How long will Muslims be fasting this Ramadaan

Fasting lasts anywhere from 12 to 18 hours, depending what side of the world you live in. Muslims are welcoming the holy month of Ramadaan.

The pre-sunrise to sunset fast entails abstinence from eating, drinking, sexual relations and smoking, in the hopes of attaining God-consciousness.

There are roughly 1.9 billion Muslims across the works and make up approximately 25% of the world population. They believe that Ramadaan is the month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

Ramadan starts on different dates each year

The holy month starts 10 to 12 days earlier every year because it is based on the lunar Hijri calendar. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The lunar calendar runs 11 days shorter than the solar calendar.

This year, the first day of fasting in Makkah is March 23 (Thursday).

Because of the difference between the lunar and solar calendars, Ramadaan will be observed twice in 2030! First starting in early January, and then again on December 25.

How many hours is the fast?

Muslims living in the Northern Hemisphere will experience longer hours of fasting. Countries like Greenland or London will have over 17 hour fasts. Compared to countries in the southern parts, like South Africa and New Zealand who average on 12 hour fasts.

However, for those in the North, the number of hours will start to shorten until 2031 – when Ramadaan encompasses the winter solstice. After that the hours will increase until the summer solstice.

For countries in the South, the hours will increase as Ramadaan occurs during the Summer/Spring seasons.

Cities with the longest fasting hours:

Glasglow, Scotland (17 hours)

London, UK (16 hours)

Paris, France (15 hours)

Rome, Italy (15 hours)

Beijing, China (14 hours)

Ankara, Turkey (14 hours)

Abuja, Nigeria (13 hours)

Bangkok, Thailand (13 hours)

Kuala Lampur, Malaysia (13 hours)

Cities with the shorted fasting hours

Harare, Zimbabwe (13 hours)

Johannesburg, South Africa (13 hours)

Jakarta, Indonesia (13 hours)

Cape Town, South Africa (12 hours)

Buenos Aires, Argentina (12 hours)

Canberra, Australia (12 hours)

Puerto Montt, Chile (12 hours)

Christchurch, New Zealand (12 hours)