About Safar
Safar (صَفَر) is the second month of the Hijri calendar. Its name means “Empty / void.” The second month. Its name is often linked to houses left empty when people travelled after the sacred months.
Like every Hijri month it has 29 or 30 days, determined in the Umm al-Qura calendar by the official tables and in the tabular calendar by a fixed arithmetic rule. Because the lunar month depends on the sighting of the new crescent, the exact first day can differ by a day from the calculated date. Our guide on Umm al-Qura, tabular and moon-sighting calendars sets out how far apart the three methods actually land.
Frequently asked questions
What is Safar?
Safar (صَفَر) is the second month of the Islamic (Hijri) calendar. Its name means "Empty / void". The second month. Its name is often linked to houses left empty when people travelled after the sacred months.
How many days does Safar have?
Like every Hijri month, Safar has 29 or 30 days. In the Umm al-Qura calendar the length comes from the official published tables; in the tabular calendar it follows a fixed arithmetic rule.
When does Safar begin?
Safar begins on a different Gregorian date each year because the Hijri year is about eleven days shorter. In 1446 AH, 1 Safar began on 5 August 2024 in the Umm al-Qura calendar. The exact first day can differ by a day from the local moon sighting.