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What Ramadan is

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the month in which the Qur’an was first revealed: “The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people” (Qur’an 2:185). Fasting it is the fourth pillar of Islam, made obligatory in the second year after the Hijrah.

The obligation and its purpose are stated in the same verse: “O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain taqwa” (Qur’an 2:183). Taqwa — God-consciousness — is named as the goal. Hunger is the method, not the point, and the hadith makes that explicit: “Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, Allah has no need of his giving up his food and drink” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1903).

The fast itself

From the entry of Fajr until sunset, a fasting person abstains from food, drink and marital relations. The fast begins at Fajr, not at sunrise — a distinction that surprises many people the first time they read a timetable properly. It ends at Maghrib, which is sunset, not full darkness.

The intention is formed before dawn and is an act of the heart; no spoken formula is required (Sunan Abi Dawud 2454). Eating or drinking forgetfully does not break the fast: “Let him complete his fast, for it was Allah who fed him and gave him drink” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1933).

For the full rules — what breaks the fast, what does not, and where the schools of law differ — see the Ramadan guides. To find how long your own fast will be, use the fasting hours calculator.

Who fasts, and who is excused

Fasting is obligatory on every sane adult Muslim who is able and resident. The Qur’an names the exceptions itself: “And whoever is ill or on a journey — then an equal number of other days” (Qur’an 2:184). Menstruating women do not fast and make the days up later. Those permanently unable to fast pay fidya instead. Pregnant and breastfeeding women may postpone, though scholars differ on whether they make up the days, pay fidya, or both.

A busy schedule is not an excuse recognised in the Shari‘ah. Genuine harm to health is — and nobody should be deciding that alone under pressure. If you take regular medication or manage a health condition, speak to your doctor and a qualified scholar before Ramadan rather than improvising on the first day. Nobody should stop or alter medication in order to fast.

Suhoor and Iftar

Suhoor, the meal before dawn, is a strongly recommended sunnah rather than a condition of the fast: “Take suhoor, for in suhoor there is blessing” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1923). Eating it late, close to Fajr, is the reported practice — Zayd ibn Thabit described the gap between their suhoor and the prayer as the time it takes to recite fifty verses (Sahih al-Bukhari 1921).

Iftar should not be delayed: “The people will remain upon good as long as they hasten to break the fast” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1957). The reported order is dates and water first, then Maghrib, then the main meal — which happens also to be the most comfortable way to do it after a long fast.

Twenty Sehri recipes and more than twenty Iftar recipes, with exact quantities and timed steps, are in the Sehri recipes and the Iftar recipes.

Prayer and the night

The five obligatory prayers are unchanged in Ramadan. Added to them is Taraweeh, the voluntary night prayer after Isha, prayed in congregation in mosques through the month. The number of rak‘ahs differs between communities — eleven and twenty are both reported and both practised — and because the prayer is voluntary this is a matter of preference rather than validity.

Many communities complete the whole Qur’an over the thirty nights, which is why the text is conventionally divided into thirty parts. Charity rises sharply too: Ibn Abbas said the Prophet was the most generous of people and most generous of all in Ramadan (Sahih al-Bukhari 6).

The last ten nights and Laylat al-Qadr

The final third of the month is where the effort concentrates. Aisha reported that when the last ten nights began, the Prophet would stay awake, wake his family and strive as at no other time (Sahih al-Bukhari 2024). Somewhere among them falls Laylat al-Qadr, described as “better than a thousand months” (Qur’an 97:3) — roughly eighty-three years.

No single night is fixed with certainty. “Seek it in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2017), which is why all ten are sought rather than one. Aisha asked what to say if she found it, and was taught: “Allahumma innaka ‘Afuwwun tuhibbul-‘afwa fa‘fu ‘anni” (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 3513).

More on the last ten nights, i‘tikaf and the night prayer: Laylat al-Qadr.

Zakat and Zakat al-Fitr

Zakat is the fourth pillar and the only one that is a transfer of wealth: 2.5% of qualifying wealth held above the nisab threshold for a full lunar year. Many people choose to pay it during Ramadan, which is permitted, though the zakat year actually runs from the date your wealth first reached the nisab.

Zakat al-Fitr is a separate and much smaller charity, owed per person in the household regardless of wealth, and it must reach the poor before the Eid prayer. Ibn Abbas described it as a purification for the fasting person and food for the needy (Sunan Abi Dawud 1609).

Why zakat is given, what counts as zakatable wealth, who may receive it, and how to work out your own figure: Zakat explained.

Staying well through the month

Health needs during Ramadan differ by person. Across the non-fasting hours, aim for regular fluids and balanced meals rather than relying on one very large meal or drink, and plan sleep and activity around your own work, climate and health needs. If you take regular medicine or live with a long-term condition, discuss fasting and medicine timing with your clinician before changing a dose or schedule.

The NHS lists thirst, dark yellow urine, urinating less often, dizziness, tiredness and a dry mouth among signs of dehydration. Confusion, persistent dizziness on standing, very little urine, a fast heart rate or other severe symptoms need urgent medical assessment. Medical emergencies should be treated promptly; for the religious ruling on illness and fasting in your own circumstances, ask a qualified scholar.

Health source: NHS — Dehydration

Family, school and work

Fasting becomes obligatory at puberty. Before that, children commonly fast part of a day as practice — the companions did the same, giving children a toy of wool to distract them when they grew hungry (Sahih al-Bukhari 1960). Encouragement rather than pressure, and health before achievement.

For work and school, ask early. Requests for adjusted hours, a quiet prayer space or a rescheduled meeting land far better in the week before Ramadan than on the morning of the first fast.

Eid al-Fitr

The month ends when the crescent of Shawwal is sighted, or when thirty days are completed. Fasting on the day of Eid is forbidden (Sahih al-Bukhari 1992). The Eid prayer is two rak‘ahs, with the sermon delivered after the prayer rather than before it, and there is no adhan or iqamah for it (Sahih Muslim 887). Six voluntary fasts in Shawwal follow, described as completing the reward of a whole year (Sahih Muslim 1164).

Why the dates move, and why countries differ

The Islamic year is lunar and runs about 354 days, roughly eleven days shorter than the solar year. That is the whole reason Ramadan arrives earlier each Gregorian year and cycles through all four seasons in about 33 years. Someone who lives a long life fasts Ramadan in every season.

Countries differ by a day because the crescent’s visibility genuinely varies with longitude and local conditions, and because sighting criteria differ. Some authorities accept calculation, some require a witnessed sighting, some accept a sighting from anywhere and others only from their own region. Kurayb reported a Syrian sighting to Ibn Abbas, who said they would follow their own (Sahih Muslim 1087) — the discussion is as old as that. A one-day difference between two countries is normal, not a sign that either is wrong.

How to use this site

• Ramadan calendar — a day-by-day timetable for your city, with Sehri, Iftar and the length of each day’s fast.
• Prayer times — how the times are worked out and why methods disagree by a few minutes.
• Dua library — around fifty supplications with Arabic, transliteration, meaning, source and grading.
• Ramadan quiz — Ramadan-only questions on fasting, Sehri and Iftar, moon sighting, Laylat al-Qadr, Zakat and Eid, each answer explained and referenced.
• Hadith bank — narrations about Ramadan, searchable by topic, each with its collection, hadith number, narrator and grading.
• Ramadan by country and city — every country, then every city within it, with the timetable calculated from that city’s own coordinates.
• Ramadan tools — countdowns, calculators, the calendar generator, the Qibla finder and the rest, all running in your browser.
• Ramadan planner — preparing for the month, a daily routine, and keeping Ramadan alongside family and work.

Common questions

When does Ramadan 2027 start?

Ramadan 1448 AH is expected to begin on Monday 8 February 2027. The confirmed date depends on the sighting of the crescent moon on the evening of 29 Sha‘ban, so it may fall a day either side.

How many days will Ramadan 2027 last?

Either 29 or 30 days. A lunar month ends when the crescent of Shawwal is sighted, and if it is not seen the month completes thirty days. The number cannot be known in advance.

Why do countries begin Ramadan on different days?

Because the crescent becomes visible at different times across the globe on a given evening, and because authorities use different sighting criteria — some accept astronomical calculation, some require a witnessed sighting, and some accept only a sighting from their own region.

What time does the fast begin each day?

At the entry of Fajr, which is earlier than sunrise. Eating must stop before the Fajr time on your local timetable, not at sunrise.

Why is my Sehri time different from another website?

Often the calculation convention or a local adjustment. Fajr and Isha depend on twilight definitions, while mosques may also apply rounding or safety margins. Compare the method shown on each timetable and follow the trusted local timetable used by your community.

How long will the fast be where I live?

It depends on your latitude and the date, since the fast runs from Fajr to sunset. Open your city page for the exact duration for every day of the month.

Do I have to make up fasts I miss?

Yes, if you missed them for a reason such as illness, travel or menstruation. The Qur’an says “an equal number of other days” (2:184). Those permanently unable to fast pay fidya instead.

Is Zakat due in Ramadan?

Not specifically. Zakat is due when a full lunar year has passed on wealth above the nisab. Many people align their zakat date with Ramadan for the extra reward, but that is a choice rather than a requirement.

When is Laylat al-Qadr in 2027?

It is not fixed to one Gregorian evening. The Prophet ﷺ instructed Muslims to seek it in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan; each Islamic night begins at sunset of the preceding Gregorian day.

When is Eid al-Fitr 2027?

On 1 Shawwal, expected in early March 2027, the day after the last fast. Like the start of Ramadan, the exact date depends on the sighting of the crescent.

Every time on this site is calculated rather than copied from a timetable. The methodology page sets out the angles, conventions and time-zone handling behind them, and explains why your mosque may differ by a few minutes. The sources page lists what the site works from.

Everything here is general information. For a ruling on your own circumstances — a medication, an illness, a business, a debt — ask a qualified scholar in your community who can hear the details.