| Calendar: | Islamic calendar |
| Num: | 9 |
| Days: | 29-30 (depends on actual observation of the moon's crescent) |
| Holidays: | |
| Prev Month: | Sha'ban |
| Next Month: | Shawwal |
Ramadan (Arabic: رَمَضَان, ) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which the Quran is believed to be revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month is spent by Muslims fasting during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. According to Islam, the Quran was sent down to the lowest heaven during this month, thus being prepared for gradual revelation by Jibra'il to Muhammad. Therefore, Muhammad told his followers that the gates of Heaven would be open for the entire month and the gates of Hell (Jahannam) would be closed.[1] The first three days of the next month, Shawwal, are spent in celebration and are observed as the "Festival of Breaking Fast" or Eid al-Fitr.
The Islamic calendar is a lunar one, where each month begins when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. The Islamic year consists of 12 lunar cycles, and consequently it is 10 to 11 days shorter than the solar year, and as it contains no intercalation, Ramadan migrates throughout the seasons. The Islamic day starts after sunset. The estimated start and end dates for Ramadan, based on the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia, are:[2]
| AH | First day (CE/AD) | Last day (CE/AD) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1443 | 2 April 2022 | 1 May 2022 | |
| 1444 | 23 March 2023 | 20 April 2023 | |
| 1445 | 11 March 2024 | 9 April 2024 | |
| 1446 | 1 March 2025 | 29 March 2025 | |
| 1447 | 18 February 2026 | 19 March 2026 |
Many Muslims insist on the local physical sighting of the moon to mark the beginning of Ramadan, but others use the calculated time of the new moon or the Saudi Arabian declaration to determine the start of the month. Since the new moon is not in the same state at the same time globally, the beginning and ending dates of Ramadan depend on what lunar sightings are received in each respective location. As a result, Ramadan dates vary in different countries, but usually only by a day. This is due to the cycles of the moon; the moon may not meet the criteria to qualify as a waxing crescent, which delineates the change in months, at the time of sundown in one location while later meeting it in another location.[3] Astronomical projections that approximate the start of Ramadan are available.[4]
Ramadan is observed by Muslims during the entire lunar month by the same name. The month of religious observances consists of fasting and extra prayers. Some important historical events during this month are generally believed to include:
Laylat al-Qadr is observed during one of the last ten days of the month (typically the odd nights). Muslims believe that this night which is also known as "The Night of Power" is better than a thousand months. This is often interpreted to mean that the reward for praying throughout this night is equal to the reward for praying for a thousand months (just over 83 years, i.e., a lifetime). Many Muslims spend the entire night in prayer.
According to numerous hadiths Ramadan is one of the names of God in Islam, and as such it is prohibited to say only "Ramadan" in reference to the calendar month and that it is necessary to say the "month of Ramadan".