Sunnah fasting days in each month
Choose a month under Sunnah fasting days to list the voluntary fasting days that many Muslims commonly observe in it: Mondays and Thursdays, the 13th, 14th and 15th (Ayyam al-Bid), 9 and 10 Muharram, the Day of Arafah on 9 Dhu al-Hijjah, and a note on six days of Shawwal. The two Eid days and the Days of Tashriq, 11 to 13 Dhu al-Hijjah, are shown as days on which fasting is not done. The list is general information with its sources named, not a ruling; schools of jurisprudence differ on some days, and the actual dates follow your country’s moon-sighting announcement.
How the Hijri calendar works
The Hijri calendar counts years from the Prophet's migration from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE. Each month starts with the new crescent moon, so months last 29 or 30 days and the year has about 354 days. Because it is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, Ramadan and the Eids move earlier in the Gregorian calendar every year and pass through every season over roughly 33 years.
The twelve Hijri months
The months, in order, are:
- Muharram, the first month, which includes Ashura on the 10th
- Safar, Rabi al-Awwal, Rabi al-Thani
- Jumada al-Ula, Jumada al-Akhirah, Rajab
- Shaban, the month before Ramadan
- Ramadan, the month of fasting
- Shawwal, which begins with Eid al-Fitr
- Dhu al-Qadah, Dhu al-Hijjah, the month of Hajj, with Arafah on the 9th and Eid al-Adha on the 10th
Umm al-Qura and moon sighting
The dates here follow the Umm al-Qura calendar, the official civil calendar of Saudi Arabia, which is calculated in advance from astronomical data. For religious occasions, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other countries confirm the start of Ramadan, Shawwal and Dhu al-Hijjah by moon sighting, announced the evening before. That is why the Ramadan and Eid dates are marked as expected: the official day can be one day different, and some countries can start on different days.
Public holidays
Gulf governments announce Eid and other Islamic public holidays each year, often only days before, and the number of days off differs by country and between the public and private sectors. Use this calendar to plan ahead, and confirm leave days with the official announcement in your country or your employer.