' al-Awwal
4. 4Rabi' ath-Thani
5. 5Jumada al-Ula
6. 6Jumada al-Akhirah
7. 7Rajab
8. 8Sha'ban
9. 9Ramadan
10. 10Shawwal
11. 11Dhul-Qa'dah
12. 12Dhul-Hijjah

The four sacred months

Allah says: "Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve months … of these, four are sacred" Quran 9:36. According to the hadith (al-Bukhari and Muslim) the four sacred months are Dhul-Qa'dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. In them wrongdoing weighs especially heavily and good deeds especially much.

2Sighting the moon – and why not everyone celebrates on the same day

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Fast when you see it and end the fast when you see it. And if it is hidden from you, complete the count of thirty" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). So on the evening of the 29th, committees and volunteers look west shortly after sunset. If the crescent is seen, the new month begins; if not, the current month has 30 days.

How this instruction is applied today varies – and each practice has scholars behind it:

• Local sighting: a country or region follows the sighting in its own sky.
• Sighting elsewhere: some communities follow the sighting of another country, such as Saudi Arabia, or any confirmed sighting worldwide.
• Astronomical calculation: others fix the months in advance by calculation, often combined with the question of whether the crescent can be seen at all.

So it can happen that Ramadan or Eid begins on different days in two countries – sometimes even in two mosques of the same city. That is no reason to quarrel. It is reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The fast is the day you fast, the breaking of the fast is the day you break it, and al-Adha is the day you sacrifice" (at-Tirmidhi). Many scholars therefore advise joining your own community and not blaming others. In the Emirates an official moon-sighting committee meets on the evening of the 29th, and its decision applies to the whole country.

3Muharram and the Islamic New Year

The new Hijri year begins on 1 Muharram. No special prayers or customs for this day are reported in the Sunnah; many Muslims use it quietly to pause: what did the past year bring me, and where do I want to go in the new one? The memory of the Hijra fits this – the courage to leave the familiar in order to live one's faith in peace. In the Emirates the Islamic New Year is a public holiday.

Muharram itself is a sacred month. The Prophet ﷺ called it "the month of Allah" and said: "The best fasting after Ramadan is in the month of Allah, al-Muharram" (Muslim 1163).

4Ashura – the tenth of Muharram

Hardly any day carries as many meanings as Ashura. Sunni and Shia Muslims remember different events on this day, and both deserve respect.

A day of rescue and fasting

When the Prophet ﷺ came to Madinah, he learned that people fasted on this day because Allah had saved the Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) and his people from Pharaoh. He said that the Muslims have a closer claim to Musa, fasted himself and encouraged the fast (al-Bukhari and Muslim). About its reward he said: "Fasting the day of Ashura – I hope from Allah that it expiates the year before it" (Muslim 1162).

Later he said: "If I live until next year, I will also fast the ninth" (Muslim 1134). That is why many scholars recommend fasting Ashura together with the day before, the 9th and 10th of Muharram; some also mention the 10th and 11th. It is a voluntary fast, not an obligation.

A day of mourning: Imam Husayn and Karbala

For Shia Muslims, Ashura is above all the day on which Imam Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet ﷺ, was killed at Karbala in present-day Iraq in the year 61 AH (680 CE), together with members of his family and companions. In the first ten days of Muharram they come together in gatherings of mourning, retell his story, recite elegies and offer water and food to everyone who comes – also in memory of the thirst that Husayn and his people suffered. They connect this day with values such as steadfastness, sacrifice and standing up for justice. Forty days later comes Arbaeen, when many walk to Karbala on pilgrimage.

Husayn's death is painful for all Muslims – he was the beloved grandson of the Prophet ﷺ. You can read more about Karbala in the chapter The holy cities, and more about the two traditions in the chapter on Sunni and Shia Muslims.

5Rajab and the Night Journey (al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj)

Rajab is one of the four sacred months, and many Muslims associate it with the memory of the Prophet's ﷺ Night Journey. Allah says: "Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing" Quran 17:1. From Makkah the journey led to Jerusalem and from there up through the heavens – the Mi'raj, to which many commentators also relate the verses 53:13–18. In this night the five daily prayers were prescribed (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Prayer is, as it were, the gift the Prophet ﷺ brought back from this journey.

The exact date of the Night Journey is not known with certainty. The 27th of Rajab is widespread, but historians and scholars also name other months and even different years before the Hijra. Many Muslims remember the story on that evening with talks and supplications; others do not set special acts of worship on this date, because no fixed practices for it are reported. Both meet in their love for what the Night Journey tells of: prayer and Jerusalem.

6The middle of Sha'ban

Sha'ban is the month before Ramadan. Aisha reports that she never saw the Prophet ﷺ fast as much in any month apart from Ramadan as in Sha'ban (al-Bukhari and Muslim). It is a good time to prepare: making up missed fasts, opening the Quran more often again, tuning the heart.

There are different views about the night of the middle of Sha'ban. We set them side by side without passing judgement:

• Many Muslims spend this night in prayer, Quran recitation and seeking forgiveness – in Arabic it is often called Laylat al-Bara'ah, in South Asia Shab-e Barat. They rely on narrations according to which Allah forgives many people on this night; some scholars consider these narrations, taken together, to be sound.
• Other scholars grade these narrations as weak and advise against singling out the night with special, fixed acts of worship. Whoever prays in it as in any other night does nothing wrong.
• For Shia Muslims the 15th of Sha'ban is also a day of joy: the birthday of the twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi.

What all share: every night is a good night to ask Allah for forgiveness.

7Ramadan and the Night of Decree

The ninth month is the high point of the year: "The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance for mankind" Quran 2:185. For a month Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, pray in the nights and read more Quran than usual. In its last ten nights lies Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Decree, which is "better than a thousand months" Quran 97:3. Everything about the fast, the nights and Ramadan in the Emirates is in the chapter Ramadan and fasting.

8Eid al-Fitr – the festival of breaking the fast

When the Prophet ﷺ came to Madinah, the people there had two days on which they celebrated and played. He said: "Allah has replaced them for you with two better ones: the day of al-Adha and the day of al-Fitr" (reported by Anas in Abu Dawud). So Islam has exactly two great festivals. Both follow a great season of worship – one the fast of Ramadan, the other the days of the pilgrimage. That is why the joy of Eid is not empty revelry but the joy of someone who has completed a task with Allah's help.

Eid al-Fitr falls on 1 Shawwal, once the new moon after Ramadan has been sighted. Fasting on this day is forbidden (al-Bukhari and Muslim) – after a month of abstaining, eating is itself part of worship.

Zakat al-fitr before the prayer

Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet ﷺ made zakat al-fitr obligatory on every Muslim – young and old, male and female – one sa' of dates or barley, "and he ordered that it be given before the people go out to the prayer" (al-Bukhari 1503). So the poor also have enough on the day of the festival. Today people usually give a staple food such as rice or, in the view of the Hanafi school and many contemporary scholars, its value in money. Many give it a day or two in advance so that it arrives in time. More on this in the chapter Zakat.

The Eid prayer

The Eid prayer consists of two units (rak'at) and is prayed in congregation in the morning, usually at an open prayer ground or in large mosques. It has no call to prayer and no iqamah (Muslim). What is special are the extra takbirs – the repeated "Allahu akbar" at the start of each unit. Their number differs between the schools of law: many scholars teach seven in the first unit and five in the second, the Hanafi school three and three. After the prayer the imam gives a sermon (khutbah); the Prophet ﷺ prayed first and gave the sermon afterwards (al-Bukhari).

The takbir of Eid

From the evening before the festival until the prayer, the takbir rings through homes, streets and mosques. At the end of the verses on fasting Allah says: "… so that you complete the number and glorify Allah for having guided you" Quran 2:185. A well-known form is:

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, la ilaha illa Allah, wallahu akbar, Allahu akbar wa lillahil-hamd.

The sunnah of the day

• Ghusl – the full ritual bath before the prayer; reported from Companions such as Ibn Umar (Muwatta Malik).
• Wearing your best clothes. Dressing up for the festival was customary among the Companions (al-Bukhari).
• Eating dates before the prayer: on Eid al-Fitr the Prophet ﷺ would not go out until he had eaten some dates, and he ate them in an odd number (al-Bukhari).
• Taking a different way home: on the day of Eid he went to the prayer by one route and returned by another (al-Bukhari). That way you meet more people and greet more neighbours.
• Saying the takbir on the way to the prayer ground.
• Women and children come to the prayer too. The Prophet ﷺ encouraged everyone to share in the joy and the supplication of the Muslims (al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Six days of Shawwal

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever fasts Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he fasted the whole year" (Muslim 1164). They can be fasted after the day of Eid, separately or in a row. Most scholars recommend them; the Maliki school was traditionally cautious, so that no one would take these days for part of the obligation.

9The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah and the Day of Arafah

A special season begins even before the festival of sacrifice. The Prophet ﷺ said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days" (al-Bukhari). Many commentators also relate the oath "By the dawn, and by ten nights" Quran 89:1–2 to these days. In them people increase their prayer, Quran recitation, remembrance and charity.

The ninth day is the Day of Arafah, when the pilgrims stand in prayer on the plain of Arafat. The Prophet ﷺ said: "There is no day on which Allah frees more servants from the Fire than the Day of Arafah" (Muslim). For everyone not on pilgrimage it is a strong sunnah to fast on this day: "Fasting the Day of Arafah – I hope from Allah that it expiates the year before it and the year after it" (Muslim 1162). The pilgrims themselves do not fast on this day; the Prophet ﷺ did not fast at Arafat either (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Many scholars teach saying the takbir after the prayers from the dawn prayer of the Day of Arafah until the end of the days of tashriq. More about the pilgrimage in the chapter Hajj.

10Eid al-Adha – the festival of sacrifice

Eid al-Adha falls on 10 Dhul-Hijjah, the day on which the pilgrims offer their sacrifice in Mina. It recalls the devotion of the Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail, peace be upon them.

Ibrahim and Ismail

The Quran tells: when the son was old enough to walk with him, Ibrahim said: "O my son, I have seen in a dream that I am sacrificing you, so see what you think." He replied: "O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, among the patient" Quran 37:102. When both had submitted, Allah called to him: "O Ibrahim, you have fulfilled the vision" – and He ransomed the son "with a great sacrifice" Quran 37:103–107.

The story is not about cruelty but about trust – and about the fact that Allah does not want human sacrifice. What He seeks, the Quran says clearly elsewhere: "Neither their meat nor their blood reaches Allah, but what reaches Him is the mindfulness from you" Quran 22:37.

The udhiyah

Whoever can afford it slaughters a sacrificial animal for the festival, the udhiyah – a sheep or goat, or a share in a cow or camel. According to the majority of scholars it is a strongly emphasised sunnah; according to the Hanafi school it is obligatory for those with the means. It is slaughtered after the Eid prayer and until the end of the days of tashriq. Many scholars recommend dividing the meat: one part for your own family, one for relatives and friends and one for those in need.

The days of tashriq

The three days after the day of sacrifice, the 11th to the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah, are called the days of tashriq. The Prophet ﷺ called them "days of eating, drinking and remembering Allah" (Muslim). There is no fasting on them, and the takbir continues: "And remember Allah during the numbered days" Quran 2:203.

11The Prophet's ﷺ birthday – Mawlid an-Nabi

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born in Makkah in the month of Rabi' al-Awwal. Many Sunni Muslims remember it on 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, in the Shia tradition mostly on 17 Rabi' al-Awwal. When the Prophet ﷺ was asked about fasting on Monday, he answered: "That is the day on which I was born and the day on which I was sent" – or: on which revelation was sent down to me (Muslim 1162).

Muslims think differently about whether and how to celebrate the Mawlid – and both sides act out of love for the Prophet ﷺ:

• Many Muslims celebrate it, in many countries for centuries: with gatherings in which the Quran is recited, his life is told and poems of praise such as the Burdah of al-Busiri are recited, with blessings upon him and with food for neighbours and those in need. Many scholars see this as a good way of showing love for him.
• Others do not celebrate it, because the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions did not observe this day as a festival. They show their love by following his Sunnah on every day of the year – some also by fasting on Mondays.

We do not pass judgement here. If you are unsure, ask a scholar you trust, and meet those who see it differently with respect. In the Emirates the Prophet's ﷺ birthday is a public holiday. More about his life in the chapter The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

12Friday – the festival of every week

Besides the two great festivals, every week has its own day of celebration. The Prophet ﷺ called Friday the best day on which the sun rises (Muslim), and it is reported that he called it a festival that Allah has given to the Muslims (Ibn Majah). Allah says: "O you who have believed, when the call is made for the prayer on the day of Friday, then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade" Quran 62:9.

Friday brings ghusl, good clothes and fragrance, going early to the mosque, listening quietly to the sermon and the hour in which supplications are answered (al-Bukhari and Muslim). It is also reported that one should send many blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ on Friday (Abu Dawud), and many recite Surah al-Kahf. How to shape your Friday is described in the chapter Islamic lifestyle.

In the Emirates the official weekend has been Saturday and Sunday since 2022; for many, Friday is a shorter working day, so that there is time for the Friday prayer.

13Other days of remembrance

Some days are observed not by all, but by many Muslims:

• 17 Ramadan – Badr: many remember the Battle of Badr in the year 2 AH, in which a small, weak community stood firm: "And Allah had already given you victory at Badr while you were few and weak" Quran 3:123.
• 18 Dhul-Hijjah – Ghadir Khumm: on the way back from his Farewell Pilgrimage the Prophet ﷺ stopped at the pool of Khumm and said about Ali: "Whoever I am his mawla, Ali is his mawla" (at-Tirmidhi). Sunni and Shia Muslims both narrate this event but understand it differently: for Sunnis it is a call to love and loyalty towards Ali, for Shia Muslims the appointment of Ali as successor – they celebrate the day as Eid al-Ghadir.
• 20 Safar – Arbaeen: the fortieth day after Ashura, when Shia Muslims travel to Karbala in great numbers (The holy cities).

14The holidays in the Emirates

In the Emirates the Islamic New Year, the Prophet's ﷺ birthday, Eid al-Fitr, the Day of Arafah and Eid al-Adha are public holidays. Because they follow the moon, their exact dates and the number of days off are announced shortly beforehand – and many families wait eagerly for the news on the evening of the 29th.

Eid morning at the musalla

The day of the festival starts early. Shortly after sunrise the large musallas, the open prayer grounds, and the mosques fill up. Thousands pray side by side – Emiratis and people from all over the world, fathers with little sons, mothers with daughters in new dresses. After the prayer people embrace, wish each other Eid Mubarak and set off.

Family visits, eidiya and festive food

Then the family visits begin: first to parents and grandparents, then to uncles, aunts and neighbours. In every majlis Arabic coffee, dates and sweets are ready; for breakfast many homes serve balaleet, sweet vermicelli with saffron and egg, and later dishes such as harees. The children look forward above all to the eidiya – small gifts of money from the adults, often in new notes. Many wear traditional clothes, and the girls have henna on their hands.

For Eid al-Adha many families have their udhiyah slaughtered in licensed slaughterhouses or carried out and distributed through official charities – often to people in need in many countries. And whoever is alone on the day of Eid, far from their family, is usually invited somewhere. For an Eid on which someone stays hungry or lonely is not a complete Eid.

Haq al-Laila – anticipation in Sha'ban

Around the middle of Sha'ban, children in many neighbourhoods go from house to house in traditional clothes, sing old songs and collect sweets and nuts in small cloth bags. This custom is called Haq al-Laila, and in many families it awakens the anticipation of Ramadan.

15Festive greetings

The best-known greeting is "Eid Mubarak" – "blessed festival". It is reported that the Companions said to one another on the day of Eid: "Taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum" – "May Allah accept it from us and from you." It is a beautiful wish, because it reminds us what it is all about: that Allah accepts our fasting, our prayer and our sacrifice. Here you will also often hear "Kull 'am wa antum bi-khair" – "May you be well every year" – and, in the Emirati way, "'Asakum min 'awwadah" – "May you be among those who see it return."

16A closing thought

The special days of Islam are short, but they reach far. They join joy with gratitude, eating with sharing, and the individual with the whole community – even where Muslims observe them in different ways. If you would like to prepare for the next of these days, start with Ramadan in the chapter Ramadan and fasting – or with the verses about Ibrahim in Surah as-Saffat on our Quran page.