9 Rabi al-Awwal
Beginning of the Imamate of Imam al-Mahdi (aj)
CelebrationA jashn is held
Dates year by year
| Hijri | Gregorian | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Rabi al-Awwal 1447 | Expected | |
| 9 Rabi al-Awwal 1448 | Confirmed | |
| 9 Rabi al-Awwal 1449 | Expected | |
| 9 Rabi al-Awwal 1450 | Expected |
Hijri months begin by moon sighting, not by calculation. A date marked expected is the calculated one and may move by a day when the Centre confirms the month.
About this day
This day marks the beginning of the Imamate of Imam al-Mahdi (aj) in 260 AH, following the martyrdom of Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a) on the eighth. That reckoning rests on al-Shaykh al-Mufid's Irshad. Twelver communities differ over how the day is marked.
Communities differ on this
The Centre’s congregation includes Indian, Pakistani, Irani, Hazara, Iraqi and Afghan families, and they do not all keep this on the same day. The date above is the one the Centre observes; it is not a ruling on anyone else’s.