Hijri to Gregorian Date Converter

Convert dates between the Islamic (Hijri) and Gregorian calendars both ways, based on the Umm al-Qura calendar. Today's Hijri date is shown at a glance.

How to use

  1. Choose the conversion direction — Hijri to Gregorian or the reverse.
  2. Enter a date to see it converted instantly.

The dates here follow a tabular calendar derived from astronomical calculation. Regions that use the Umm al-Qura calendar or wait for an actual crescent sighting can differ by a day, so check the local announcement for religious dates.

In depth

The Hijri calendar is purely lunar

It follows the lunar cycle alone (about 29.53 days). Months run 29 or 30 days and a year is about 354 days.

That makes it roughly 11 days shorter than the solar year, so Islamic observances drift backwards through the seasons — Ramadan moves from summer toward winter over the years.

A full cycle back to the same season takes about 33 years.

This is fundamentally unlike the Chinese and Korean lunisolar calendars, which insert leap months to stay aligned with the seasons.

The epoch

Year 1 begins with the Hijra, the Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE — hence "Hijri".

Years are marked AH (Anno Hegirae, "in the year of the Hijra").

Conversion is not simple subtraction. Because the year is 11 days shorter, the gap narrows continuously — 2026 CE corresponds to roughly 1447–1448 AH.

The twelve months

Muharram · Safar · Rabi' al-Awwal · Rabi' al-Thani · Jumada al-Ula · Jumada al-Akhirah · Rajab · Sha'ban · Ramadan · Shawwal · Dhu al-Qi'dah · Dhu al-Hijjah.

The four in bold are the sacred months, traditionally observed as periods when fighting is forbidden.

Ramadan (9th) is the month of fasting; Dhu al-Hijjah (12th) is when the Hajj takes place.

Key dates: 1 Muharram (Islamic New Year), 10 Muharram (Ashura), around 27 Ramadan (Laylat al-Qadr), 1 Shawwal (Eid al-Fitr), 10 Dhu al-Hijjah (Eid al-Adha).

Calculated dates can differ from observed ones

Traditionally a new month begins on the sighting of the crescent moon, which makes the date depend on observation.

This tool uses the Umm al-Qura calendar, Saudi Arabia's official calculated system. It allows dates to be predicted in advance but can differ by a day from actual sighting.

Practice also varies by country — some follow Saudi sightings, some their own, some pure calculation. This is why Eid falls on different days in different countries most years.

For religiously significant dates, follow your own community's announcement. This tool is for planning.

The day begins at sunset

In the Islamic calendar a day starts at sunset, not midnight. "The 10th" therefore begins on the preceding Gregorian evening.

This is why the Ramadan fast begins with the pre-dawn meal of what is, by the Islamic reckoning, already that day.

This tool converts whole dates, so after sunset you may already be in the following Hijri date.

What it is used for

Birthdays and anniversaries reckoned by the Hijri calendar.

Zakat due dates matter because zakat is assessed after one lunar year (hawl), so tracking it in Hijri dates is the accurate approach.

Documents and historical sources need converting too, from official papers and histories in Muslim-majority countries.

Travel planning changes as well: visiting during Ramadan or Hajj alters opening hours and atmosphere substantially.

Conversion uses the browser's Intl Umm al-Qura calendar — no external dependency, and nothing is transmitted.

FAQ

Which Islamic calendar is used?

The Umm al-Qura (astronomical) calendar used in Saudi Arabia and most apps. Local moon-sighting dates can differ by about a day.

What is it used for?

Finding religious dates like Ramadan and Eid, and converting Hijri dates on official Gulf documents.

Why might this differ by a day from the officially announced date?

The start of an Islamic month is often set by local moon-sighting announcements, while this converter uses astronomical calculation, so results can differ by about a day.

Method and sources

What this tool bases its numbers on, and how far those numbers go.

What this tool is
A calculated conversion, not a religious announcement. Where a month begins is declared locally, and for fasting, Eid or any dated obligation the announcement of your own authority is what counts.
Formula
Conversion uses the islamic-umalqura calendar in the runtime's own calendar data (Intl with that calendar identifier) — the tabulated Umm al-Qura calendar used in Saudi Arabia, precomputed from astronomical criteria rather than from an observed sighting.
Worked example
The Hijri year averages about 354.37 days, roughly 10.9 days shorter than the Gregorian year, so a Hijri date moves that much earlier each year. Over 33 Hijri years that is 33 × 354.37 ≈ 11,694 days against 32 Gregorian years ≈ 11,688 — the two calendars realign to within about a week every 33 years.
Limitations
  • A local sighting can differ by a day. Countries that begin the month on an actual crescent sighting frequently land one day off the tabulated calendar, and neighbouring countries can differ from each other.
  • Umm al-Qura is one calendar among several. The tabular Islamic calendars, the Fatimid and Turkish variants, and regional sighting-based calendars all produce different dates.
  • The Umm al-Qura tables cover a bounded range of years. Dates far outside it are extrapolations, and the runtime may give different answers on different browsers.
  • An Islamic day begins at sunset, not at midnight. A Gregorian date maps to two Hijri dates depending on the time of day, and this converter works at day granularity only.
  • For pre-modern dates the result is a back-projection of a modern table, not the calendar people actually used at the time.
Effective date
Last reviewed

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