The twelve Hijri months run from مُحَرَّم (Muharram) to ذُو الْحِجَّة (Dhu al-Hijjah). They are lunar months, with Ramadan in ninth place. Use the complete Arabic chart below to learn their order, similar names and pronunciation.
01What are the Hijri months?
The Islamic Hijri calendar has twelve lunar months. Their sequence begins with Muharram and ends with Dhu al-Hijjah. A month name identifies a position in that sequence; it is not a fixed equivalent of January, February or another Gregorian month. Quran 9:36 describes a twelve-month year and four sacred months.
Arabic calls a month شَهْرٌ (shahr), with the plural شُهُورٌ (shuhuur). The adjective هِجْرِيٌّ (hijri) identifies the calendar. Our general Arabic months guide helps distinguish other month-name systems encountered in Arabic.
02Learn the first four names as one group
Start with مُحَرَّم (muharram), then صَفَر (safar). Muharram has a doubled r, marked by shaddah. Safar begins with sad, the emphatic s consonant, so it differs from an ordinary English s. These two short names give you a firm opening pair.
Next come رَبِيع الْأَوَّل (rabii al-awwal) and رَبِيع الْآخِر (rabii al-aakhir). You will also meet Rabi al-Thani for the fourth month. Learn the qualifier with the shared name: recognising rabii alone cannot tell you which of the two months a date means.
03Recognise the middle four months
The fifth month is جُمَادَى الْأُولَى (jumaadaa al-uulaa), followed by جُمَادَى الْآخِرَة (jumaadaa al-aakhirah). Jumada al-Thaniyah is another name for the sixth. The feminine endings in these qualifiers are useful spelling clues. Compare the whole two-part name rather than replacing every qualifier with the same ending.
Seventh is رَجَب (rajab), and eighth is شَعْبَان (shabaan). The latter includes ayn after the first short a and a long aa later in the word. Say the four-name group slowly, then ask which month sits directly before Ramadan.
04Finish with the final four names
رَمَضَان (ramadaan) is ninth, and شَوَّال (shawwaal) is tenth. Keep Ramadan separate from the Arabic words for fasting or meals: a month name, an act and a meal are different vocabulary items. Our sawm and siyam comparison explains the fasting terms.
The year finishes with ذُو الْقَعْدَة (dhul qadah) and ذُو الْحِجَّة (dhul hijjah). Both begin with dhu, but the second word distinguishes them. Hijjah contains a doubled j. Keep months eleven and twelve in this order when reading a numbered date or completing a calendar form.
05Read the names without losing their sounds
The chart below uses aa, ii and uu to flag long vowels where helpful. Plain letters cannot fully represent ayn in rabii and shabaan, or the emphatic consonants in safar and ramadaan. Match each aid to the Arabic spelling rather than treating an English spelling as a complete pronunciation system.
Arabic grammar can also change a name's ending or the form of dhu. After fi, meaning in, you may see فِي ذِي الْحِجَّةِ (fii dhil hijjah). This is still the twelfth month. It is a grammatical change within a phrase, not an extra calendar entry.
06Use the sequence without fixing a season
رَمَضَانُ هُوَ الشَّهْرُ التَّاسِعُ.
ramadaanu huwa ashshahru attaasi
Ramadan is the ninth month.
This original sentence practises a month name and its position. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year, so Hijri months move through the seasons over time. Rabi in a name does not make that month permanently a spring month.
Bukhari 3197 identifies the sacred months as Dhu al-Qadah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. Ramadan is the fasting month, but it is not one of that named group of four. Learn sequence and context separately, using the full reference whenever two similar names need checking.
What to remember
- The Hijri year has twelve lunar months, beginning with Muharram.
- Rabi and Jumada each appear in a pair; learn the qualifier with the shared name.
- Hijri months move through the solar seasons and have no permanent Gregorian equivalent.
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Open a guide whenever you need it.
All 12 Hijri months in orderArabic names, plain readings and useful alternative names.
| Number | Arabic name | Plain reading | Recognition note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | مُحَرَّم | muharram | First month |
| 2 | صَفَر | safar | Begins with emphatic sad |
| 3 | رَبِيع الْأَوَّل | rabii al-awwal | Rabi I; the first Rabi |
| 4 | رَبِيع الْآخِر | rabii al-aakhir | Also Rabi al-Thani: رَبِيع الثَّانِي |
| 5 | جُمَادَى الْأُولَى | jumaadaa al-uulaa | The first Jumada |
| 6 | جُمَادَى الْآخِرَة | jumaadaa al-aakhirah | Also Jumada al-Thaniyah: جُمَادَى الثَّانِيَة |
| 7 | رَجَب | rajab | One of the four sacred months |
| 8 | شَعْبَان | shabaan | Immediately before Ramadan |
| 9 | رَمَضَان | ramadaan | The fasting month |
| 10 | شَوَّال | shawwaal | Immediately after Ramadan |
| 11 | ذُو الْقَعْدَة | dhul qadah | First of the final pair |
| 12 | ذُو الْحِجَّة | dhul hijjah | Final month; j is doubled |
These names are shown as labels without full case endings. Aa, ii and uu indicate long vowels; ayn and emphatic consonants need listening as well as plain letters.
Calendar words and similar-name checksRecognise calendar vocabulary and keep the paired names distinct.
| Arabic or group | Reading or check | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| شَهْرٌ | shahr | A month |
| شُهُورٌ | shuhuur | Months |
| تَقْوِيمٌ هِجْرِيٌّ | taqwiim hijri | A Hijri calendar |
| فِي رَمَضَانَ | fii ramadaan | In Ramadan |
| Rabi pair | Months 3 and 4 | Keep al-awwal distinct from al-aakhir or al-thani. |
| Jumada pair | Months 5 and 6 | Keep al-uulaa distinct from al-aakhirah or al-thaniyah. |
| Dhu pair | Months 11 and 12 | Qadah comes before hijjah. |
The sacred-month group is Dhu al-Qadah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. A month's Gregorian dates require a dated calendar; this vocabulary reference does not assign them.
Sources & further learning
References for the language explanations and learning guidance.
