“O people there comes over you now a great month, a blessed month in which lies a night greater in virtue than a thousand months.”
[Ibn Khuzaimah]
When Does Ramadan 2021 Start?
All dates and times are subject to confirmation and sighting of the moon, but Ramadan 2021 UK is expected to start on Monday 12th of April, ending on Tuesday 11th of May.
Muslim lunar months last between 29 and 30 days, depending on the sighting of the new moon on the 29th night of each month. If the new moon is not visible, the month lasts 30 days.
Last year, fasting hours across the world ranged from 11 to 19 hours.
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the most anticipated time of year, and is the greatest month of the year. Within the last ten nights falls Laylatul Qadr – the night of power, and a night that has been decreed better than 1,000 months.
Ramadan is the month in which the first verses of the Quran, Islam’s holy book, were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) more than 1,400 years ago.
During the holy month, Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and physical intimacy from before dawn to sunset. The fast is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and to remind them of the suffering of the less fortunate.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity, and performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
“Ramadan Mubarak” and “Ramadan Kareem” are common greetings exchanged in this period, wishing the recipient a blessed and generous month respectively.
When is Ramadan 2021 UK?
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. Ramadan officially begins when the month of month of Shaban ends. As the Islamic calendar is based around the lunar cycle, the Holy month of Ramadan rotates by approximately ten days each year.
At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the Eid ul-Fitr holiday. Eid ul-Fitr in Arabic means “festival of breaking the fast”.
Depending on the actual start date of Ramadan and the new moon sighting on the 29th night of Ramadan, Eid ul-Fitr this year is likely to fall on 12th May 2021.
Ramadan 2021 in the UK is expected to start on Monday 12th of April, ending on Tuesday 11th of May.
