If you've ever wondered why Ramadan seems to arrive earlier every year, why Muslim friends can't tell you the exact date of Eid until a night or two before, or what "1448 AH" means — the answer to all three is the same: the Islamic calendar.
Muslims live by two calendars at once. The Gregorian calendar runs work, school, and tax time. The Islamic calendar runs the spiritual year: when to fast, when to celebrate, when Hajj happens, when Zakat falls due. Here's how it works.
What Is the Islamic Calendar?
The Islamic calendar — the Hijri calendar — is a purely lunar calendar. It has 12 months, but each month follows the moon: a month begins with the sighting of the new crescent (hilal) and lasts 29 or 30 days, the length of one lunar cycle. Twelve lunar months add up to 354 or 355 days — about 11 days shorter than the solar year the Gregorian calendar tracks.
That 11-day gap is the key to everything people find confusing about Islamic dates:
- Islamic dates drift earlier through the Gregorian year — Ramadan began around 18 February in 2026, and is expected around 6 February in 2027.
- Every observance cycles through all seasons over roughly 33 years. Australian Muslims who fasted through short winter days in the 2010s fasted long summer days by the mid-2020s, and the cycle continues. No festival is permanently summer or winter, northern or southern — a neat kind of global fairness built into the system.
- Dates can't be fixed years ahead with certainty, because month lengths depend on the moon. Calendars are projected astronomically, then confirmed month by month.
One more difference: the Islamic day begins at sunset, not midnight. The "night of" a date comes before its daytime. This is why Taraweeh prayers for the first of Ramadan are prayed the evening before the first fast, and why Eid really begins at the previous Maghrib.
Why "Hijri"? The Meaning of AH
The calendar counts from the Hijra — the Prophet Muhammad's migration (peace be upon him) from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, the moment the first Muslim community was established. Years are labelled AH, from the Latin Anno Hegirae, "in the year of the Hijra."
The numbering was instituted about 17 years after the event by the second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, when the growing Muslim state needed a fixed system for dating documents. The choice is telling: the calendar's year 1 is not the Prophet's birth or first revelation, but the founding of a community — the moment Islam became a society and not only a message.
Because lunar years are shorter, you can't convert by simple subtraction: 2026 CE corresponds to 1447–1448 AH, and the Hijri year gains slowly on the Gregorian count. The year 1448 AH began in mid-June 2026.
The 12 Months of the Islamic Year
| # | Month | What it's known for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muharram | Sacred month; the Islamic New Year; the fast of Ashura on the 10th |
| 2 | Safar | An ordinary month of worship and work |
| 3 | Rabi al-Awwal | The month of the Prophet Muhammad's birth (Mawlid, traditionally the 12th) |
| 4 | Rabi al-Thani | An ordinary month |
| 5 | Jumada al-Awwal | An ordinary month |
| 6 | Jumada al-Thani | An ordinary month |
| 7 | Rajab | Sacred month; associated with the Night Journey (Isra and Mi'raj, traditionally the 27th) |
| 8 | Sha'ban | The month of preparation for Ramadan; the Prophet fasted often in it |
| 9 | Ramadan | The month of fasting and the Quran; contains Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power |
| 10 | Shawwal | Begins with Eid ul-Fitr; six voluntary fasts of Shawwal follow |
| 11 | Dhul Qa'dah | Sacred month; travel season for pilgrims historically |
| 12 | Dhul Hijjah | Sacred month; the Hajj pilgrimage (8th–13th), the Day of Arafah (9th), and Eid ul-Adha (10th) |
The four sacred months
The Quran (9:36) designates four of the twelve as sacred months: Muharram, Rajab, Dhul Qa'dah, and Dhul Hijjah. In them, warfare was traditionally forbidden, wrongdoing weighs heavier, and good deeds are encouraged all the more. Three run consecutively around the Hajj season, protecting the pilgrimage routes of old; Rajab stands alone mid-year.
The Big Dates of the Islamic Year
Islamic New Year (1 Muharram). A quiet observance, not a party — typically marked with reflection on the Hijra story. The 1448 new year fell in mid-June 2026.
Ashura (10 Muharram). A recommended fast. The Prophet taught that fasting Ashura expiates the sins of the previous year; many also fast the 9th alongside it. For Shia Muslims, Ashura is the solemn commemoration of the martyrdom of Husayn, the Prophet's grandson, at Karbala.
Mawlid (12 Rabi al-Awwal). The traditional date of the Prophet's birth, marked in many communities with gatherings, poetry, and remembrance — observance varies between communities.
Isra and Mi'raj (27 Rajab). Commemorates the Prophet's Night Journey to Jerusalem and ascension through the heavens — the occasion, in Islamic teaching, when the five daily prayers were ordained.
Ramadan (the entire 9th month). The month of dawn-to-sunset fasting, extra night prayers (Taraweeh), and the Quran, which was first revealed in Ramadan on Laylat al-Qadr — the Night of Power, sought in the odd nights of the last ten. Read our full guide to what Ramadan is and what Ramadan looks like in regional Victoria.
Eid ul-Fitr (1 Shawwal). The festival of breaking the fast — Eid prayer in the morning, celebration with family and community, and the obligatory Zakat ul-Fitr charity paid beforehand so no one is left out. What is Eid? Here's the full picture.
The Day of Arafah (9 Dhul Hijjah). The peak of Hajj, when pilgrims stand at the plain of Arafah. For Muslims not on Hajj, fasting this day is believed to expiate two years of sins.
Eid ul-Adha (10 Dhul Hijjah). The festival of sacrifice, commemorating Ibrahim's devotion — marked with Eid prayer, the Qurbani sacrifice shared with the poor, and celebration. See what Eid al-Adha is about.
Key Dates for 1448 AH (2026–2027)
All dates are approximate and subject to moon sighting — final dates are confirmed a day or so in advance.
| Observance | Hijri date | Expected Gregorian date |
|---|---|---|
| Islamic New Year 1448 | 1 Muharram 1448 | Mid-June 2026 |
| Ashura | 10 Muharram 1448 | Late June 2026 |
| Mawlid | 12 Rabi al-Awwal 1448 | Late August 2026 |
| Isra & Mi'raj | 27 Rajab 1448 | Early January 2027 |
| Start of Ramadan | 1 Ramadan 1448 | On or around Saturday 6 February 2027 |
| Laylat al-Qadr (sought) | Odd nights, last 10 of Ramadan | Late February – early March 2027 |
| Eid ul-Fitr | 1 Shawwal 1448 | Around 7–8 March 2027 |
| Day of Arafah | 9 Dhul Hijjah 1448 | Mid-May 2027 |
| Eid ul-Adha | 10 Dhul Hijjah 1448 | Mid-May 2027 |
For Warragul-specific times and programs, see our guide to Ramadan 2027 at Warragul Mosque.
Moon Sighting: Why Eid Is Confirmed at the Last Minute
An Islamic month begins when the new crescent moon is sighted after sunset on the 29th of the current month. If the crescent is seen, tomorrow is the 1st of the new month; if not — because the moon is too low, too close to the sun, or hidden by cloud — the current month completes 30 days and the new month starts the day after.
This is the famous "moon sighting" that has Muslim families glued to announcements the night before Ramadan and Eid. It's also why dates can differ by a day between communities:
- Local sighting: the month starts when the crescent is sighted in your own region.
- Global sighting: a verified sighting anywhere (often Mecca) starts the month for everyone following that method.
- Astronomical calculation: the month is fixed in advance by calculating when sighting is possible — allowing dates to be set years ahead.
All three approaches have scholarly backing, and each has trade-offs between certainty, unity, and fidelity to the traditional practice. Australian communities variously follow national moon-sighting bodies, calculation, or overseas announcements. Warragul Mosque announces the confirmed dates it follows for Ramadan and both Eids each year via binai.org.au, Instagram @binai.charity, and Facebook — so Gippsland families always have a clear local answer.
Neither calendar is "right" or "wrong" — a lunar month is simply a different, older way of keeping time, one the Quran itself points to: "They ask you about the crescent moons. Say: they are measurements of time for the people and for Hajj" (2:189).
Living on Two Calendars in Gippsland
For the Muslim families of Baw Baw Shire, the Hijri calendar isn't trivia — it's the rhythm of the year. It decides when the community gathers at 72 Victoria Street for Taraweeh, when the kids get Eid presents, when Zakat anniversaries fall, and when the mosque fills for the two biggest mornings of the year.
Warragul Mosque is where that calendar comes to life locally: the only mosque in Gippsland, hosting Jummah every Friday at 1:30 PM, full Ramadan programs, and Eid prayers for the whole region. BINAI, the charity behind it, is raising funds to build a permanent home for all of it — so that every Ramadan, every Eid, and every ordinary Friday for generations has somewhere to happen.
Support the Warragul Mosque project →
Further reading: What is Ramadan? · Ramadan 2027 at Warragul Mosque · What is Eid? · What is Eid al-Adha? · What is Hajj?
Warragul Mosque 72 Victoria Street, Warragul VIC 3820 Jummah: Every Friday at 1:30 PM Email: hello@binai.org.au · Phone: 0457 643 672
Operated by BawBaw Islamic Network Australia Inc. (BINAI), a registered charity in Victoria. ABN: 16 723 284 175.