Significance of Ramadan: The holy month of Muslims, Ramadan is going to start from 18th or 19th February. The beginning of this month will depend on the sighting of the moon. This month is of 29 or 30 days. Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to Prophet Muhammad more than 1400 years ago. During fasting, eating, drinking, smoking and many other things are not allowed during the day. This means that maximum time should be spent in worshiping God.
Ramadan is determined by the Islamic lunar calendar, which begins with the sighting of the moon. Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority countries look to the moon to determine the beginning of the month. As soon as the moon is visible, fasting starts from the next day. Muslims fasting during Ramadan usually abstain from eating or drinking anything for 12 to 15 hours, depending on their location, from morning to evening.
How is the moon of Ramadan seen?
The moon will be seen after sunset on the night of 17th February i.e. 29th day of Shaban month of Hijri calendar. People watching the moon look at the sky through binoculars so that they can get the first glimpse of the moon. If the moon is visible, then the month of Ramadan begins, in which the first day of fasting will be 18 February. Otherwise, 30 days of Shaban will be completed and the first fast will be on 19th February. The month of Shaban is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It has started from January 20, 2026 and is expected to continue till approximately February 18.
Why is Ramadan the holy month and what is its importance?
Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad about 1400 years ago. Muslims fast throughout the month from the sunrise prayer, just before Fajr, to the sunset prayer, till Maghrib. During fasting, Muslims practice faith, daily prayers, charity and, if physically and financially capable, perform Hajj to Mecca. At the same time, during Ramadan, working hours are reduced in many Muslim-majority countries and most restaurants remain closed during the fasting period.
Why different dates of Ramadan every year?
Ramadan starts 10 to 12 days earlier every year. This is because the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar Hijri calendar, in which months are 29 or 30 days long. About 90 percent of the world’s population lives in the Northern Hemisphere. For them, the fasting hours will be slightly less this year and will continue to decrease every year till 2031. In 2031, Ramadan will fall in winter i.e. on 15th December, the shortest day of the year. For Muslims fasting south of the equator, the fasting hours will be longer than last year because the lunar year is 11 days shorter than the solar year, so in the year 2030, Ramadan will be celebrated twice, the first month will start from January 5 and the second month will start from December 26.
How many hours of fasting around the world?
Daylight hours vary around the world because it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere this Ramadan, so people living there will have the shortest fasts, which will be about 12 to 13 hours on the first day and will increase throughout the month. People in southern countries like Chile, New Zealand and South Africa will observe the longest fasts, lasting around 14 to 15 hours on the first day. However, the number of hours of fasting will reduce throughout the month. If we talk about India, then fasting will be observed for 12 to 14 hours.
- Fasts of 12 to 13 hours will be observed in the Northern Hemisphere i.e. Europe and North America.
- Fasting will be observed for approximately 1416 hours in the United Kingdom.
- There will be fasting for 12 to 13 hours in the Middle East and UAE.
- There will be fasting of approximately 1214 hours in India and South Asia,
- There will be fasting for approximately 1213 hours in South East Asia i.e. Indonesia and Malaysia.
- There will be fasts of 14 to 15 hours in the Southern Hemisphere i.e. Chile and New Zealand.
When will the holy month of Ramadan 2026 end?
Eid-ul-Fitr is a Muslim festival which officially marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The exact time depends on the sighting of the moon. Eid al-Fitr officially begins at the beginning of the Islamic month of Shawwal, which is the tenth month of the Islamic (Hijri) calendar. This year, based on the sighting of the moon, Ramadan is expected to end on the evening of Wednesday i.e. March 18, after which Eid can be celebrated on March 19.
Disclaimer: The information given in this news is based on Islamic beliefs and general information. TV9 Bharatvarsha does not confirm this.
