When will Ramadan 2022 begin?

Islam follows the lunar or Hijri calendar which is based on the phases of the moon cycle and has 354 days unlike the solar or Georgian calendar that the rest of the world follows. Hence, Ramadan is 10 or 11 days earlier every year and in 2022, this is when will Ramadan begin

Ramadan fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam where observant Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk and traditionally gather to break their fast with a date or khajur at iftar in the evening. Ramadan, also spelled Ramazan or Ramzan or Ramzaan, is the month when Muslims believe that God revealed the first verses of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad.

Muslim men look for the position of the moon to mark the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on the roof of Al-Musyari'in mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 1, 2022. (REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan)

Islam follows the lunar or Hijri calendar which is based on the phases of the moon cycle and has 354 days unlike the solar or Georgian calendar that the rest of the world follows. Hence, Ramadan is 10 or 11 days earlier every year and in 2022, it may begin from April 2 if the crescent moon is sighted on the evening of April 1 that is the 29th day of Sha’ban 1443 Hijri. 

Gearing up to strengthen their faith through prayer and increased recitation of the Quran, Muslims across the world are waiting on the edge to sight the crescent moon on Friday evening that will mark the onset of the Holy month of Ramadan 2022. If unable to sight the Ramadan crescent on April 1 after Salat al Maghrib, the moon sighting committee in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will announce on Friday evening that the first fast of Ramadan will be on April 3, Sunday. 

Ramadan in countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh could overlap with Saudi Arabia if the moon is sighted on April 2 in these Asian nations.  This is because though the Indian states of Kerala and Kashmir usually sight the crescent moon for Ramadan a day earlier than the rest of the country, the Ramadan start date in the rest of India depends on the local sighting of the crescent moon, that is usually a day after sighting in Saudi Arabia hence, ramadan is likely to start in India from Sunday, April 3, if the crescent moon is spotted on Saturday, April 2.