Ramadan 2027
Ramadan 2027
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, running 29 or 30 days depending on the sighting of the new moon. Because the lunar year runs about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian one, Ramadan arrives a little earlier each year and gradually works its way through all four seasons over roughly three decades.
Prayer and fasting times here follow the Karachi calculation method, which can be changed site-wide from the theme settings. Different methods place fajr and isha at slightly different sun angles, which is exactly why two mosques in the very same city can publish timetables a few minutes apart.
Questions people ask
Is this the official timetable for my own city?
It's a calculated timetable, accurate to within a couple of minutes for the coordinates shown here. Wherever a local committee publishes an official calendar, follow that instead — especially for pinning down the first and last day of the month.
Why do different countries begin Ramadan on different days?
Some accept astronomical calculation alone, others require an actual local crescent sighting, and others follow an announcement made elsewhere entirely. A one-day gap between neighbouring countries is completely normal.
Exactly how long does Ramadan run for?
Twenty-nine or thirty days, depending on precisely when the next crescent is sighted.
What's actually the difference between imsak, sehri and fajr?
Sehri is the pre-dawn meal itself. Imsak is a precautionary few minutes before dawn when many people choose to stop eating early. Fajr is the dawn prayer, and the day's fast formally begins the moment it starts.
Why do sehri and iftar fall at different times in nearby cities?
Because both follow the actual sun rather than the clock — two cities within a single time zone, even a few hundred kilometres apart, can see genuinely different dawn and sunset moments.
Who is actually exempt from the fast?
Children, travellers, the ill, the elderly, and women who are pregnant, nursing or menstruating — with specific rules for making up missed days or giving charity instead. Personal circumstances are ultimately a matter for a qualified scholar to advise on.
What exactly is Laylat al-Qadr?
The Night of Decree, described in the Quran as better than a thousand months. Its exact night isn't fixed, and it's most commonly sought on the 27th of the month.
Where to go next
Sehri and iftar times for your city, today and for the whole month, with prayer times alongside.
What Ramadan actually is
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and the month of fasting: from dawn until sunset there’s no food or drink at all, the fast opens each evening at iftar, and the pre-dawn meal taken before the fast resumes is sehri.
The month itself runs 29 or 30 days and ends with Eid ul Fitr. Because the lunar year is roughly eleven days shorter than the Gregorian one, Ramadan shifts noticeably earlier each year and passes through every season in turn over about three decades — which is exactly why fasting hours in the same city can look completely different from one decade to the next.
How the actual start date gets decided
Two separate things determine when Ramadan begins: the astronomical new moon, which can be calculated precisely well in advance, and the physical sighting of the crescent, which depends on sky conditions, the horizon, and the observer. Different countries follow different practices here — some accept calculation alone, some require a local sighting, and some simply follow an announcement made elsewhere.
That’s exactly why neighbouring countries sometimes begin a day apart, and why any date printed months ahead — including the one shown on this site — is a calculated estimate rather than a confirmed announcement. Follow your own local moon-sighting committee for the actual first and last day.
Why sehri and iftar differ between nearby cities
Sehri ends at fajr, the dawn prayer, and iftar begins at maghrib, sunset. Both follow the sun rather than the clock, which is why they differ between cities that share a time zone, and why they shift a little further every single day across the month.
The angle used to calculate fajr genuinely varies between authorities — eighteen degrees below the horizon for the Muslim World League and for Karachi, fifteen for ISNA — which is why two published timetables for the very same city can differ by several minutes. This site’s calculation method can be changed site-wide in the theme settings, and prayer times are worked out the exact same way.
Far enough from the equator, the sun may never dip low enough below the horizon for a true astronomical dawn, and a calculated timetable falls back on dividing the night into equal parts instead. In those places specifically, follow whatever ruling your local mosque actually uses.
Questions people ask
Why do different countries begin Ramadan on different days?
Some accept astronomical calculation alone, others require an actual local crescent sighting, and others follow an announcement made elsewhere entirely. A one-day gap between neighbouring countries is completely normal.
Exactly how long does Ramadan run for?
Twenty-nine or thirty days, depending on precisely when the next crescent is sighted.
What’s actually the difference between imsak, sehri and fajr?
Sehri is the pre-dawn meal itself. Imsak is a precautionary few minutes before dawn when many people choose to stop eating early. Fajr is the dawn prayer, and the day’s fast formally begins the moment it starts.
Why do sehri and iftar fall at different times in nearby cities?
Because both follow the actual sun rather than the clock — two cities within a single time zone, even a few hundred kilometres apart, can see genuinely different dawn and sunset moments.
Who is actually exempt from the fast?
Children, travellers, the ill, the elderly, and women who are pregnant, nursing or menstruating — with specific rules for making up missed days or giving charity instead. Personal circumstances are ultimately a matter for a qualified scholar to advise on.
What exactly is Laylat al-Qadr?
The Night of Decree, described in the Quran as better than a thousand months. Its exact night isn’t fixed, and it’s most commonly sought on the 27th of the month.