Igortxa at 21:47, 7 March 2026

2026-03-07T21:47:34Z

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{{Short description|Holidays in Islam}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
[[File:Sholakia_Eidgah_Maidan_08.jpg|thumb|right|Eid celebration in [[Sholakia]], [[Bangladesh]]. The largest [[Eid prayers|Eid congregation]].]]
{{Islam |religion}}
There are two main holidays in [[Islam]] that are celebrated by [[Muslim]]s worldwide: [[Eid al-Fitr]] and [[Eid al-Adha|Eid al Adha]]. The timing of both holidays are set by the lunar [[Islamic calendar]], which is based upon the cycle of the moon, and so is different from the more common, European, solar-based [[Gregorian calendar]]. Every year, the Gregorian dates of the Islamic holidays change.

Both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha follow a period of 10 holy days or nights: the last 10 nights of [[Ramadan]] for Eid al-Fitr, and the first 10 days of [[Dhu al-Hijjah]] for Eid al-Adha. The [[Night of Power]] (Arabic: لیلة القدر, <small>[[Romanization of Arabic|romanized]]</small>: Laylat al-Qadr), one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, is the holiest night of the year.<ref>/{{cite web|title=Muslim Hands USA The Night of Power|trans-title=أيدي المسلمين في ليلة القوة في الولايات المتحدة|date=January 28, 2026| website=[[Muslim Hands]]|url=https://muslimhandsusa.org/latest/2025/03/laylat-al-qadr-understanding-the-night-of-power}}</ref> Conversely, the [[Day of Arafah]], the day before Eid al-Adha, is the holiest day of the Islamic year.{{cn|date=October 2023}}

There are a number of other days of note as well as festivals, some common to all Muslims, others specific to [[Shia Islam]] or branches thereof.

Additionally, Friday is considered the holiest day of the week, and, in Islamic tradition, is considered a celebration in itself. [[Friday prayer|Friday prayers]] (Juma) are congregational prayers held in [[mosque]]s, and Muslims are encouraged to wear clean and refined clothes, perfume, and bathe. It is customary to eat special meals with family on this day.

==Holidays==
{{Main|Eid al-Fitr|Eid al-Adha}}
Eid al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of [[Ramadan]] (a month of fasting during daylight hours), and Muslims may perform acts of [[zakat]] (charity) on the occasion, which begins after the new moon is sighted for the beginning of the month of [[Shawwal]]. Celebration begins with prayers on the morning of 1 Shawwal, followed by breakfast, and often celebratory meals throughout the day.

Eid al-Adha is celebrated on the tenth day of [[Dhu al-Hijjah]], when the [[Hajj]] pilgrimage takes place which lasts for four days. Muslims may perform an act of zakat and friendship by slaughtering a sheep or cow and distributing the meat to family, friends, and the poor. Muslims are also encouraged to be especially friendly and reach out to one another during this period.<ref>{{Cite book|last=الشحيمي|first=محمد|title=العيد فرحة وآداب|publisher=[[دائرة الشؤون الإسلامية والعمل الخيري]]|year=2014|isbn=978-9948-499-99-2|location=دبي، الامارات العربية المتحدة}}</ref>

==Religious practices==
===Fasting===
[[File:Fanous Ramadan.jpg|thumb|The [[Fanoos]], a lantern used in homes, mosques and streets during Ramadan]]
{{Main|Ramadan}}
Muslims celebrate when they believe the [[Quran]] was first revealed to Muhammed by fasting from dawn to sunset during [[Ramadan (calendar month)|Ramadan]], the ninth month of the [[Islamic calendar]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=No god but God : the origins and evolution of Islam|last=Reza|first=Aslan|date=2011|publisher=Delacorte Press|isbn=9780385739757|edition=1st|location=New York|pages=118–119|oclc=614990718}}</ref> Fasting is considered a purifying experience so that Muslims can gain compassion and deepen their faith in [[God in Islam|God]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/ramadan0000aloi|title=Ramadan|last=Molly.|first=Aloian|date=2009|publisher=Crabtree|isbn=978-0778742852|location=New York|oclc=227911610|url-access=registration}}</ref> Those with certain health conditions such as diabetes, and children are exempt from fasting.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ramadan and Diabetes |url=https://mcb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Ramadan-Factsheet-English-2015-9_3_15.pdf |website=[[Muslim Council of Britain]] |access-date=18 July 2025}}</ref> Travelers, and women who are menstruating or nursing a baby, are exempt from fasting but are required to fast later.<ref>{{cite web |title=What are Missed Fasts in Islam and Who Has to Make Them Up? |url=https://islamic-relief.org/what-are-missed-fasts-in-islam-and-who-has-to-make-them-up/ |website=[[Islamic Relief]] |access-date=18 July 2025}}</ref>

===Pilgrimage===
====Umrah====
{{Main|Umrah}}

====Hajj====
{{Main|Hajj}}

====Eid====
{{Main|Eid al-Adha}}

==Dates of holidays and other days of note==
The Islamic calendar is based on the [[orbital period|synodic period]] of the [[Lunar phase|Moon's revolution]] around the Earth, approximately 29{{1/2}} days. The Islamic calendar alternates months of 29 and 30 days (which begin with the new moon). Twelve of these months make up an Islamic year, which is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. Some Gregorian dates may vary slightly from those given, and may also vary by country. See [[Islamic calendar#Astronomical considerations|Islamic calendar]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Islamic Calendar|url=http://islamicfinder.org/islamic-calendar/|website=IslamicFinder|access-date=12 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Special Islamic Days|url=http://islamicfinder.org/special-islamic-days/|website=IslamicFinder|access-date=12 September 2020}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Holiday Name!! Hijri Date, 1447 AH
! Gregorian Date, 2025-26
|-
| align="left" | [[Islamic New Year]] || align="left" | 1 Muḥarram
|26 June 2025
|-
| align="left" | [[Tasu'a]]{{efn|name=Shia|Primarily observed by Shias.}} || align="left" | 9 Muharram
|4 July 2025
|-
| align="left" | [[Ashura]] || align="left" | 10 Muḥarram
|5 July 2025
|-
| align="left" | [[Arbaʽeen]]{{efn|name=Shia|Primarily observed by Shias.}} || align="left" | 20 or 21 Ṣafar{{efn|Observed 40 days after Ashura.}}
|14 or 15 August 2025
|-
| align="left" | [[Akhiri Chahar Shambah]]{{efn|Primarily observed by Muslims in Iran and Indian subcontinent.}} || align="left" | Last Wednesday of Ṣafar
|20 August 2025
|-
| align="left" | [[Eid-e-Shuja']] (Eid-e-Zahra){{efn|name=Twelver|Primarily observed by [[Twelver|Twelver Shias]].}} || align="left" | 9 Rabī‘ al-Awwal
|1 September 2025
|-
| align="left" | [[Mawlid|Mawlid an-Nabī]]<br />(Birthday of [[Muhammad]]){{efn|Not observed by Wahhabis, Deobandis and Ahl-i-Hadith}}|| align="left" | 12 Rabī‘ al-Awwal
|4th September 2025
|-
| align="left" | Baptism of Muhammad{{efn|Mostly observed in the [[Sahel]]}} || align="left" | 19 Rabī‘ al-Awwal
|11 September 2025
|-
| align="left" | Beginning the Three Holy Months || align="left" | 1 Rajab
|21 December 2025
|-
| align="left" | [[Laylat al-Raghaib]] || align="left" | 2 Rajab
|22 December 2025
|-
| align="left" | Birthday of [[Ali|‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib]]{{efn|name=Shia}} || align="left" | [[13 Rajab]]
|2 January 2026
|-
| align="left" | [[Isra and Mi'raj|Laylat al-Mi'raj]] || align="left" | 26 Rajab or 27 Rajab{{efn|There is some disagreement about this date; see [[Isra and Mi'raj#Modern Muslim observance|Isra and Mi'raj]].}}
|15 or 16 January 2026
|-
| align="left" | [[Mid-Sha'ban|Laylat al-Bara'at]] || align="left" | 15 Sha‘bān
|3 February 2026
|-
| align="left" | Birthday of [[Hujjat-Allah imam al-Mahdi|Hujjat-Allah al-Mahdī]]{{efn|name=Twelver|Primarily observed by [[Twelver|Twelver Shias]].}} || align="left" | 15 Sha‘bān
|3 February 2026
|-
| align="left" | First day of [[Ramadan|Ramaḍān]] || align="left" | 1 Ramaḍān
|18 February 2026
|-
| align="left" | [[Qadr Night|Laylat al-Qadr]] || align="left" | 21, 23, 25, 27, or 29 Ramaḍān{{efn|Most often observed on 23 Ramaḍān by Shias and 27 Ramaḍān by Sunnis; see [[Qadr Night#Date|Laylat al-Qadr]].}}
|10th, 12th, 14, 16 and 18 March 2026
|-
| align="left" | [[Jumu'atul-Wida]]|| align="left" | Last Friday in the month of Ramadan before Eid al-Fitr
|13 March 2026
|-
| align="left" | [[Chaand Raat]]{{efn|Primarily observed in [[South Asia]].}} || align="left" | 1 or 2
Ramadan
|18 or 19 March 2026
|-
| align="left" | [[Eid al-Fitr]] || align="left" | 1 Shawwāl
|20 March 2026
|-
| align="left" | [[Hajj]] || align="left" | 8–13 Dhū al-Ḥijja
|25 - 30 May 2026
|-
| align="left" | [[Day of Arafah]] || align="left" | 9 Dhū al-Ḥijja
|26 May 2026
|-
| align="left" | [[Eid al-Adha]] || align="left" | 10 Dhū al-Ḥijja
|27 May 2026
|-
| align="left" | [[Eid al-Ghadir]]{{efn|name=Shia}} || align="left" | 18 Dhū al-Ḥijja
|4 June 2026
|-
| align="left" | [[Event of Mubahala|Eid al-Mubahalah]]{{efn|name=Shia}} || align="left" | 24 Dhū al-Ḥijja
|10 June 2026
|}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Leaman, Oliver, "Festivals of Love", in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God (2 vols.), Edited by C. Fitzpatrick and A. Walker, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 2014, Vol I, pp. 197–199.

==External links==
* [http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gent0113/islam/ummalqura.htm The Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia] (with date converter valid from 1937 to 2077)

{{Eid}}
{{Muslimholidays}}
{{Ramadan}}
{{Islam topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Islamic holidays| ]]
[[Category:Religious holidays]]

Islamic holidays - Revision history

Igortxa at 21:47, 7 March 2026