Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims around the world, is set to begin in 40 days’ time on March 23 as per astronomical calculations published on the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment website. Ramadan will last 29 days and Eid Al Fitr is most likely to fall on Friday, April 21, for the Hijri Year 1444. A moon-sighting committee in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia,
determines the start and end of the holy month, which lasts 29 to 30 days.

On the first day of Ramadan, Fajr (morning) prayers, which denote the beginning of the fast, will start at 5:02am and Maghrib (sunset) prayers at 6:35 pm, making the total fasting time 13 hours and 33 minutes. By the end of the holy month, on April 20 likely, the fasting hours will increase to 14 hours 16 minutes when Fajr prayers will be at 4:31 am and Maghreb at 6:47 pm. There are two main meals during Ramadan – Suhoor which is taken before sunrise and Iftar taken after sunset.

In 2022, the fasting time on the first day of Ramadan lasted 13 hours and 48 minutes while on the last day it was 14 hours 33 minutes. According to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomy Society, which is a member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences (AUASS), Ramadan will be cooler this year – ranging from 17 to 36 degrees – as it is at the beginning of spring. Ibrahim added that the Al Sarayat spring weather disturbances might result in heavy rains during Ramadan. Restaurants will open during Ramadan, but eating or drinking in public won’t be allowed. Working hours in offices and schools will be shorter during the month. Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic calendar, was the month in which the Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) on the night of Laylat Al Qadr, one of the last ten nights of Ramadan.