Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which the Quran was revealed.
Ramadan is the holiest of months in the Islamic calendar, and fasting in this month is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month is spent by Muslims fasting during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. Fasting during this month is often thought figuratively to burn away all sins. Muslims believe that the Qur'an was sent down to the lowest heaven during this month, thus being prepared for gradual revelation by the Angel Jibraeel (Gabriel) to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Furthermore, Muhammad told his followers that the gates of Heaven would be open all the month and the gates of Hell (Jahannum) would be closed . The first day of the next month, Shawwal, is spent in celebrations and is observed as the "Festival of Breaking Fast" or `Eid ul-Fitr.
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The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year and contains no intercalation, Ramadan migrates throughout the seasons. The Islamic day starts after sunset. The actual and estimated start and end dates for Ramadan in 2005–2015 were and are as follows:
| CE / AD | AH | First day | Last day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 1426 | 4 October | 2 November |
| 2006 | 1427 | 24 September | 23 October |
| 2007 | 1428 | 13 September | 12 October |
| 2008 | 1429 | 1 September | 30 September |
| 2009 | 1430[1] | 22 August | 20 September |
| 2010 | 1431[1] | 11 August | 9 September |
| 2011 | 1432[1] | 1 August | 29 August |
| 2012 | 1433[1] | 20 July | 18 August |
| 2013 | 1434[1] | 9 July | 7 August |
| 2014 | 1435[1] | 28 June | 27 July |
| 2015 | 1436[1] | 18 June | 16 July |
| Ramadan dates between 2005 and 2015 | |||
Many Muslims insist on the local physical sighting of the moon to mark the beginning of Ramadan, but others use the calculated time of the new moon or the Saudi Arabian declaration to determine the start of the month. Since the new moon is not in the same state at the same time globally, the beginning and ending dates of Ramadan depend on what lunar sightings are received in each respective location. As a result, Ramadan dates vary in different countries, but usually only by a day. This is due to the cycle of the moon. When one country sees the moon, mainly Saudi Arabia, the moon travels the same path all year round and that same moon seen in the east is then seen traveling towards the west. All the countries around the world see the moon within a 24 hour period once spotted by one country in the east.
Each year, Ramadan begins about eleven days earlier than in the previous year.[2] Astronomical projections that approximate the start of Ramadan are available.[3] It takes about 33 years for Ramadan to complete a twelve month move across the yearly calendar plus 5 days. As Ramadan March 28, 1990 to Ramadan March 22, 2023.
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