Muharram 2025: India’s Islamic New Year After Saudi Moon Sighting

Muharram 2025 Date: Islamic New Year Begins After Saudi Moon Sighting

The Islamic New Year ( Hijri New Year ) commences with Muharram which is the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar. To Muslims in India, the date of the coming Muharram 2025 and more precisely the important day of Ashura will depend on the observation of the crescent moon which usually comes after the announcement of Saudi Arabia.

The Lunar Calendar and the Moon-Sighting

The Islamic calendar, also called the Hijri calendar, is an absolutely lunar calendar implying that the months of this calendar are fixed in accordance with the moon cycles. The month is determined by confirmation of the new crescent moon which is observed every month. It is due to this reason that the Islamic festivals and observances such as Muharram will be in different dates relative to Gregorian calendar every year.

In Saudi Arabia, the crescent moon sighting of Muharram 2025 was performed Wednesday June 25, 2025, after Maghrib prayers. This affirmed that Muharram 1447 AH has started on Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Saudi Arabia and most other regions of the world. In India, the first of Muharram 1447 AH started on the Friday 27 June 2025 on the basis of following regional moon sighting committees.

Ashura 2025: A Day of Great Value-

The day of Muharram that holds the greatest importance is on the 10 th day which is Ashura. Ashura 2025 will be in Sunday, July 6, 2025 in India. This is a very religious and historical day that is of great importance to the Muslim people all across the globe and beggars to differ in the way it is celebrated between the Sunnis and the Shias.

Importance to the Shia Muslims-

The Ashura is a day of extreme mourning and commemoration to Shia Muslims. It observes the martyrdom of Imam Hussain the adored grandson of Prophet Muhammad and his friends in the Battle of Karbala which took place in 680 AD. Shia communities mourn this time in a spirit that is full of sorrow by putting on black clothes, engaging in special religious meetings (majalis) where they share the tragedy of Karbala and joining processions.

Some may participate in symbolic performances of infliction of self-harm as a sense of grief and act of solidarity with the suffering of Imam Hussain. The rituals usually occur over the first ten days of Muharram, culminating on Ashura.

Significance for Sunni Muslims-

For Sunni Muslims, Ashura is also a period of significance, but it is approached differently. The day is mostly recognized by engaging in fasting (usually on the 9th and 10th or 10th and 11th of Muharram). The act of fasting is a Sunnah (tradition of the Prophet Muhammad), which is a form of penance for the sins of the past year. Ashura is also recognized by Sunnis to commemorate other events in history, for example, as described in the Quran, the Prophet Moses (Musa) and the rescuing of the Israelites from the Pharaoh when the Red Sea parted.

Read More – Muharram Date , timings . 

Mourning Practices of Muharram in India
In India, Muharram is recognized using a mix of traditional practices by different communities and regions. Street processions, where Shia communities bring out the placard of Imam Hussain, are important, especially in locations like Lucknow, Hyderabad, and parts of Kashmir. “Ta’ziyas” are model replicas of the mausoleum for Imam Hussain. In mourning processions, participants chant ”Quranic verses and lamentations,” elegies, and may sometimes include the ritualistic self-harm or infliction of pain upon themselves . Water drinking posts are sometimes set up during the rituals and mourning processions to offer water or juice, replicating the thirst suffered by Imam Hussain and his companions at Karbala.

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