Worshippers perform a night prayer called ‘Tarawih’ during the eve of the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Turkey at the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File) The first day of Ramadan in Mecca will be Saturday, March 1. Fasting can last for 29 or 30 days, depending on when the moon, signifying the start of the next month, is spotted. Ramadan, an important Islamic holiday when Muslims fast each day for nearly a month, begins this weekend. Here's what to know about the sacred holiday. If the moon is sighted, the month of Ramadan begins, with the first fasting day being March 1. Otherwise, Shaaban will complete 30 days, and the first fasting day will be March 2. Advertisement Muslim children parade on the streets to welcome the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Ungaran, Central Java Province, Indonesia, on Feb. 23, 2025. This year, the first day is expected to be on During the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims are obligated to fast (Arabic: صوم, sawm; Persian: روزہ, rozeh), every day from dawn to sunset. Fasting requires the abstinence from sex, food, drinking, and smoking. The end of the fasting day is marked with dates, water, and a meal. Why do Muslims fast during Ramadan? Fasting provides Muslims the opportunity to acquire a sense of control over their needs Muslims break their daily fasts by sharing meals with family and friends, and the end of Ramadan is celebrated with a three-day festival known as Eid al-Fitr, one of Islam’s major In this Ramadan guide for new and newly-practicing Muslims, learn about the virtues of fasting, why we fast, and what we hope to gain through our acts of worship in Ramadan. Take 30 seconds to give for 30 days. The daily fast in Ramadan includes abstaining from all food and drink; not even a sip of water is allowed from dawn to sunset before breaking the fast in a meal known as “iftar” in Arabic. Those fasting are expected to also refrain from bad deeds, such as gossiping, and increase good deeds. What is Ramadan Fasting? Ramadan fasting, also known as Sawm, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam – the core practices of the religion. It involves abstaining from food, drink, smoking, and sexual relations from dawn (Fajr) to sunset (Maghrib) each day for the entire month of Ramadan. Egypt experiences one of the longest fasting durations in the region. On the first day of Ramadan, fasting in Cairo begins at 4:54 AM and ends around 5:54 PM, resulting in approximately 13 hours and 20 minutes of fasting. This makes Cairo’s fast one of the more demanding in the region, particularly as the temperature rises throughout the day. If no sighting is made, Shaaban will continue into a 30th day, and the first fast of Ramadan will begin on Sunday 2 March. Early predictions. Turkey's official Diyanet has already set the first fast of Ramadan to begin on Saturday, with Ramadan Taraweeh prayers to begin on the evening on Friday. Ramadan, in Islam, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. Islamic tradition states that it was during Ramadan that the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelations of the Quran. Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, is a time of great devotion, self-discipline, and reflection for Muslims worldwide. In addition to being a guide for millions of individuals in their daily prayers, the exact fasting timings—which specify when to begin and end the fast each day—are crucial to this sacred observance. Download the Ramadan Calendar 2025 and print the schedule of Ramadan 2025 / 1446. Share the Ramazan calendar 2025 or Ramadhan Timing of Sehar Time (Sahur, Sehr or Sehri) and Iftar Time with your friends and family and know all about Ramzan. Of course, fasting is the hallmark of Ramadan.Participants do not eat, drink, smoke, or engage in intimacy from before sunrise to sunset. Each day of the month begins with a pre-dawn meal, suhoor, and ends with iftar, the fast-breaking meal. Ramadan is expected to begin on Friday, Feb. 28 or Saturday, March 1, 2025 Laylat Al-Qadr is expected to begin on Wednesday, March 26 or Thursday, March 27, 2025 Eid al-Fitr is expected to begin “Whoever breaks the fast on one day in Ramadan, with no concession and no sickness, fasting an entire lifetime will not make up for it, even if he fasts it.” The only Islamic way to compensate for a missed fast is to pay ‘Fidya, ‘ a charitable donation equivalent to the amount of one complete meal to the poor. Make up for the missed fast by fasting another day after Ramadan. If they break it without a valid reason, they must fast for 60 days or feed 60 poor people as compensation. This rule emphasizes the seriousness of fasting and encourages people to be mindful of their commitment.
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