The Islamic calendar is lunar, so its year runs about 354 or 355 days, roughly 10 to 11 days shorter than the 365-day Gregorian solar calendar. Because of that gap, every Hijri month, and every date tied to it, moves about 10 days earlier each Gregorian year. Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and every other Islamic occasion drift steadily backward through the Gregorian calendar over a cycle of roughly 33 years.
This guide lists the expected Gregorian dates for every major Islamic occasion across 2026 and 2027, based on standard astronomical calculation. Every single date below is an estimate. The Islamic calendar depends on the physical sighting of the new crescent moon, so the confirmed date for any month is normally only known one to two days in advance.
Why Do Islamic Dates Shift Every Year on the Gregorian Calendar?
Islamic dates shift each year because the Hijri calendar is purely lunar, while the Gregorian calendar is solar. A Hijri year has 12 lunar months of about 29 or 30 days each, totalling roughly 354 to 355 days. A Gregorian year has 365 or 366 days.
Unlike the Hebrew calendar, the Islamic calendar has no leap month to correct for this gap, so it is never adjusted to stay aligned with the seasons. The result is a steady drift of about 10 to 11 days earlier each Gregorian year, which is why Ramadan, Hajj and other Islamic dates move through every season of the Gregorian year over a full cycle of around 33 years.
How Are Exact Islamic Dates Confirmed?
Exact Islamic dates are confirmed by the sighting of the new crescent moon (the hilal), which is normally only possible one to two days before the date itself. This is why every date in this guide is described as expected or estimated rather than fixed.
Astronomical calculations, like the ones used to build this guide, are reliable for planning purposes and are accurate in the vast majority of years. But local moon-sighting committees and national authorities have the final say, and the visibility of the crescent can vary by location. This means the confirmed date for Ramadan, Eid or any other occasion can occasionally fall a day earlier or later than the calculated estimate, and can also vary slightly between countries.
What Are the Key Islamic Dates in 2026?
The list below sets out the expected Gregorian dates for the major Islamic occasions falling across 2026. Every date is subject to moon sighting and should be treated as an estimate.
- Sha'ban 1447 begins: expected around 20 January 2026, subject to moon sighting.
- Ramadan 1447 begins: expected around Wednesday, 18 February 2026, subject to moon sighting.
- Laylatul Qadr (27 Ramadan): expected around the night of 16 to 17 March 2026, subject to moon sighting.
- Eid al-Fitr (1 Shawwal 1447): expected around Friday, 20 March 2026, subject to moon sighting.
- Dhul Hijjah 1447 begins: expected around 18 May 2026, subject to moon sighting.
- Day of Arafah (9 Dhul Hijjah): expected around 26 May 2026, subject to moon sighting.
- Eid al-Adha (10 to 12 Dhul Hijjah): expected around 27 to 29 May 2026, subject to moon sighting.
- Islamic New Year (1 Muharram 1448): expected around 16 June 2026, subject to moon sighting.
- Ashura (10 Muharram): expected around 25 June 2026, subject to moon sighting.
- Mawlid al-Nabi (12 Rabi al-Awwal 1448): expected around 25 August 2026, subject to moon sighting.
- Rajab 1448 begins: expected around 10 December 2026, subject to moon sighting.
What Are the Key Islamic Dates in 2027?
The list below sets out the expected Gregorian dates for the major Islamic occasions falling across 2027. As with 2026, every date here is an estimate pending moon sighting.
- Laylat al-Miraj (27 Rajab 1448): expected around 6 January 2027, subject to moon sighting.
- Laylat al-Bara'ah (15 Sha'ban 1448): expected around 23 January 2027, subject to moon sighting.
- Ramadan 1448 begins: expected around 8 February 2027, subject to moon sighting. Remind me, so I don’t miss Laylatul Qadr
- Laylatul Qadr (27 Ramadan): expected around 6 March 2027, subject to moon sighting.
- Eid al-Fitr (1 Shawwal 1448): expected around 9 to 10 March 2027, subject to moon sighting.
- Dhul Hijjah 1448 begins: expected around 7 May 2027, subject to moon sighting. Remind me, so I don’t miss the most beloved days
- Day of Arafah (9 Dhul Hijjah): expected around 15 May 2027, subject to moon sighting.
- Eid al-Adha (10 Dhul Hijjah): expected around Sunday, 16 May 2027, subject to moon sighting.
- Islamic New Year (1 Muharram 1449): expected around 6 June 2027, subject to moon sighting.
- Ashura (10 Muharram): expected around 15 June 2027, subject to moon sighting.
- Mawlid al-Nabi (12 Rabi al-Awwal 1449): expected around 15 August 2027, subject to moon sighting.
How Should I Plan My Giving Around These Dates?
Because the exact dates are only confirmed a day or two beforehand, it is worth setting up your giving around the expected windows in advance rather than waiting for a final date. The three windows that matter most for charitable giving each year are the last ten nights of Ramadan and the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, alongside ongoing weekly giving that does not depend on the calendar at all.
- MyTenNights (MTN): for the last ten nights of Ramadan, including the expected Laylatul Qadr window, use MyTenNights to plan giving across those nights in both 2026 and 2027, ahead of confirmation of the exact night.
- MyTenDays (MTD): for the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, including the Day of Arafah, use MyTenDays to plan giving across that window in both 2026 and 2027, ahead of confirmation of the exact dates.
- MyFridays (MF): for steady, ongoing giving that does not depend on any Hijri date at all, MyFridays lets you give a set amount every week, regardless of when Ramadan, Hajj or any other occasion falls in a given year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do Islamic dates change every year on the Gregorian calendar?
The Islamic calendar is lunar and runs about 354 to 355 days a year, roughly 10 to 11 days shorter than the Gregorian solar year, with no leap month to correct the gap. That difference means Islamic dates move about 10 days earlier on the Gregorian calendar each year.
When will Ramadan start in 2027?
Ramadan 1448 is expected to begin around Wednesday, 8 February 2027, subject to moon sighting. The exact start date will only be confirmed one to two days beforehand. Remind me, so I don’t miss Laylatul Qadr
When is Eid al-Adha in 2027?
Eid al-Adha (10 Dhul Hijjah 1448) is expected to fall around Sunday, 16 May 2027, subject to moon sighting. The Day of Arafah before it is expected around 15 May 2027, also subject to moon sighting. Remind me, so I don’t miss the most beloved days
Why can't Islamic dates be confirmed further in advance?
Islamic months begin with the sighting of the new crescent moon, not with a fixed calculation, so the start of a month can only be confirmed once the moon has actually been sighted, normally one to two days before that date. Calculated dates like the ones in this guide are reliable estimates, but they are not the final word.
Do all countries celebrate Islamic dates on the same day?
Not always. Because moon sighting depends on local visibility and different countries follow different moon-sighting authorities, dates such as the start of Ramadan or Eid can fall a day apart in different parts of the world, even though the estimated dates in this guide are the same for all regions.
How many Islamic dates repeat each Gregorian year?
Because the Hijri year is shorter than the Gregorian year, some Islamic months can occasionally begin twice within the same Gregorian year as the drift accumulates. For 2026 and 2027, the key dates in this guide each fall once, at the expected dates shown above, subject to moon sighting.
