Birthday of Imam Ali 2026 and 2027 in Iran

The birth anniversary of Imam Ali is a national public holiday in the Islamic Republic of Iran, that falls on the thirteenth day of the month of Rajab on the Islamic Calendar.

Year	Date	Day	Holiday
2026	2 Jan	Fri	Birthday of Imam Ali
	23 Dec	Wed	Birthday of Imam Ali
2027	26 Dec	Sun	Birthday of Imam Ali
Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates.

Ali ibn Abu Talib became an important Imam during the early years of Islamic history. He was the son in law of Muhammad himself. Shiites, like most Muslims in Iran are, consider Ali to be the first true Imam.

Ali is said to have been born in Mecca in the Kaaba, the holiest place in all of Islam, around A.D. 599. Aside from Muhammad, Ali is considered by many Islamic historians to be the first male to convert to Islam. He then became a key general and warrior in Muhammad’s battles. He ended up marrying Fatimah, Muhammad’s daughter.

Later, Ali succeeded Uthman as Caliph of the Muslim world, but in A.D. 661, he was assassinated with a poison-lined sword while praying in the Great Mosque in Kufa, Iraq. He is considered a martyr and his memory is honoured, if in different ways, by Shia and Sunni Muslims alike.

Previous Years

Year	Date	Day	Holiday
2025	13 Jan	Mon	Birthday of Imam Ali
2024	25 Jan	Thu	Birthday of Imam Ali