Muslims all over the world are getting ready to fast during the holy month of Ramadan, which is coming up soon. The long period of abstinence is hard enough as it is, but it can also be confusing because the fasting times depend on sunrise and sunset and change every day as Ramadan goes on.

This means that this year’s fasting period will get longer as the days get longer as summer gets closer.

During Ramadan, Muslims pray the Salat more often to give thanks to Allah, and the fasting ritual helps them understand the pain of others. Many Muslims do Umrah with the best All inclusive cheap umrah packages during any month.

Here are the important dates and times when people in the UK should fast during the holy month.

When does Ramadan 2023 start?

The Muslim holiday of Ramadan is based on the lunar calendar, like other Muslim holidays. This means that its date on the more common Gregorian calendar moves slightly.
As explained by the charity Muslim Aid: “The Islamic calendar is based on the moon’s phases, which are also called the lunar cycle. So, in the Gregorian calendar, the Holy Month of Ramadan comes about 10 days earlier each year.”

When the crescent moon is seen, which usually happens one night after the new moon, the month begins.
This year, Ramadan is expected to start on April 2, but if the moon can’t be seen, it could start a day later.
It lasts between 29 and 30 days, until the next crescent moon is seen, which marks the end of the holy month and the beginning of Shawwal, the tenth month on the Islamic Hijri calendar.

When are the Suhoor and Iftar?

During Ramadan, the Salat, or daily prayers, are even more important. This is because Ramadan is seen as a time for reflection and purification, and because the Salat set the schedule for the fast.

The Salat

• Fajr: The Salat Fajr is done before dawn.
• Zuhr: observed afternoon
• Asr: a Muslim prayer said in the late afternoon
• Maghrib: observed after sunset
• Isha: nighttime observance

During Ramadan, Muslims eat a meal called Sahoor before sunrise. This meal is followed by the first prayer of the day, called Fajr. The fast doesn’t end until the Iftar meal at sunset, which comes before Maghrib, the fourth prayer of the day.

As the days get longer, it gets harder and harder for people to fast until the end of the holy month and the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

But even though the fast will be almost two hours longer at the end of this year’s Ramadan than on the first day, people can take comfort in the fact that the festival starts almost two weeks earlier than it did last year, which means the days are shorter.

Ramadan schedule for the UK in 2023

Both the Central London Mosque and the East London Mosque have made Ramadan schedules that give worshippers in the capital all the information they need to keep the fast correctly.

Here are the important times each day for Fajr and Maghrib in London during the Muslim holy month. These are when the fast starts and ends.

The start and end dates depend on when the moon is seen, which this year was expected to be on Monday, April 12. The following times apply to London:

Because sunrise and sunset happen at different times in different parts of the UK, it’s important to remember that timing changes depending on where you are.

The charity Muslim Hands has a helpful guide to help you change the fasting schedule to fit where you are:

• UK variations relative to London (Time Fast Begins, Time Fast Ends)
• Birmingham: (8 minutes later, 6 minutes later) (8 minutes later, 6 minutes later)
• Bradford: (9 minutes later, 8 minutes later) (9 minutes later, 8 minutes later)
• Cardiff: (13 minutes later, 12 minutes later) (13 minutes later, 12 minutes later)
• Glasgow: (22 minutes later, 40 minutes later) (22 minutes later, 40 minutes later)
• Leeds: (7 minutes later, 4 minutes later) (7 minutes later, 4 minutes later)
• Liverpool: (12 minutes later, 9 minutes later) (12 minutes later, 9 minutes later)
• Manchester: (10 minutes later, 7 minutes later) (10 minutes later, 7 minutes later)
• Middlesbrough: (8 minutes later, 14 minutes later) (8 minutes later, 14 minutes later)

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is when God is said to have given the Quran to Prophet Muhammad after he fasted for a month.
Muslims must go without food and drink, including water, during daylight hours for 30 days as a way to honor their faith and think about it.

One of the five pillars of Islam is fasting during Ramadan. The other four pillars are the Shahadah (declaration of faith), Salat (prayer), Zakat (charity), and the Hajj pilgrimage.

Read Also: Hajj and Umrah Travel Blogs

People who are fasting are encouraged to read the Quran, and the holy text is read at the Tarawih, which are special nightly prayers that happen all month long.

Ramadan means “scorching heat” in Arabic, and it is the name of the month when God is said to have sent the archangel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad in 610 AD to give him the Quran.

When is Eid al-Fitr 2023?

Ramadan is expected to end on Sunday, May 1, and Eid al-Fitr would start the next day, on Sunday, May 2.

Eid al-Fitr is called the “feast of breaking the fast” in Arabic. It is not a public holiday in the UK, but it is in many Muslim countries.

In normal years, Muslims break their fast by getting together in a park for big events, festival food (especially sweets), prayer, and stalls.

Some Muslims decide to fast for the next six days after Eid. This comes from the Islamic belief that a good deed is rewarded 10 times. Since fasting for 30 days during Ramadan and six days during Shawwal creates a year’s worth of goodwill, this is why Muslims fast for 30 days during Ramadan and six days during Shawwal.