Muslims around the world are expected to greet the first day of Muharram—and with it the year 1447 AH—on or about Thursday, 26 June, when regional moon-sighting committees confirm the appearance of the crescent. The lunar date, which follows the annual Hajj season, opens one of Islam’s four sacred months and sets the tone for a period of prayer, fasting and reflection that differs sharply from the more festive beginnings of the Gregorian year.

Islamic Hijri new year 2025 date

Because the calendar is strictly lunar, each Islamic month starts when the new moon is seen. Astronomers and clerics expect the first sighting of the crescent on the evening of 25 June, making 26 June the probable first day of Muharram in many countries. Exact dates can still differ by a day from region to region.

Islamic Hijri calendar history

Muslims count time from 622 CE, the year the Prophet Muhammad left Mecca for Medina to escape persecution. The migration—known in Arabic as the Hijrah—marked the social and political consolidation of the early Muslim community and gives the calendar its name.

The day is more solemn than festive

Muharram bans warfare under Islamic teaching, so many believers spend additional time in prayer, charity and self-examination rather than celebration. More than 20 nations, among them the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Syria, treat the first day of the month as a public holiday.

Shiite Muslims observe the first ten days as a period of mourning for Hussein, the Prophet’s grandson, who was killed on the tenth day—Ashoura—in 680 CE. Some mourners dress in black, beat their chests or flagellate themselves in public processions. Sunni Muslims mark Ashoura by voluntary fasting, recalling what they say was Moses’ parting of the Red Sea.

Cultural and Spiritual Practices

Unlike Eid, the Islamic New Year is a quiet and reflective occasion, marked by:

Reciting the Quran
Offering prayers
Practising introspection
Performing charitable acts

Ashura 2025 Date

The 10th of Muharram (Ashura) in 1447 AH will fall on 5 July 2025.

Sunni and Shia Differences on Ashura

Sunni Muslims fast on Ashura to commemorate:

Noah’s Ark
Moses’ crossing of the Red Sea
Shia Muslims mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussein at the Battle of Karbala through:
Majlis (gatherings)
Matam (chest-beating)
Public processions, especially in India, Iraq, Lebanon, and Iran

Islamic Calendar Facts

The Islamic calendar has:
12 lunar months
354 or 355 days, making it about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar.
This causes Islamic dates to shift earlier every year.

The wars in Iran and Gaza will impact observations of the new year

Large Ashoura processions usually unfold in Tehran and other Iranian cities. This year, Israel’s 13 June strikes on Tehran’s nuclear and military sites—and the ensuing conflict—have emptied streets, closed businesses and pushed residents to shelter in metro stations or leave the capital.

Elsewhere, marches in Pakistan, Lebanon and Iraq have also become occasions to mourn Palestinians. The upcoming new year is the second to arrive since Israel launched its Gaza offensive in October 2023, a campaign that Gaza’s Health Ministry says has killed more than 55,000 people, mostly women and children.