Ramadan 2027/1448: a complete guide to the month of fasting

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Hijri calendar and the month of fasting, one of the five pillars of Islam. It is also the month in which the revelation of the Quran began. This page gathers the essentials: the meaning and rules of the fast, the night prayers, Laylat al-Qadr, zakat al-fitr and Eid, together with all our practical guides. The dates given for Ramadan 2027/1448 are astronomical estimates based on the Umm al-Qura calendar: in each country, the start and end of the month are confirmed by the competent religious authority, after the sighting of the crescent moon or on the basis of astronomical calculation.

To set the mood for the blessed month, here are two videos about Ramadan, one of them featuring the voice of the Kuwaiti reciter Mishary Rashid Alafasy.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the name of the month, which falls between Sha’ban and Shawwal; the fast itself is called sawm or siyam in Arabic. Throughout the month, believers refrain from eating, drinking and marital relations from dawn (the time of Fajr) until sunset (the time of Maghrib). This fast is not a human invention: it was prescribed by Allah in the Quran.

“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” (Quran 2:183)

Fasting in Ramadan became obligatory in the second year after the Hijrah (624 CE). It is one of the five pillars listed by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: the testimony of faith, prayer, zakat, pilgrimage and the fast of Ramadan (Sahih al-Bukhari 8; Sahih Muslim 16). Verses 183 to 185 of Surah al-Baqarah set out its framework and explain why this month was chosen:

“The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the crescent of] the month, let him fast it; […] Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship…” (Quran 2:185)

Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan moves about eleven days earlier each year relative to the Gregorian calendar. It therefore passes through every season in a little over thirty years, and the length of the fast varies with the time of year and the latitude.

The virtues of Ramadan

Ramadan is not merely a time of deprivation: it is a month of forgiveness, prayer, Quran recitation and generosity. Several authentic hadiths describe its value:

• “Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and in hope of Allah’s reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 38; Sahih Muslim 760)
• “When Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1898–1899; Sahih Muslim 1079)
• In a hadith qudsi, Allah says: “Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting: it is for Me, and I shall reward it.” In the same hadith the Prophet ﷺ adds that “fasting is a shield” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1904; Sahih Muslim 1151).

Fasting is not only about the stomach: “Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, Allah has no need of his giving up his food and drink” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1903). The fasting person also guards their tongue, their eyes and their behaviour. Finally, it is the month of giving: the Prophet ﷺ was the most generous of people, and he was more generous still in Ramadan, when the angel Gabriel (Jibril) came every night to review the Quran with him (Sahih al-Bukhari 6; Sahih Muslim 2308).

Feeling hunger and thirst is a reminder of those who suffer from them all year round. It is an invitation to fight waste, to give, and to look after one’s family and neighbours. The verse that follows the command to fast also reminds us that Allah is near to whoever calls upon Him (Quran 2:186): Ramadan is a special time for supplication.

Who must fast, and who is exempt?

Fasting in Ramadan is obligatory for every Muslim who has reached puberty, is of sound mind, is able to fast and is not travelling. Islam nevertheless provides exemptions, in keeping with the principle of ease stated in verse 2:185.

• The sick and the traveller may break the fast; they make up the same number of days later (Quran 2:184).
• The elderly or chronically ill who cannot fast and have no hope of recovery feed a poor person for each day missed: this is the fidyah mentioned in the same verse.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women may refrain from fasting if they fear for their own health or that of the child: “Allah has relieved the traveller of fasting and half of the prayer, and has relieved the pregnant and the breastfeeding woman of fasting” (Sunan Abi Dawud 2408; Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 715; Sunan an-Nasa’i 2274; graded hasan). Depending on the school, they later make up the days, or make them up and also pay a compensation.
• Women during menstruation or post-natal bleeding do not fast and make up the days later. Aisha said: “We were commanded to make up the fasts, but not the prayers” (Sahih Muslim 335).
• Children are not required to fast before puberty, but are gradually accustomed to it, as the Companions used to do (Sahih al-Bukhari 1960).

Diabetes, heart or kidney disease, medication taken at fixed times: these situations call for medical advice before Ramadan. Read our guide to Ramadan and diabetes and talk to your doctor. For a personal case (pregnancy, illness, frequent travel), ask a scholar or the imam of your mosque.

What breaks the fast

The Quran permits eating and drinking at night “until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the night” (Quran 2:187). The following break the fast:

• deliberately eating or drinking, which includes smoking and nutritive drips;
• marital relations during the day, which also require an expiation (kaffarah), according to the hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari 1936 and Sahih Muslim 1111;
• deliberately induced vomiting (Sunan Abi Dawud 2380; Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 720);
• the onset of menstruation or post-natal bleeding, even shortly before sunset.

On the other hand, someone who eats or drinks out of forgetfulness carries on fasting, and the fast remains valid, for “it is Allah who fed him and gave him drink” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1933; Sahih Muslim 1155). Involuntary vomiting, swallowing one’s saliva, showering or carefully brushing one’s teeth do not break the fast. For some treatments (drops, inhalers, non-nutritive injections), scholars hold different views, so it is best to seek advice. Any day broken without a valid excuse must be made up.

Suhoor and iftar

Suhoor is the meal taken before dawn. The Prophet ﷺ encouraged it: “Take suhoor, for in suhoor there is blessing” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1923; Sahih Muslim 1095). The Sunnah is to take it late in the night: Zayd ibn Thabit related that between the end of this meal and the dawn prayer there was time enough to recite about fifty verses (Sahih al-Bukhari 1921; Sahih Muslim 1097).

Iftar, the breaking of the fast, takes place at sunset, at the time of Maghrib. It is recommended not to delay it: “People will remain upon goodness as long as they hasten to break the fast” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1957; Sahih Muslim 1098). The Prophet ﷺ broke his fast with a few fresh dates, or failing that with dried dates, or failing that with a few sips of water (Sunan Abi Dawud 2356; Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 696). He would then say: “Thirst has gone, the veins are moistened and the reward is assured, if Allah wills” (Sunan Abi Dawud 2357, graded hasan).

Offering iftar is a fine deed: “Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast will have the same reward as him, without the fasting person’s reward being diminished in the least” (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 807). To plan meals that keep you going until the evening without weighing you down, read our advice on eating well during Ramadan.

Tarawih, the night prayers of Ramadan

The nights of Ramadan are devoted to voluntary prayer: “Whoever prays at night in Ramadan out of faith and in hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven” (Sahih al-Bukhari 37; Sahih Muslim 759). The Prophet ﷺ led this prayer in congregation at the mosque for a few nights, then stopped coming out, for fear that it would be made obligatory for his community (Sahih al-Bukhari 2012; Sahih Muslim 761). Later, the caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab gathered the worshippers behind a single imam, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (Sahih al-Bukhari 2010). This is tarawih, prayed every night of the month after the Isha prayer.

Tarawih is a strongly recommended Sunnah, not an obligation. The number of units of prayer (rak‘ahs) varies: Aisha reported that the Prophet ﷺ did not pray more than eleven rak‘ahs at night, in Ramadan or outside it (Sahih al-Bukhari 1147; Sahih Muslim 738), while the Hanafi, Shafi‘i and Hanbali schools hold to twenty rak‘ahs, followed by witr. Both practices are recognised. In many mosques the imam recites the whole Quran over the month; at home you can continue this by listening to the Quran during Ramadan.

The last ten nights and Laylat al-Qadr

The last ten nights are the high point of the month. When they began, the Prophet ﷺ redoubled his efforts: he spent the night in prayer, woke his family and “tightened his waist-wrap”, an expression for his determination (Sahih al-Bukhari 2024; Sahih Muslim 1174). Every year he also made a spiritual retreat in the mosque, i‘tikaf, during these ten days, until his death (Sahih al-Bukhari 2026; Sahih Muslim 1172).

Among these nights is Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Decree, to which Allah devoted Surah al-Qadr:

“Indeed, We sent it [the Quran] down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.” (Quran 97:1–5)

“Better than a thousand months” means more than eighty-three years: worship performed on that night surpasses in value that of a whole lifetime. Contrary to what one sometimes hears, it is therefore not every prayer in Ramadan that is “worth a thousand prayers”: this exceptional merit belongs to that particular night. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever prays on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and in hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1901).

Its exact date is not known for certain: “Seek Laylat al-Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2017). Many Muslims observe it on the 27th night, a view held in particular by the Companion Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (Sahih Muslim 762), but it is better to strive on all the odd nights, and indeed on all ten. Aisha asked the Prophet ﷺ what she should say if she found that night, and he taught her this supplication: “Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul-‘afwa fa‘fu ‘anni”, “O Allah, You are the One who pardons and You love to pardon, so pardon me” (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 3513; Sunan Ibn Majah 3850).

In several countries the 27th night is also a family occasion. In Morocco, for example, it is often when children’s first fast is celebrated, and little girls wear traditional dress and have henna applied. These joyful customs belong to local tradition rather than to the rite itself.

Zakat al-fitr and Eid al-Fitr

Before the month ends, every Muslim who has the means pays zakat al-fitr for themselves and for those they support, young and old. The Prophet ﷺ set it at one sa‘ (a measure of roughly two to three kilograms depending on the food) of dates, barley or another staple food, and ordered that it be given before people go out to the Eid prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 1503; Sahih Muslim 984, 986). It “purifies the fasting person from idle and obscene talk and feeds the poor” (Sunan Abi Dawud 1609, graded hasan).

The month ends after 29 or 30 days, with the sighting of the Shawwal crescent. The next day is Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast, known in the Maghreb as Eid as-Saghir, the “little feast”, as opposed to Eid al-Kabir (Eid al-Adha). It begins with the Eid prayer and continues with family, visits, greetings and sweets; fasting on that day is forbidden. Zakat al-fitr in food or in money, the Sunnahs of the festival, the six days of Shawwal: everything is explained in our article on the end of Ramadan, listed below.

All our Ramadan guides

• The beginning of Ramadan 2027/1448: how the date is set (crescent sighting or astronomical calculation), why it can differ from one country to another, and how to prepare. Dates are also given country by country, for example for France or Morocco.
• The end of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr: the sighting of the Shawwal moon, zakat al-fitr, the Eid prayer and its Sunnahs.
• Ramadan calendar and timetable: imsak, Fajr and iftar day by day for your city, and how the Hijri calendar works.
• Prayer times: the times of the five daily prayers and the calculation methods used.
• Listening to the Quran during Ramadan: why and how to make the Quran your companion this month.
• Earning hasanat in Ramadan: simple ideas for good deeds.
• Ramadan and diabetes and eating well during Ramadan: fasting without putting your health at risk.
• Ramadan recipes: harira, chebakia, briouats and other dishes for the iftar table.
• Sidna Ramdan: a poem about the arrival of the month and its preparations.

Ramadan Mubarak to you all: may this month be a time of peace, forgiveness and closeness to Allah for everyone.