Ramadan Begins
The holy month of fasting, prayer, and reflection for Muslims worldwide.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and begins with the sighting of the new crescent moon, lasting 29 or 30 days. It moves about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year, cycling through all seasons over about 33 years.
When Is Ramadan Begins?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and begins with the sighting of the new crescent moon, lasting 29 or 30 days. It moves about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year, cycling through all seasons over about 33 years.
Because the Gregorian date changes from year to year, check a calendar published by the tradition or your local community for this year's date.
Why It Matters
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset in observance of the month when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It is a time of heightened devotion, charity, and community.
How It Is Observed
Daily fasting (sawm) from Fajr to Maghrib prayer. Suhoor (pre-dawn meal), Iftar (breaking fast at sunset). Extra prayers (Tarawih) at night, increased Quran recitation, Laylat al-Qadr vigil in the last 10 nights.
Sacred Text
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.”
, Quran 2:183 ↗