Ramadan
The ninth month of the Islamic year: when the Quran’s revelation began, how the moon moves the month through the seasons, and how to prepare.
The story of Ramadan
Picture the seventh century in the Arabian Peninsula. The sun is setting over the desert, painting the sky orange and pink. A man named Muhammad, later known as the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has gone up to a cave outside Makkah to think and pray alone. Little did he know that this solitude would mark the beginning of a new chapter in history.
A night of revelation
The Quran says that it was sent down in the month of Ramadan (Quran 2:185), on a blessed night (Quran 44:3): the Night of Decree, Laylat al-Qadr, which it calls better than a thousand months (Quran 97:1 to 3). The Quran does not give the night’s date. Muslims seek it in the last ten nights of the month, on the odd nights (Sahih al-Bukhari 2017).
Fasting, a pillar
Fasting the month of Ramadan became one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims understand the fast as more than going without food and drink: it is a time for spiritual growth, self-discipline and closer devotion.
Ramadan through the ages
Across the centuries, countless generations of Muslims have kept the month. It is a time when communities come together, families share meals, and people try to become better versions of themselves.
The crescent moon and the lanterns
The sighting of the new crescent moon marks the beginning of the month. Lanterns lighting the streets are a much-loved custom in some countries; they are a tradition of those places, not a teaching of the religion.
A month of joy and giving
Ramadan is also a time of joy, generosity and giving back. The breaking of the fast at sunset, iftar, is often shared, and charity is especially encouraged.
Eid al-Fitr
The month ends with Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast: a day of prayer, feasting, gifts and gratitude. Before the Eid prayer each household gives zakat al-fitr, a small charity of food, so that no one is hungry on the day (Sahih al-Bukhari 1503).
Islamic months and Gregorian months
Why is Ramadan not the same month every year, the way October is? Because the Islamic calendar follows the moon.
- Lunar and solar. The Islamic year has twelve months (Quran 9:36), each beginning with the new moon and lasting 29 or 30 days. That makes the year 354 or 355 days, about eleven days shorter than the solar year.
- The ninth month. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year. Like every Islamic month, it moves about eleven days earlier in the Gregorian calendar each year and passes through every season in roughly 33 years.
- The Hijri calendar. The Islamic era was introduced under the second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, about 639 CE. It counts from the Hijrah, the Prophet’s migration from Makkah to Madinah, which began year 1.
- Moon sighting. Traditionally each month begins when the new moon is seen, so the first day of Ramadan can differ between communities. Many also use astronomical calculation, especially for planning.
The lunar calendar keeps the year’s worship in step with the moon, which the Quran names as a way of marking time (Quran 2:189). Understanding it helps you appreciate the rhythm of the Islamic year and Ramadan’s place in it.
Prepare: a 31-day countdown
Enter the day Ramadan is expected to begin and each step gets its date. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
- 31 days before
Set your intentions
Reflect on your goals for Ramadan. What do you want to achieve spiritually, physically and emotionally?
- 30 days before
Make a Ramadan plan
Outline your daily schedule, including prayer times, meals, and time for reading the Quran.
- 29 days before
Declutter your space
Clean and organize your home, especially where you will pray and eat, to make a peaceful place.
- 28 days before
Start adjusting your sleep
Shift your sleep gradually toward the early morning meal and Fajr, and the night prayers.
- 27 days before
Plan your meals
Plan suhoor, the meal before dawn, and iftar, the meal that breaks the fast, so both are nourishing and balanced.
- 26 days before
Fast in Sha'ban
The Prophet fasted more in Sha'ban, the month before Ramadan, than in any other month apart from Ramadan, so a few voluntary fasts now are a good way to prepare. Do not fast the last day or two before Ramadan unless fasting is already your habit.
- 25 days before
Drink more water
Increase how much water you drink so that you begin the month well hydrated.
- 24 days before
Make a charity plan
Decide which causes you want to support during Ramadan and set the money aside.
- 23 days before
Schedule your Quran reading
Plan a daily portion if you hope to read the whole Quran during the month.
- 22 days before
Look back at last Ramadan
Think about previous Ramadans and what you would do differently.
- 21 days before
Stock up
Buy groceries and household things ahead of time so you are not running errands while fasting.
- 20 days before
Connect with your community
Reach out to your masjid or Islamic center to learn about its Ramadan programs.
- 19 days before
Plan light exercise
Choose a gentle routine you can keep while fasting.
- 18 days before
Prepare your prayer space
Set up a corner at home with a prayer mat, a Quran stand, and anything else you need.
- 17 days before
Work out your zakat
Calculate your zakat. It falls due on its own anniversary each year, and paying it early, for example in Ramadan, is allowed.
- 16 days before
Read and learn
Start a book or a series of talks that will increase your knowledge and your spiritual awareness.
- 15 days before
Practice stillness
Build a few minutes of quiet reflection into each day.
- 14 days before
Plan iftar gatherings
Make a schedule for hosting or attending iftars with family and friends.
- 13 days before
Write your dua list
List the personal supplications, the duas, you want to make during the month.
- 12 days before
Review the rules of fasting
Refresh your knowledge of the rules and manners of fasting.
- 11 days before
Plan for the night prayers
Arrange your evenings so you can pray Taraweeh.
- 10 days before
Cook and freeze
Prepare and freeze some meals ahead of time.
- 9 days before
Set digital limits
Decide how you will limit screens and social media during the month.
- 8 days before
Decorate
Decorate your home to make the month feel festive.
- 7 days before
Reconnect
Reach out to family and friends to mend and strengthen ties and share Ramadan greetings.
- 6 days before
Finalize your schedule
Review your daily plan for work, worship and family.
- 5 days before
Practice gratitude
Start a gratitude journal of the blessings in your life.
- 4 days before
Plan your sadaqah
Plan how you will give voluntary charity during the month.
- 3 days before
Seek forgiveness
Ask forgiveness from God, and from anyone you may have wronged.
- 2 days before
Prepare for Eid
Plan your Eid celebration and clothes in advance, and set aside zakat al-fitr.
- 1 day before
Final preparations
Make sure everything is in place, and spend the day in reflection and prayer.
Remember, the key to a good Ramadan is balance, so adjust these plans to your physical and emotional needs. May your Ramadan be blessed and transformative.
About fasting before Ramadan: the Prophet fasted more in Sha’ban than in any month besides Ramadan (Sahih al-Bukhari 1969), and he said, “None of you should fast a day or two before the month of Ramadan unless he has the habit of fasting” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1914).
Taraweeh, the night prayer of Ramadan
- When. After the Isha prayer, on every night of Ramadan.
- How many rak’ahs. Aisha reported that the Prophet never prayed more than eleven rak’ahs at night, in Ramadan or any other month, which many read as eight plus three of Witr (Sahih al-Bukhari 1147). Reports from the time of Umar mention eleven and twenty-three. Twenty plus Witr is the practice of most masjids; eight is common too. The point is to take part as fully as your strength and time allow.
- The name. Taraweeh means rests, from the pauses taken between sets of rak’ahs. In some masjids a short reminder about Ramadan is given in those pauses.
- How long. With long recitation it can take one to two hours. Each rak’ah is like those of the daily prayers, only longer.
- Where. It is commonly prayed in congregation behind an imam who recites well, and it can also be prayed alone at home.