Fasting (Ramadan)

Ramadan is the month God decreed for fasting. It is the 9th month of the lunar calendar. The full details of fasting are given in Quran 2:183-187.

Introduction (including dates)

• Dates: Ramadan 2020 begins Friday April 24 (most areas), God willing (click to see more details for dates for other countries and calculation assumptions and details)
• Calculator for Fasts begin (dawn) and end (sunset) along with and prayer schedules
• Ramadan: Overview
• Sighting of Moon Not required to Begin Fasting (see also our video titled: Sighting of moon not required to begin and end fasting in Ramadan)
• Introduction to Fasting / Ramadan
• Ramadan: The Month the Quran was Revealed
• The Month of Ramadan

Reflections on Ramadan (alphabetic)

• Blessed is the Month of Ramadan
• Blessings of Ramadan
• Count your blessings and be Thankful to God: Reflections and Information on Ramadan & Fasting
• Fasting: A Blessing in Disguise
• Fasting in the Bible: Religious Practices given to Abraham & practiced by all messengers
• My First Ramadan: A Submitter's reflections
• Ramadan—A Christian Perspective
• Ramadan: A Gift of Remembrance
• Ramadan: A Great Blessing
• Ramadan: A Month to Reflect
• Ramadan: A Perfect Time to Implore God
• Ramadan and Thanksgiving
• Ramadan: Fasting to Enrich our souls
• Ramadan: Food for Thought
• Ramadan reflections
• Ramadan: Reflections on Fasting
• Ramadan the month of fasting & feasting
• Ramadan the month of Thanksgiving
• Ramadan—Thoughts from Submitters around the world
• Spiritual Benefits of Fasting: Ramadan, A Gift of Rememberance

The Night of Destiny

• Night of Destiny
• Night of Destiny – 27th night of Ramadan
  
• Ramadan 27: The Night of Destiny (Laylat Al-Qadr) (February 1996 Submitters Perspective, includes mathematical confirmation)
• The Night of Destiny, mathematical confirmation (January 2000 Submitters Perspective)
• The Night of Destiny: The Most Illuminating Night
• The Night of Destiny: The Night the Quran was Revealed
• Night of Destiny: summary of mathematical confirmations

Other information and links

• How to know the dates of fasting
• Medical Benefits of Ramadan
• Misunderstandings and Violations in Ramadan
• Ramadan Violations and Misconceptions
• Other Ramadan Links (including e-cards)

Ramadan Dates

• Night of Destiny Date

Ramadan 2020 ^{(*1 Note)}

23 April – 22 May for some parts of USA (e.g., San Francisco, Seattle, Honolulu) and Canada (e.g.,Vancouver, Calgary)

24 April – 22 May for most of USA (e.g., Tucson, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, New York, Washington DC) and Mexico (e.g., Mexico City, Hermosillo, Monterrey) and parts of Canada (e.g., Ottowa, Toronto), South America (e.g., Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro), parts of Europe (e.g., London, Berlin, Paris), parts of Africa (e.g., Algiers, Casablanca, Dakar, Accra)

24 April – 23 May for most of Asia (e.g., Mecca, Dubai, Tehran, Mumbai, Chennai, Dhaka, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo), parts of Africa (e.g., Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Cairo, Durban), Australia (e.g., Perth, Adelaide, Sydney), New Zealand (e.g., Auckland)

* more details below God willing

The Night of Destiny (Night of Power) will start, God willing, at sunset on May 19, 2020 for those places that start Ramadan fasting April 24. For those locations that start fasting on April 23 (a day earlier), the Night of Destiny falls on May 18, 2020 God willing.

O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation. (2:183)

Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed, providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book. Those of you who witness this month shall fast therein.... (2:185)

The new moon timings used to determine the month of Ramadan were:

• April 23, 2020: 2:26 AM (UTC/GMT)

• May 22, 2020: 5:39 PM (UTC/GMT)

Please verify / check with the information available for your location using the Ramadan Calculation Assistant and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA) solar & lunar calculators.

 

(*1 Note): While we try to check the dates, to be safe for the sake of our own souls, we request if you could please verify the calculations. If you have questions about calculating the start and end days of Ramadan, please refer to September 2009 issue of the Submitters Perspective. Dates and times of Moon phases and sunrise/sunset can be found from: US Naval Observatory (an alternative site is NOAA). All times are in UTC (Universal Time / GMT). To convert to your time zone you can use a Time Zone Converter. You will also need to convert the new moon times from UTC (GMT) to your local time zone (taking into account daylight savings if applicable). You will also need to check the times of your local sunset.

We also have for your convenience (please verify computed results for accuracy) a Ramadan Dates Calculator.

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More details on Ramadan including information about why the calculation is done as above (i.e., the beginning of the day is at sunset) is available in an article on Ramadan. Other Ramadan articles are linked at the top of this page.

* For your specific location you can visit the USNO Sun/Moon daily data page (or the NOAA solar & lunar calculators). Calculate the information for the date you are interested. Compare the time of sunset with the time for the new moon (in local time).