Rajab is the seventh month of the Hijri calendar, two months before Ramadan.
Short answer
Monday 29 November 2027 (1 Rajab 1449 AH), with the date beginning the evening before, Sunday 28 November 2027.
±1 day · Dates on this page are astronomical (Umm al-Qura) estimates. Dates your community actually observes — especially around Ramadan and the Eids — can differ by a day based on local moon sighting.
Expected Monday 29 November 2027
Why it matters
The fourth sacred month.
Three sacred months come together: Dhul Qa'dah, Dhul Hijjah and Muharram. The fourth, Rajab, stands alone between Jumada al-Akhirah and Sha'ban.
The Prophet ﷺ called Sha'ban a month people overlook, between Rajab and Ramadan.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3197 · Sunan an-Nasa'i 2357Surah At-Tawbah 9:36
Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allah is with the righteous [who fear Him].
What to do
Keep it sacred.
Do not wrong yourself.
Guard against sin in the sacred months.
At-Tawbah 9:36
Fast as you would in any month.
The Prophet ﷺ would fast many days, then leave fasting for many days.
Sahih Muslim 1157
The story
Rajab before and after Islam.
Before Islam
Arabs slaughtered an animal in Rajab called al-'atirah. The Prophet ﷺ said: there is no fara' and no 'atirah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5473
An 'Umrah in Rajab?
Ibn Umar said one of the Prophet's 'Umrahs was in Rajab. Aisha said: he never made an 'Umrah in Rajab.
This date is set by the Islamic lunar calendar, not the Gregorian one. Rajab is the seventh month of the twelve Hijri months, and each Hijri month runs 29 or 30 days, beginning with the birth of the new moon. Twelve lunar months make a year of 354 or 355 days — about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year — so the same Islamic date lands about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year.
The Gregorian date shown is the Umm al-Qura calculation: the official Islamic calendar of Saudi Arabia, built from astronomical calculation of the new moon, and the calendar this site's Hijri calendar converter uses. Other communities wait for the new crescent to be seen with the eye, or follow a different country's announcement — so the day your community actually observes can sit a day either side of the estimate. Because the Islamic day begins at sunset, the date begins the evening before the Gregorian day shown.
Rajab sits between Jumada al-Akhirah and Sha'ban: Rajab, then Sha'ban, then Ramadan. Counting from 1 Rajab 1449 (expected Monday 29 November 2027) gives roughly two lunar months — 59 or 60 days — until Ramadan 1449 begins (expected Friday 28 January 2028).
Rajab 1449 start around the years
The same Hijri date, three cycles running. The Hijri year is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year, so each cycle lands earlier in the Gregorian calendar.
Rajab 1449 start: expected dates for the surrounding Hijri years
Hijri date
Expected Gregorian date
Weekday
Notes
1 Rajab 1448 AH
10 December 2026
Thursday
previous cycle
1 Rajab 1449 AH
29 November 2027
Monday
this page
1 Rajab 1450 AH
18 November 2028
Saturday
next cycle
All rows are Umm al-Qura estimates; each carries the same ±1 day moon-sighting uncertainty. Generated 2026-09-24.
Frequently asked questions
When does Rajab start in 2027?
1 Rajab 1449 AH is expected on Monday 29 November 2027 (Umm al-Qura), with the month beginning the evening before, Sunday 28 November. The actual start can shift by a day with local moon sighting.
When did Rajab 1448 start?
1 Rajab 1448 AH fell on or around 10 December 2026 by the same calculation.
