Muslims around the world have entered Ramadan, their holiest month of the year. It marks when the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam, was revealed to the prophet Muhammad.
When is Ramadan?
The exact dates change each year because Islam uses a calendar based on the cycles of the moon called the Hijri. This means Ramadan moves forward by 10 or 11 days each year in a 33-year cycle.
Subject to the sighting of the moon, the month begins this year on the evening of Wednesday 22 March, which means Muslims will begin their first day of fasting at dawn on Thursday. While many follow Saudi Arabia’s sighting of the moon, others follow the leading religious authority in their own sect or country.
The month of fasting will end on either Friday 21 or Saturday 22 April, as there are either 29 or 30 days in a lunar month.
Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking of the fast, marks the end of Ramadan. Muslims tend to celebrate Eid with a small breakfast and give to charity before Eid prayers in congregation.
Who fasts?
Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset every day. This year, British Muslims will fast between 14 and 15 hours a day. As Ramadan moves away from the summer solstice and towards the winter in the UK, the length of fast will shorten.
As the number of daylight hours varies across the world, so does the number of hours a Muslim is required to fast for. Muslims in Stockholm, Sweden, will fast for about 17 hours this year, while Muslims in Buenos Aires, Argentina, will fast for approximately 12 hours.
Not everyone has to fast during Ramadan: children who have not reached puberty, elderly people, those who are physically or mentally incapable of fasting, pregnant and menstruating women, breastfeeding mothers and travellers are exempt. According to Islamic teachings, fasting is required only if you are healthy.
Drinking water is not permitted while fasting and nor is chewing gum.
What else does Ramadan involve?
Along with fasting, the other four pillars are prayer, giving to charity or zakat, performing hajj, and the shahada – a declaration of faith.
Charity is one of the five main obligations for all Muslims but during Ramadan it is particularly important. Zakat (meaning “the poor rate”) requires Muslims donate 2.5% of what they earn every year.
How many people are Muslims?
After Christianity, Islam is the second largest religion in the world, according to Pew Research Center, which estimated the world’s global Muslim population was 1.6 billion in 2010. About two-thirds of Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region and Indonesia, which alone has more than 209 million Muslim inhabitants.
In England and Wales, 6.5% of the population identify as Muslim. While the Muslim population has started to leave urban centres in the past decade, most live in large towns and cities (88%). A third live in London and 19% in other core cities outside the capital, including Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Cardiff.
